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Show me your garage shoe storage solutions please!

last month
last modified: last month

We will be parking in the garage and entering the house from there. Garage is all drywalled and well insulated, surrounding on three sides by new build house, so I'm not overly concerned about critters or anything getting to or in the shoes. We aren't planning to do doors mostly b/c they could be a hinderance to taking the shoes off/on with full hands while leaving/returning and I'd like them to have airflow.


It is a small garage, so not a ton of space but I've got a space that is about 35" wide by 24" deep and up to 8 feet tall for a custom solution. We have a lot of shoes, some boots. No little kids but at times 4 adults. I don't store *all* our shoes there but we have a large regular rotation. I was thinking if we just do shelves that allow for two rows of shoes, however, but thinking it may be hard to see them at upper or lower heights that way. I'm at a loss - what have you done? We've got about 50 - 60 pairs (including boots and sandals).


My husband suggested the tilted shelves for shoes, but then we will get only two rows which is not enough. Once we finish our garage plan and install there, there will be no other space for shows out there so it needs to work.


Thank you!

Comments (29)

  • last month

    What is your climate?

    It might be insulated, but if you park a wet car or a snow covered car in the garage, you will have a lot of humidity. I wouldn't want to store good shoes in the garage.

    melanie thanked chispa
  • last month

    I’d go to the container store and look up Elfa Classic Mesh Pull out Shoe Rack. They are mounted on brackets and you can customize the height between shelves. If suddenly

  • last month

    You need to change it up, it’s easy. Just raise or lower the shelves.

  • last month

    Opposite to Chispa we have low humidity, I think, and our shoes left in garage fail to dry ajd are uncomfortable so we swapped to storing all but rubber boots inside the house, maybe the odd lawn mowing pair of shoes but almost all inside now

  • last month

    No snow. Occasional rain. We have been storing them in the garage for 5 months now without issues, on a mish mash of shoe cubbies and shelves. When it does rain I have a wet boot mat for boots to stay out on floor. So storage location isn't new, we are just finally getting the organization & storage system in.


    Anyone have any inspiration photos?

  • last month

    There are tons of ideas via Google or Houzz. Hunker comes up a lot.

  • last month

    We placed shelves adjacent to the door where several pair of shoes can sit. They are Zelda from the Container Store. Convenient, sturdy and adjustable.

    melanie thanked fnmroberts
  • last month

    Elfa - not Zelda. Thanks word substitution.

  • last month

    Cool floor! I hadn't thought about the idea of open wire shelving. I guess that would probably be better for airflow.

  • last month

    Agree, the wire shelving offers ventilation. Believe Elfa only offers 4 foot sections but separate ones can be be placed adjacent as well as with less spacing between.

    Here’s a more complete view of garage arrangement.

  • last month

    To maximize the space you have to work with, I agree with using the Elfa system, from The Container Store. Easy to install, quality wire racking and easy to adjust shelves as needed. They also have shelf liners if you prefer to use to keep any debris contained on each shelf. You'll want to maximize wall height for shelves needed and just keep a step ladder nearby. Not sure if your wall space is open, but here's how it measures out using the Container Store website.




  • PRO
    last month

    I love my shoes but really no way would I have 50 airs in the garage . Be reasonable about how many are really needing storage in the garage. The shelves need to be reachable for kids for sure but really 4 pairs per person at one time is pretty normal and can be handled in that space . I would get a nice storage rack with solid shelves maybe metal. so stuff does not fall down from the upper shelves Lets face it sadals and boots do not need to be there all year. LIke anythig else it needs to clearened up often and shoes not worn taken to bedrooms . Our kids were limited to 2 pairs each in a tiny entry and an Ikea shoe storage unit we had 3 kids

  • PRO
    last month

    This one isnt bad.


  • last month

    Before buying or building any shelves- I like the ones above at about 1/2 capacity - measure the length and width and height of the larger shoe/boot as you will be putting there. Use the largest hiking or snow boot. We keep seasonal footwear on shelf in our garage, out of season are cleaned and stored inside house. When family visits in summer there are large baskets outside of each door for sandals and sneaks. We live in a lake area so lots of sand to contend with.

    melanie thanked Valinta
  • last month

    We don't keep shoes in the garage except crappy lawn mowing shoes, and sometimes muddy boots. But we do have several pairs of shoes in the closet just inside, by the garage door. I use wire shelves, but put carpet remnants on the shelves, to wet shoes in the top shelf don't drip onto the ones below.

    For any kind of storage, the most efficient use of space has like-sized items on the same shelf, so there isn't a lot of wasted space between shelves. That's the nice things about the Elfa shelves (big box stores carry similar items), which are easily adjustable, both in height and width.

    melanie thanked AnnKH
  • last month

    Perfect Joe provides a sound, logical solution. Building upon those recommendations, IF you have an IKEA nearby give consideration to purchasing their 36” base cabinet “boxes” and drawer inserts. Would make it quick and easy to install.

    melanie thanked fnmroberts
  • last month

    @perfect jor Thank you for some more ideas. I actually haven't installer coming over today to do some measurement I'm going to see what they offer in terms of pullouts as well. I'm thinking maybe I will do some fixed shelves up high for seasonal, then pull outs for the heights that will be using frequently.

  • last month

    My husband made a four shelf unit for the garage, like a deep bookcase where we keep our dry outdoor shoes and boots. In front of it is an LLBean waterhog mat where wet shoes and boots sit until they can be placed on a shelf. Frequently used footwear might reside on the mat for much of the winter. I prefer solid shelves so dirt and pebbles from the soles don't drop down into the shoes below them.

    We live in a snowy climate and park our cars in the garage. The idea that humidity might be a problem is a non issue.

  • last month

    Do your shoes dry with it being so cold? We had to stop storing most of our shoes in garage as they never dried in the wet and cold of winter

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    The garage is surrounded on all sides but 2 (door and one side) by the house, so fairly well insulated. Our climate is coastal and very temperate, and thus far not been that wet. Though if our shoes were wet I definitely wouldn't want them in the house. You make a good point though if we were to get a decent amount of wet weather I'll definitely want to check to make sure things are drying well.


    I have a wet boot tray from when we used to just have all of our shoes basically inside the front door and if it was rainy I wouldn't want the floor to get wet. I'll still keep that out so if we do have wet shoes they'll probably sit in this little tray for a brief amount of time.

  • last month

    Our wet shoes go on n trays in the mudroom. We have lots. We live in vancouver

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    WestCoast Hopeful - our gas boiler is located in the garage so the temp never goes below freezing in there, even during those below zero degrees stretches.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    I keep mine in a closed locker in the garage; I have the Gladiator cabinets from Home Depot. I live on a dirt road, there's dust everywhere, gotta keep them behind closed doors. Even behind closed doors, they still sometimes get dusty.

    Gladiator cabinet link: Storage cabinet

    I have a couple of Husky cabinets in the barn. Link: Husky locker


    ETA: I keep the shoes in their boxes in the storage locker.

  • 14 days ago

    I will be curious to see what you end up doing. We have a small shoe rack/shelf in the garage and also a tray by the front door. It works but I'd like a better solution as well. Ours is kind of random and the rack thing in the garage ( not sure how long we've had it or where it came from... I know it moved with us lol) is ony about 24 inches wide, 2 tiers and overflowing.

    I''ve also been thinking about the Ikea Hemnes Shoes Cabinets and all the amazon and wayfair clones which coulld work in our entryway.

    As I type this, I'm sure if the one in the garage were a bit taller that would probably be all we'd need.

    I'll still follow along here. And @fnmroberts how cool is that floor! Can you provide any details on that? ( sorry to hijack)

  • 13 days ago

    I was also going to say that behind closed doors is important just for the dust build up. I also like the Elfa system (the metal finish is practical for your situation) and this can be mounted within your cabinet makers enclosure.

  • 13 days ago

    @salonva - the floor is 12x12 interlocking vinyl garage floor tile which “float” upon the concrete. Brand is RaceDeck. This is the second garage where I’ve installed them. Some people like epoxy however I’ve not had problems while others have experienced bonding issues with epoxy. Colors were selected specifically for our fun car whose tires aren’t compatible resting long-term upon concrete. Happy to help if you wish further information.

  • 13 days ago

    fnmroberts - can water from the car during a heavy rain get under the floor mats? Cool garage!

  • 13 days ago

    @Indigo Rose - This floor is assembled using a combination of solid and flow-thru tiles. Very little water goes through the seams of solid
    tile. The flow thru lets moisture escape keeping the surface dry. I use a pressure washer periodically to clean the tile and water channels underneath and outdoors atop the concrete.

  • 13 days ago

    Well our garage organization company no longer does pull outs. :( And I did not have the energy to find a new one so we're doing shelves over some lower drawers (I didn't want to have to be squatting down or kneeling down to see what was in the back of the bottom shelves). I'm concerned about a lack of airflow but we'll see how it goes. It's ordered but not installed yet. I'll update with a pic once we get it done!