Shoes and boots are your most wearable accessories and they are certainly the hardest working so you want to keep them supple and wearable for many years when you do shoe storage. In order to keep them in good condition while in storage, it’s important to store them properly.
Before you put your shoes into storage, consider how long you will have them there because depending on how long you leave your shoes in storage would affect how your shoes will turn out to be. Three things that can take a toll on your shoes are gravity, humidity, and aridity. Materials also age and they become stiff overtime. During short-term storage, shoes need minor support. Don’t throw your shoes in a pile on the floor or in a box, they will end up losing their shape and their sole can be having irreparable damage.
To keep your shoe in shape and have structure, use correct size wooden shoehorns and stretchers for your shoes. Keep in mind to let your shoe rest for a day at least before inserting wooden or plastic shoe frame.
When storing your shoes, use acid-free paper that is absorbent so that you can maintain your shoes’ moisture level. This can help protect them and when using paper to stuff shoes for moderate or long term storage, avoid newsprint.
Don’t forget that cleaning your shoes thoroughly is important before storing shoes. Stuff your shoes with enough material so that it doesn’t stretch out certain areas.
Shoe boxes can give your shoes the highest level of protection from dust, sunlight, and temperature. You can preserve delicate leather by boxing any vintage shoes or boots you have. Other alternatives aside from box would be plastic boxes. Acid-free storage is important for preserving materials for longer storage.
Climate-controlled storage is the perfect ideal place for your shoes since shoes that are left too long can become unusable because of the harsh treatment because of extreme temperature changes. To prevent your winter boots from having creases and weakening materials, climate-controlled storage is ideal. You can keep them in shape by inserting acid-free cardboard for the feet. With summer shoes, they often are lightweight and has a lot of fragile materials so using silica gel in storage container can remove dampness and preserve them longer during the winter time.
