Note: This post was written in 2011. I have since changed up how I used organizers, but these are still great tips if you want to use these types of organizers in your home! I understand this method is not for everyone. Do what works for you! Now that we have moved into a new house with very little storage space, I’m considering adding a few of these back!
Over the Door Shoe Organizers
I’m not a big fan of clutter. I don’t like how clutter makes me feel! Clutter can make me feel anxious, leaving a nagging feeling of things I still need to clean or organize around my home. I like for everything to have a place in my home! When my house is organized, I feel better and I’m more focused on the important things around me.
For the last few months, clutter has been collecting around my house. After I had children, it got worse! Toys, art supplies, you name it– it was collecting so fast that something had to be done.
I am limited on closet and drawer space in my home so I needed to get creative on ways to make more space in my home for all of the items that “needed a home.” Slowly, I have added over the door shoe organizers on the insides of just about every closet door in my home. I believe in the “out of sight, out of mind.” You don’t ever see any of my clutter until you open up the door. I like to “hide” things for my own peace of mind!
In 2011, I owned 10 over the door door shoe organizers! These over the door shoe organizers range in prices from about $10-$20 a piece and can be found at your retailer and online at Amazon. I prefer the clear plastic organizers, but style and color is completely up to you. The plastic organizers allow you to easily see what’s in each pocket!
See why I love my over the door shoe organizers and how it helps me to stay a bit more organized!
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Over the door shoe organizers at Amazon
My Over the Door Shoe Organizers – How I Use Them
Art Supplies
Over the door shoe organizers are perfect for art supplies (paint, paint brushes, markers, pens, tape, glitter, googly eyes, stamps, etc).
With kids, the art supplies tend to collect fast. Instead of shoving it all in a drawer or having it take up room, use the over the door shoe organizers to organize your art supplies.
My daughter is old enough now that she can reach the bottom pockets. I keep crayons, marker, dry-erase markers and more at the bottom so that she can use them when she needs them without my help. I keep the paint supplies at the top to avoid any paint disasters!
Pantry Organization
These organizers are perfect for the pantry. We like to place our snacks and items like granola bars in the pockets at the bottom. This gives us more space in our pantry. We don’t have a medicine cabinet so we keep medicine in the top pockets, out of reach from children.
Business Supplies
They are perfect for business supplies and would be perfect for your small business supplies if you have one. I kept my brochures, thank you cards, and other important business supplies in the pockets.
Tools and Household Items
Over the door shoe organizers are great for odds and ends (tools, remotes, batteries, flashlights, small items that I don’t know what to do with, etc.)
I do not like junk drawers. I can’t ever find anything in them when I need it, so this serves as a place for all of the little items that need a home.
The set of tools you see is actually my set of tools (my husband keeps his in the garage) so these tools are always handy for me when I need them.
Baby Supplies
Over the door shoe organizers are perfect in the baby’s room.
I stored these items below before my baby was born. I keep small blankets, diaper rash cream, socks, small toys, hats, diapers, wipes and more inside the pockets.
Laundry Supplies
Over the door shoe organizers are perfect in the laundry closet.
This may be a bit strange to you, but I am limited on space to fold laundry so I use the top of the washer and dryer for folding.
This organizer is next to me when folding so I fold up our socks, the children’s socks, undergarments, wash cloths, and throw them in there until I am ready to put them away–yes, sometimes I’m lazy.
It also holds the Shout, etc. This gives me more room and space to fold the larger items without the smaller ones being in the way!
Organizing Shoes!
Over the door shoe organizers are perfect, well, for shoes! Instead of having my shoes lay all over the floor, this helps them stay organized and helped free up space in my closet to store other items.
Over the door shoe organizers are perfect in kids rooms. I keep one in my daughter’s closet for her shoes.
Small Toys, Etc.
Over the door shoe organizers are perfect for storing small toys for small toys, dress up shoes, hats, sunglasses, figurines, McDonald’s toys in the kids rooms.
As you can see, I love my over the door shoes organizers. I feel that by having these, I have freed up a lot of space in my home, and I can also find things so much easier when I can see them instead of everything being thrown into a drawer or closet.
You can even put these in your garage if you’d like for tools, etc. There are so many ways to use over the door shoe organizers!
How do you use over the door shoe organizers?
What a great idea! I’m definitely borrowing this idea from you. I live in a very small house with four young children. We are very limited on space. Being a single Mother, and having to keep up with the clutter all on my own is a huge chore. Thanks for the tip!
I love this! I’ve seen it before and have wanted to do this, but the main problem that I have is that most of my closet doors, and pantry door are sliding doors that fold in the center, so I’m trying to come up with a way to make this work for me.
Same thing with my closets. They slide and fold in the middle 🙁 . I really love this idea but the only door I can do this on is my master walk in closet. Would love to do this with art supplies, but I don’t know if I want it in my master closet. LOL
You have me wanting to go out and buy more of these! Love the post 🙂
For the longest time, I only had a few. But then I realized that I had too many “little things” that didn’t have a proper place. That’s when I decided I could use one on just about every door and I don’t regret it!
THANK YOU!!! I’ve often walked by these at the store and thought, “it’s gotta be useful for something,” but then I walk on, not knowing how to put them to use. We also have a serious clutter issue in this house (having 8 people in 1000 square feet can get messy). Now I know what to do. In fact, I’m putting shoe organizers on my shopping list as soon as I post this comment. Thanks so much for the great idea =D
I totally used this idea in my pantry! Its AWESOME! Wish we could all post pics!!
You can email your picture to me if you’d like and I may post it! thefrugalfreegal@yahoo.com
We have one that we use in our hall closet for our stockpile items (shampoos, toothpastes, body washes, shaving creams). I love using it for this stuff. I don’t have room in my laundry area but I loved that idea as well. I would like one for my pantry too!
I just love these ideas!!! I thought of a few uses for these shoe organizers, but you have given me so many more!! Can’t wait to go buy some more and get started!!
If only I have doors as many as yours, I’d prolly not throw away those shoe organizers that never have been useful for shoesl.
This is a GREAT idea EXCEPT for one thing…
I don’t have any closets, let alone closet doors. Or pantries, or anywhere really to PUT one of these. 🙁 I want to adopt this idea SO bad.
You could use command hooks and hang it on a wall. 🙂
I have one hanging in my kitchen for all those extra utensils and baggies and stuff that always seems to be in the way. I wish I had more doors….b/c I would have them everywhere! I have one on my bathroom door for bathroom stuff…one on the back of my bedroom door for all kinds of misc stuff. Going to be putting one in the school room for school supplies at some point. I’ve seen where you can put barbies in them and matcbox cars. Love your ideas!!!
I use over the door organizers as well, also over the door hooks.
Hey, Let me tell you another use…… If you travel with grandchildren or your a parent that travels with kids on vacation or any long drive. Put one on each side on the hooks above the back car seat windows and fill the shoe slots with fruit snacks travel mugs and activities for each child!!
I have the same one you have for your shoes, but I have a huge issue with the door closing properly. The one I had before did just fine with the door. Do you have any suggestions?
Try using Command Strips ….
Use command hooks instead of the hardware included 🙂
I might have to steal your idea to keep my Scentsy business supplies organized too! I hate how it’s all stuffed away in files and I have to dig, this would be much easier! Thanks for sharing!
I am going to try this at my house. I have limited space and using these might help. Thanks for the ideas, can’t wait to have all that extra room!
Hi. do your doors close with these over the door pockets. I can’t find ones that allow the door to close. help…thanks
Hi Lynda! They do close! When we moved recently, there were a few doors that they would not work on at our new house, but for the majority, they did close.
I love these ideas!! I just wanted to make a suggestion for the ladies that don’t have enough doors or the right kind of doors….how about hanging them on the wall? My shoe organizers have little metal holes on the two corners, so they can just hang off two nails. 🙂
Great advice Katie! I do have a few hanging up inside closets with nails. I have a huge closet in the middle of my house that allows me to hang two of them on the wall inside. We have our office supplies in them currently!
Try using command strips …. you may have to use more than 2 or 4 depending on what you are putting in them.
I have used these for 20+ years. It all started with organizing our oldest daughter’s Barbie dolls. I love them even more now that we’ve started homeschooling. All of our young children’s supplies are organized where they can see them, easily retrieve them, and easily put them back. The two pre-schoolers have the two bottom rows where they can easily get their own supplies, but can’t reach anything dangerous or super messy like, sharp scissors, glue, markers, stapler, etc.
I do use these even where I don’t have a door! Instead of the over the door hooks, you can just hang them with decorative nails, screws, or even the heavy duty command strips, assuming one is not storing lead weights. 😉
I know it looks like someone mentioned this already but do you recommend any brands that allow door to close properly? I am having issues with the doors. Thanks!!
I do not have any recommendations yet, but, I have actually hung a few up with nails, especially inside bigger closets if you have the space.
Try using command strips …. you may have to use more than 2 or 4 depending on the weight of what you are hanging.
You can also cut these in half, one strip or make them shorter. They can be hung with a ribbon through the holes at the top and then hang the ribbon over a sturdy hanger in the closet. They can be hung back to back this way. They work on cabinet doors, small narrow areas of wall space inside closet doors or next to the rail. You can use the ribbon and hanger to hang on the wall instead of multiple nails or screws or command strips. I am putting them in my spare closet back to back with gift wrap, art supplies, office supplies and any other odds and ends or extra household products. I am using them for a medicine cabinet, and in the kids rooms back to back for toys, hair bows, and socks and underwear. My foyer closet has hats and scarves. No more need to pack up winter stuff.
What a great tip! Thank you so much!