by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I was trying to keep my closet neat, but the tops of my boots would flop over and end up in a large unsightly pile. I needed a low-waste way to more neatly store my boots. I found the perfect solution & it was FREE! 

(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)

Decluttering The Closet

In my closet are several different styles of women’s boots. I have mid-calf boots & higher-calf boots. There are boots that go with leggings and western boots that go with blue jeans.

I’m not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination. But c’mon, a girl’s still gotta have fashionable footwear!

Recently I did a heavy Decluttering of my closet. I removed tons of items that I no longer wear and sent them off to a Thrift Store. Then everything that remained was returned neatly to my closet.

But oh those boots…

Keeping Tops Of Boots From Slouching Over In Closet

Now I’ve read all sorts of solutions to keeping boots from slouching over:

*Boot Shaper Stands. Just slide the shaper into the boots to keep tops rigid. Cost (as of this writing) is less than $12 for a 6-pack of them.

Benefit: Inexpensive, compact, easy to use.

Drawback: They’re plastic which I prefer to shy away from. Plus they would come with packaging which I also shy away from.

*Plastic Pool Noodles. Tuck a section into the boot top to hold the tops straight.

Benefit: Inexpensive and easy to use. Multi-purpose as well if you have a pool.

Drawback: I’ll not buy pool noodles because, you know, they’re plastic. Have I mentioned lately how much I Hate Plastic? LOL

Crumpled newspaper. Wad several pieces and and shove them into the tops of boots when they’re stored in the closet.

Benefit: Eco Friendly and free.

Drawback: Cumbersome to remove & replace those wads of paper each time you wear a pair of boots.

Corrugated cardboard. Cut a piece twice as wide and about as tall as the tops of your boots. Then slide them into the boots when they’re stored in the closet.

Benefit: Easy to use, eco Friendly, compostable and free!

Drawback: I don’t see any drawbacks!

Using Cardboard For Neater Storage For Boots

I volunteer for our local food pantry and there’s an endless supply of cardboard boxes and small flat pieces of cardboard to hold all those cans of food.

Those cardboard flats will be perfect! So I brought several home with me, flattened them out and cut them in half.

Then I folded each piece in half longways and slid them down into my boots. Perfect! The rigid cardboard holds my boots neatly. When I wear a pair of boots I just slide the cardboard out and lay it aside. I slide it back into place when I return my boots to the closet.

My closet is now much more organized. And when this boot-straightener cardboard is no longer needed I just toss it into my compost tumbler.

There it magically turns into that precious Black Gold Compost for my garden.

This solution ticks off all the necessary boxes for both the budget-minded as well as eco warrior in me:

There’s no plastic, nothing new to be purchased and there’s even nothing to go to the landfill in the future. 

Use Whatcha Got, Y’all!

~TxH~

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Links In This Post:

• Decluttering Your Home And KEEPING It Decluttered
• Closing The Loop In Charitable Giving
• Reducing Plastic: It’s Easy!
• Using Cardboard In Your Compost

Other ‘Use Whatcha Got’ Ideas

Outdoors & Garden

• Make A Cute Porch Lantern
• Predator Guard For Our Martin House
• Trick Birds Away From Garden Strawberries
• How Leaves Greatly Benefit Your Garden
• Protecting Tender Seedlings
• Assuring Safety Around An Underground Cistern

Indoors & Décor

• Beautiful All-Natural Tablescape 
• Pretty Wax-Dipped Pinecone Fire Starter

Cleaning & Organization

• Safer Straight-Pin Storage
• Finding Free Storage Lids For Canning Jars
• Tame Electrical Cords
• Save Your Fingernails When Cleaning
• MYO Chalkboard Labels
• Keeping Boots Stored Neatly

Misc

• MYO Simple Craft Paintbrush In A Pinch
• Repurposing An Empty Parmesan Cheese Container – BRILLIANT!

All ‘Use Whatcha Got’ Posts

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