It is funny how now that we have entered the fall, all the footwear that we use during the hot months, begins to get in the way a lot, because few people have been blessed with a large dressing room with enough space for a harmonious coexistence of all their footwear. The question is… What do we do with all the summer footwear?
Sometimes the temptation is to throw flip-flops, espadrilles and other summer footwear in any corner until spring rears its head again, but next year they may already be spoiled if we don't take the proper precautions with its storage, with the consequent loss of money.
The first thing is to gather before us all the footwear that we do not need this fall / winter (do not forget to look under the bed to make sure that you do not leave any) and thoroughly clean each pair with a damp cloth, paying special attention to the seams and soles. They don't have to be like jets of gold, but keep in mind that the more dirt we remove, the less likely it is that a stowaway will sneak in and eat our shoes.
The next is clear a closet shelf (or whatever it takes) to provide our summer shoes with a cool and dry place to sleep until next year. Remember to distribute the weight well in case you suspect that the shelves are flimsy, because the last thing we want is for them to end up yielding due to the weight.
The ideal way to store your shoes is to use the cardboard box they came in when we bought them, but you may not have stored them all. In that case, get a few plastic shoe boxes for those pairs without a box. Before putting them in their respective boxes, we take an old newspaper and make a few balls of paper with its pages. We fill the inside of each shoe with the paper balls to help them keep their shape. But be careful, because this procedure is not necessary with all types of footwear. With espadrilles it is not necessary, but with canvas or leather shoes, yes.
Then we wrap each shoe in acid-free tissue paper and, now yes, we pair them and keep them in their boxes. It is a process that can take between half an hour and an hour (depending on the number of shoes we have), but it is a very well invested time if we take into account that it will help our summer footwear to be impeccable and impeccable next summer. We will not need to spend money to renovate it because they have been all winter in a bad place where they have deteriorated.