A Minor (Shoe) Miracle

Remember back in March when I showed y'all my problem area?  You forgot, didn't you?  You can click the link if you need to refresh your memory.  The plan is to overhaul the laundry/mud room next month (isn't that exciting?), so I've started gathering ideas.  If you'd like to get an idea of what I'm thinking, feel free to check out my Laundry Room board on Pinterest (you don't have to be a member to look).

But in the meantime, you may recall that one of my biggest issues with the laundry/mud room is the boots and shoes.  My boys (remember, I love 'em) walk in the door, take off their shoes, and either leave them wherever they fall, or chuck 'em under the utility sink.  There is no neat lining up of shoes in straight rows.


Keep in mind that on this day, there were 4 pairs of shoes and 2 pairs of boots out for the day.

Idealistically, I instituted a no-more-than-three-pairs-of-boots-or-shoes-per-person rule, which was blantantly ignored by one and all, my husband being the worst offender.  And, you know, even with only 15 pairs, this area would still look cluttered and messy.

So the other day I was in the Bullseye store, and spotted these nifty metal bins.  I've been on the lookout for something to put under the utility sink for shoes and boots, so I bought four.

And we have experienced a minor miracle in our household.  Since the bins arrived, the shoes have stayed corralled in them.  I can't believe how easy that was, or how well it's working.
 

It's not perfect.  Because of other fixtures in the room, four bins don't really fit.  Well, they fit, but they don't fit neatly in a row (and by now, you probably know me well enough to know that this makes me very unhappy).  I'm also worried that when the bins shift around (and they will), the floor will get scratched.  And just look at all that wasted space between the bins.

I would love to have someone build a custom piece to put under there, to accomodate for the sink drain and other complications, but unfortunately, my main builder-person doesn't seem to want to take on the project.  And I'm not sure if my other main builder-person will be visiting soon enough.  Friends, I might just have to learn how to use a nail gun.  And brave the table saw (yikes). 

And, of course, it isn't winter, so we don't have boots, and I don't have a whole lot of confidence that the children (or husband) will realize that if their bin is full they need to find another room (like their bedrooms) for the overflow, but for now, I'm happy that our shoe explosion has been contained.