How I Solved Our Entryway Shoe-Pile Problem for 29 Cents

Leilani Smith
by Leilani Smith
5 Materials
$3
Easy
Raise your hand if you have a pile up of shoes by your front door or in your entryway!
Ugh. Shoes. I've tried so many ways to keep them organized but at the end of the day, it's still more convenient to kick them off at the door than to walk over to the closet and put them away.
On a recent trip to the hardware store, I found my solution nestled in the Christmas clearance bins: clear suction wreath hooks. I was pretty sure the suction mechanism would not work on plaster walls, but at 29 cents apiece I had nothing to lose!
Sure enough, the suction didn't work, but if you happen to have a glass or mirrored entryway, these hooks will stick like glue!


After a bit of hammer and nailing, here was my finished result. The clear rubber and plastic blend into the wall.
Since shoes aren't very heavy and since the rubber of these large suction hooks is thick and sturdy, the nails cause no tearing or ripping. And now our shoes are off the ground and no longer in a pile.
To create your own shoe hanging area, you will need:


-8-10 large rubber suction wreath hooks


-16-20 thin nails (preferably with thin, round heads)


-wall level


-Pencil


-Hammer
Using a wall level, draw a straight line across the area of wall you'd like to place your hooks. Make sure the line is at least 1 foot above the baseboards so that your shoes don't drag on the floor once they are hung.
Though I wasn't picky with my measurements, I suggest hanging the hooks starting in the center of your line and working your way out for the most even look.


Line the top of a suction cup up to your line. Place a nail halfway between the center of the suction cup and the left edge. Hammer nail in all the way if your nails have round heads. (I didn't have such nails and was impatient so I used trim nails instead. Just hammer nail in 2/3rds of the way and use the hammer to bend the nail sideways to hold the cup in place).


Repeat the nailing process on the other side, only this time, press the suction cup into the wall so that the cup lays flat and uniform to the wall.
It's been several days and not one shoe pile-up since the hooks were installed. For more on this project and how I achieved the lattice effect on my walls, visit my blog post below!
Leilani Smith
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Jjqq Jjqq on Sep 11, 2019

    In your first photo you show 4 pairs of shoes on the floor. In final photo - only 3 pairs of shoes on wall - so which family member was forced to take their shoes to the closet? If this were to work to get rid of shoe clutter- more hooks needed- or as another person suggested I would use bottom shelves on book case instead.

  • Melissa Melissa on Jan 24, 2021

    Is every link to your (& others) blog posts hacked? Is Hometalk somehow responsible? I was on an article of yours about using diapers to help moisture in house plants and clicked on the "Go" button to connect to your blog and was redirected to I believe an employment site. So I sought out another one of your projects via "Follow" and found this project and again tried the "Go" to blog and was redirected to kbb dot com (Kelly Blue Book) website. As I mentionedearlier, it isn't just you. I have had the same problem on other pages with Hometalk articles. Guess I'm going to stop trying to use them. Unfortunately, it is the creator that looses out.

  • Carollynda Carollynda on Sep 28, 2022

    Just wondering, would Staple gun work to secure suction cups to wall? I used that outside to secure rope handle to wall from wire basket I put bread out for birds, and squirrels sit in basket and munch, still hanging solid!!

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