Keep Dirty Shoes Off Your Clean Floors With An Easy DIY

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The thought of wearing dirty shoes in the house is enough to give some people the shivers. After all, footwear often experiences an abundance of activity throughout the day. Not only that, but it was discovered that an average of over 420,000 bacteria units can be present on a shoe, according to the Cleaning Industry Research Institute International (CIRI). Kind of makes you want to clean the floors with bleach! When shoes are extra dirty, you especially don't want them making it past your front entrance. But instead of merely setting them on a rug, get out an old egg carton. Egg cartons can easily be upcycled into "shoe holders" to save your floors from dirt, mud, and wetness.

This smart way to reuse an empty egg carton at home was shared by YouTuber Home Tips. Although a doormat can help corral shoes, sometimes it's not good enough. When footwear treks its way through snow, rain, or dirt-covered paths, a mat will end up taking the brunt. An egg carton can help keep both your floors and the doormat clean, so you don't have to continuously rewash them. The DIY doesn't require anything more than an egg carton and a crafting knife. However, if your household tends to have lots of messy shoes coming in, you might want to save up a bunch of the containers.

The project is very simple and won't cost anything, other than your already-purchased supply of eggs. Begin by cutting along the back seam of the egg container, discarding the top. Wipe the cups out with a paper towel. Now, place the carton near an entryway where shoes are typically left — preferably still on a rug. When a household member walks in with dirty footwear, like from a stormy day, they just have to set their shoes on the carton. If they're wet, it'll give them a place to dry instead of dampening the doormat. On the other hand, shoes that are caked in dirt will have a place to sit until there's time to wash them.

Sure, having leftover food containers sitting by your doorway might not sound ideal. But if you don't have company scheduled to visit, it's a great option for a busy week when there's no time to rewash the floors, or the doormat. Luckily, though, there are genius floor cleaning hacks in case someone does make it past your cartons without leaving their shoes.

How long your DIY shoe holder lasts will depend on the material type. For example, a cardboard container will deteriorate faster than one made from plastic, since it'll absorb moisture. Whichever you use, simply upgrade to a new one when it's seen better days.

If you're the crafty type, consider painting the outside of the containers prior to using them as shoe holders. It could be worth it on plastic or Styrofoam cartons, which will last longer than cardboard. You could also add name labels to their sides so each person has their own. Consider grabbing a roll of sticker labels, like these Meitaat White Rectangle Labels on Amazon for $10 (for 500 labels). Finally, line the cartons on the mat's edge for a neat and organized look.