The Best Shoe Racks of 2023 | Reviews by Wirecutter

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After spending more than 30 hours researching shoe racks, interviewing professional organizers, and assembling 18 racks by hand, we think the Seville Classics 3-Tier Resin Slat Utility Shoe Rack is the best choice for those who need extra shoe storage in a closet or entryway. Hanging Chair With Stand

The Best Shoe Racks of 2023 | Reviews by Wirecutter

Other shoe racks may save you a few bucks, but the Seville Classics is worth the extra cost. It’s the strongest—yet the easiest to assemble—rack we found.

This rack succeeds where most fail: It’s wobble-free and assembles in minutes. It holds more shoes, and a wider variety, than many freestanding racks we tested, and it feels like it will last a long time.

This bamboo rack strikes a great balance between stability and portability, but it's less customizable and isn’t as simple to assemble as others we tested.

This investment-worthy rack is slim enough to fit in a closet and sleek enough for an entryway. It has a wooden shelf on top and can house up to 24 shoes.

This elegant little rack takes up the footprint of just one pair of shoes, but holds five.

Cabinets are the only style we tested that store shoes out of sight, and this one costs a fraction of the price of similar models. It’s slimmer and fits a narrow entryway better than any other we tried.

If you’re short on floor space, the Whitmor avoids the usual over-the-door rack annoyances: Its rubber-lined hooks are more secure than any other we tested, and its configurable shelves hold a wider variety of shoe sizes and types.

The Seville Classics 3-Tier Resin Slat Utility Shoe Rack stacks vertically or connects horizontally to make the best use of your available space, and also allows you to remove or reposition shelves to accommodate tall shoes and boots that don’t fit on other designs. Tiny toddler sneakers, tall heels, and men’s size 12 shoes stay on this rack equally well, and it offers three generously sized shelves whereas most racks in its price range include only two.

This bamboo rack strikes a great balance between stability and portability, but it's less customizable and isn’t as simple to assemble as others we tested.

If you’re looking for a modern style, the Oceanstar 2-Tier Bamboo Shoe Rack is a great choice. Easy to assemble (although not as effortless as our main pick), this model is lighter and easier to move around than our top pick. Like the Seville Classics model, this rack stacks vertically to increase storage, but the shelves don’t adjust or configure in any other ways.

This investment-worthy rack is slim enough to fit in a closet and sleek enough for an entryway. It has a wooden shelf on top and can house up to 24 shoes.

If you can make the investment, the Yamazaki Home Tower Shoe Rack, in steel and wood veneer, is versatile and sturdy enough that it should last years. The rack’s design works only for adult-size shoes. But its five racks, plus space on the floor beneath, will comfortably hold as many as 24 shoes. Plus, it looks nice enough to use in an entryway as a piece of furniture, and you can set your keys and mail on the top wooden shelf.

This elegant little rack takes up the footprint of just one pair of shoes, but holds five.

If you need a place to store five pairs of shoes in the footprint of one, the “tall” version of the Yamazaki Home Tower Shoe Rack fits the bill. Minimalist and sturdy, it’s great for corners, closets, and tight spaces. The handle on top makes the design portable and easy to move around as needed.

Unlike most shoe cabinets, which are many times the price, the IKEA Bissa offers hidden shoe storage for a bargain. It was smaller and slimmer than the other cabinet we tested, and it wasted less space on thick cabinet walls. It was also far, far easier for us to assemble. This cabinet will help your shoe storage area look neater than our other picks, but it still takes up more space and stores fewer shoes than most freestanding styles.

If you don’t have the floor space to use freestanding or cabinet-style shoe storage, the Whitmor 36 Pair Over the Door Shoe Rack stores lots of shoes in a small, unused spot. Its unusual design allows you to configure its shelves to fit different-size shoes, and its nonadjustable rubber-lined hooks are more secure than competitors’ hardware. This rack is more visible and looks messier than our other picks, and like most door racks, it can be cumbersome (especially if you need to use the door frequently). But in a category that generally isn't the greatest shoe storage option, the Whitmor model is the best hanging rack we tested.

Before becoming Wirecutter’s senior editor covering apparel, accessories, and pets, Jennifer Hunter was the editor of Wirecutter’s home-goods coverage. She spent nine years writing about decor, home organization, and furniture for media companies such as NBC and Apartment Therapy. She also owns a lot of shoes, which she’s had to wrangle into some very small apartments in both Los Angeles and New York City. For the 2022 update, Katie Okamoto—a staff editor and reformed architectural designer covering home goods, who has also lived in apartments in New York and LA with minimal storage—spent about a year researching, testing, and speaking with experts.

Of all the stuff in our closets, shoes are what often cause the most clutter. You probably don’t need an expert to tell you that you have too many shoes. But just in case, professional organizer Barbara Reich can confirm, and you probably have shoes you don't wear. As professional organizer Naeemah Ford Goldson stresses, visibility is key—so that you know what shoes you own and can better access them.

Before beginning your shoe-rack search, it’s a good idea to take a page out of the general closet organizing book and spend some time sorting through your shoe collection and weeding out the excess. You may have fewer shoes to store than you originally thought.

Even if you don’t manage to get rid of a single pair, it’s still smart to take stock. Organizer Abbey Claire Keusch told us, “Count before you buy something! See what type of storage will hold as many [shoes] as possible in your space.”

Before beginning your shoe-rack search, it’s a good idea to spend some time sorting through your shoe collection and weeding out the excess. You may have fewer shoes to store than you originally thought.

The right shoe rack will help you store more shoes in less space. And it will keep them visible, easily accessible, and protected from dust, dirt, and interested kids or pets. A shoe rack in the entry or mudroom will keep things organized and eliminate the “shoe parking lot,” as Reich put it.

Every household is different, but when you’re beginning your search, consider the following general guidelines regarding rack styles:

Freestanding racks are portable and somewhat customizable; most of the models we tested could stack or change in some way. They work best to maximize floor space inside a small closet—most fit under hanging clothes—or by the front door to keep shoes organized.

Cubbies are sturdy, and their individual compartments make them a good option if you want each pair of your shoes to have a separate home. Because your shoes must fit within specific dimensions, cubbies are less versatile than other types of storage we considered. You’ll still see your shoes, however, so cubbies let you show off pretty pairs. This style works especially well in a dressing area or a walk-in closet; it tends to take up more space than freestanding racks but also provides a top surface you can use for other storage.

Shoe cabinets keep footwear hidden, so they work well in an open space. They’re usually taller and bigger than other racks and designed with deep drawers that pivot open and closed. A cabinet is perfect for an entryway or if you’d like to store shoes out of sight in the bedroom (but don’t have space in the closet).

Over-the-door racks can be problematic, but if you have limited floor space, a hanging rack may be your best bet. Our experts strongly disliked the flimsiness of over-the-door racks and their tendency to make it difficult to use the door, but we also spoke to several Wirecutter staffers with kids, who praised these racks as a great way to keep shoes up and away from small hands. These racks also tend to be very inexpensive, so if you need a temporary, disposable storage option, a door rack could work just fine.

If you have limited closet space, split up your shoe collection and use extra space where you find it.

You can find lots of other shoe-storage styles, including shoe trees, rolling racks, and under-the-bed storage, but after much research and many conversations with our experts, we concluded that none of those options made sense for our purposes. We also considered adding a section on installed shelving systems, such as the Elfa line at The Container Store or Closetmaid Impressions, but we opted to focus on more portable, flexible shoe-storage options in this guide.

Keep in mind that shoe storage isn’t an all-or-nothing exercise, and the most successful organizers are the ones who realize that shoes don’t all need to be stored in the same place. Organizer Beth Penn told us, “Most people are trying to maximize every inch of storage in their regular closet, so if they do have room elsewhere for fancier shoes or out-of-season shoes—under the bed or in a guest closet—they should take advantage.” This concept came up over and over during conversations with our pros: If you have limited closet space, split up your shoe collection and use extra space where you find it.

This could also mean that you need to buy more than one shoe rack. If you’re planning to store the bulk of your shoes in your closet but want to keep everyday pairs near the front door, you will probably require a rack for each space.

You can find hundreds of nearly identical shoe racks out there; our goal was to choose a rack that was not only sturdy and simple to assemble but also useful for a wide range of storage needs.

We interviewed six professional organizers to help us understand the biggest difficulties most people face when it comes to shoe storage: Naeemah Ford Goldson, professional organizer and founder of the National Association of Black Professional Organizers (NABPO); Katrina Green, professional organizer and board member of NABPO; Rebekah Bashorun, professional organizer and founder of Organize for Love; Beth Penn, author of The Little Book of Tidying and founder of Bneato Bar; Abbey Claire Keusch, owner of Abbey Claire Professional Organizing; and Barbara Reich of Resourceful Consultants and author of Secrets of an Organized Mom. We also spoke to sales associate Bonnie Williams about her nearly 20 years of experience in the shoe department at Prada in New York City.

As anyone who has owned a crappy shoe rack can attest, certain factors will quickly turn any rack into more trouble than it’s worth, so we carefully considered the following criteria:

Stability: We wanted to find storage options that could handle the commotion of a regular household and hold up when jostled or bumped. When we scoured reviews, the number one owner complaint we noticed had to do with flimsy, wobbly racks that dumped shoes on the floor.

Capacity: We were looking for a rack that would easily hold a variety of shoe types and provide enough storage space to make it worth the purchase. We learned from reviews that people were often frustrated that a rack they bought online didn’t hold as many shoes as it promised, or that it didn’t hold the specific kind of shoes they needed to store. For men’s shoes, things are a little easier, as those are usually similar in shape, but women’s high heels and boots (even ankle boots) are often too tall or unwieldy for certain racks.

Ease of assembly: It was important to us that a shoe rack be easy to put together, so we aimed to find models that came with clear directions, needed few or no extra tools to assemble, and included good-quality, well-labeled parts. During testing we especially appreciated extra touches like predrilled guide holes to help us easily find the right place for a screw, and racks that came with the tools we needed for assembly.

Ability to customize: Because everyone owns a different combination of shoe types and not all types fit perfectly on every rack, you’re unlikely to find the perfect, maximize-your-space rack without a little tweaking. That’s why we were especially interested in racks that allowed for some customization. They could be stackable (allowing you to add another unit to increase capacity), modular, or designed with shelves that are adjustable by height. Our experts warned us to avoid “expandable” racks consisting of bars that slide horizontally to create longer shelves. These models usually trade stability for length, and the adjusted shelves often wobble, sag in the center, or pull apart.

Style: While style wasn’t our top concern, each rack’s styling and finishes did factor into our decision. We think most people use a shoe rack inside a closet, where style isn’t of the utmost importance, but some people also want storage that will look nice out in the open. Even in a closet, racks that were too bulky seemed like they would just waste valuable storage space, and racks without clean lines seemed like they would be difficult to maneuver around in a small area.

We looked at a variety of rack styles and read hundreds of reviews on the sites of Amazon, The Container Store, Home Depot, Overstock, and many others. We then researched more than 50 promising shoe racks before narrowing the field to our testing group of 15. In 2021, Katie Okamoto also tested three additional shoe racks from two companies that advertise widely on Instagram.

We tested how long it took to assemble each shoe rack—ranging from three minutes to nearly two hours—and noted how clear the instructions were, how well the parts were labeled, and what additional tools (or knowledge) we needed. When a rack was able to adjust or change, we tested that, too—stacking multiple units, moving shelves, and adding extensions to make sure that when used at full capacity, the rack would still perform.

After we set up each rack, we filled it with shoes in a variety of styles and heel heights, as well as a range of other sizes—from tiny toddler shoes to a men’s size 12—noting how many shoes each rack held. We also checked for other variables such as the space between tiers, the height of the first tier (to see if a bonus row of shoes could fit underneath), and where each rack would work best in a home.

Finally, it was time for the “jiggle test,” during which we bumped, shook, and generally put each rack through its paces to see how stable and useful it was.

We recommend the Seville Classics 3-Tier Resin Slat Utility Shoe Rack for its winning combination of stability, easy assembly, and versatility. The steel frame is stronger and feels more stable than the structure of any other model we considered, and it’s one of the fastest and easiest racks to set up. This model was the most customizable rack we found, and it can hold a wide variety of shoe sizes and styles.

Right out of the box, the Seville Classics is clearly a good-quality shoe rack. The frame is weighty and substantial, yet its steel bars are slim—about half an inch wide. It’s a combination that we didn’t find in any other rack we tested: Racks with thin frames were wobbly, while racks that were solid and heavy took up more space. We also like the wide, rubber-tipped feet, which allow for leveling on uneven surfaces. This rack will stay steady even on warped floors or lumpy carpet.

Most freestanding racks consist of metal or wood shelving attached to separate vertical leg pieces—the shelves are the only source of horizontal strength. The Seville Classics, however, includes a complete cagelike outer frame in addition to the metal-framed shelves. The combination of those two layers of steel gives this rack much more stability than in any other rack we tried. During our jiggle test, most freestanding racks wobbled enough to let some shoes fall to the floor, but the Seville Classics rack didn’t drop a single shoe.

This model was the only rack we found with a fold-open frame. It doesn’t require screws, extra parts, or tools, in contrast to many of the racks we assembled. Instead, the frame opens like a book and the shelves snap easily and securely in place. And even though the shelves install very securely, they are also easy to adjust or remove. Many shoe racks require you to attach the shelves to the frame with screws—which of course means that any adjustments you want to make later force you to undo that work. The shelves on the Seville Classics model easily snap off the frame for repositioning.

The Seville Classics also offers more customizable storage than other freestanding racks we tried. It comes with three resin slat shelves, but the frame has four levels. We suspect that the very top level is meant to function as a carrying handle, but if you want a little extra room for storing high heels or ankle boots, installing a shelf on that top tier will give you the space for it. If you need even more distance (say, if you want to store tall boots), you also have the option to leave out a shelf altogether.

If you need a lot of storage, you can easily stack multiple units vertically with nary a wobble. Other racks we tested grew exponentially precarious as their height increased, whereas the Seville Classics rack was still very solid when it was two units and six shelves high. The shelves are also strong enough on their own to serve as a bridge, connecting the frames of two units if you want to attach several together side by side. Any of the shelves can do this, but if you need extras, Seville Classics sells what it calls an Extra Knock Down Shoe Rack Shelf, which costs about $8 as of this writing and appears to be available only on the company’s website. If you have a lot of shoes to store, this add-on will give you some extra shelf space without your having to buy another complete unit. It also creates a handy space for tall boots, which are notoriously tricky to store.

We tried many different sizes and styles of shoes on this rack, and it performed well with each one. Depending on the shoe size, the three shelves of the Seville Classics rack hold between nine and 12 pairs of shoes. The shelves are 12 inches deep—roomy enough to accommodate a men’s size 12. In contrast, we found that large shoes often hung over the edge of slimmer shelves. The slats of the Seville Classics model’s shelves were also thick enough to allow our high heels to sit flat, while some competitors let narrow heels fall right through the surface.

As of this writing, this rack has close to 7,000 reviews on Amazon, and nearly all of them are raves. Staff members at Wirecutter who own this rack also agree. One person calls it “perfect”—“inexpensive, sturdy feeling, and very lightweight.”

If something does go wrong, Seville Classics offers a one-year warranty, one of the only warranties we found among our test group. We always appreciate a warranty, not just because it would replace or refund a damaged rack, but also because we think a company that offers a warranty has real incentive to make something that won’t break in the first place. We tested the Seville Classics warranty by calling customer service to inquire about returning a defective rack, and the representative was receptive and helpful. We don’t doubt that the company would follow through and take care of any problems.

If all this sounds great to you, but you want a slightly different option, we also tested the 2-Tier Iron Stackable Shoe Storage Rack from Bed Bath & Beyond. This rack was a surprise because, until it arrived in a Seville Classics box, we didn’t realize it was made by that company. The steel frame is nearly identical to that of our main pick, and we found it just as solid and easy to assemble. The shelf surface is slightly different, with a teak-colored finish (the teak looks nice from a distance but feels more like plastic), and the frame is missing the top “handle” row that we thought was so versatile on the three-tier version. But if you like the look of lighter wood and don’t mind getting two shelves instead of three (for the same price), this rack is a great option.

Several Wirecutter staffers use the Seville Classics in their own homes. And the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, whether the rack is used in a bedroom closet or as a designated bike shoe rack for the garage. Lead editor Kimber Streams, who has owned this rack since 2016, told us, “It’s held up great and it’s easy to clean, which is useful for winters in Buffalo when it gets all salty. We bought another one this year because we ran out of room on the first.” Editorial assistant Phillip Zminda said, “Something I didn’t realize I would love is that low-profile shoes like sandals and Sperrys fit snugly beneath the first rack. It feels like I’m really maximizing space.”

Jennifer Hunter, the original author of this guide, used to own two Seville racks and said they looked brand new, even after a move. She said they were sturdy enough for heavy moving boxes and belt sanders, as well as shoes.

The Seville Classics rack isn’t the most stylish or the sleekest shoe rack in our test group, but neither is it noticeably ugly. It’s simply a plain, nondescript rack that will blend into the background, which, for a shoe rack, may in fact be a perk. If you love high design, other racks looked more stylish in our opinion—we thought The Container Store’s Silver Mesh Stackable Shoe Shelf looked the best overall—but we think a great-looking rack that doesn’t perform is just not worth the hassle.

This model probably isn’t the best rack if you want to move your storage frequently. The units are a bit heavy, and they don’t latch together when stacked. To add a second unit, you simply insert the bottom prongs (where you’d otherwise screw on the rubber feet) into corresponding holes on the other frame. The two frames sit very securely together, but if you pick up the rack by its top handle, the units will separate. Sliding them back together is easy enough, but it can be annoying. We think most people set up a shoe rack and never think about it again, so you probably won’t even notice.

This bamboo rack strikes a great balance between stability and portability, but it's less customizable and isn’t as simple to assemble as others we tested.

If the Seville Classics 3-Tier Shoe Rack isn’t available or you prefer a solid-bamboo option, the Oceanstar 2-Tier Bamboo Shoe Rack is a great alternative. The wood construction makes this rack lighter than the steel-frame Seville Classics, but it’s still very stable. The Oceanstar has less storage—two shelves instead of three—but it still holds many types of shoes well. It stacks easily but is less customizable overall than our main pick.

The Oceanstar model’s lighter weight and built-in handles make it much easier to move around than the Seville Classics rack, especially when loaded up with shoes. If you want to move your shoe storage frequently, you may be better off choosing this model. And despite the lighter frame, this rack was stronger than most of the other freestanding racks we tested, as it resisted wobbling when we bumped it; our shoes, even the heels, stayed put.

Like the Seville Classics, the Oceanstar can stack vertically, and it does so well—wooden dowels secure the units together, and they don’t easily pull apart. The shelves don’t adjust, but they do have a generous 8 inches of space between them, so most high heels and ankle boots will fit. This rack’s two shelves won’t hold as many pairs as our main pick, but it also costs a little less.

The Oceanstar requires a bit more assembly than our winner. You must attach the two shelves to the end pieces using the included screws and hex key (we appreciated that one comes in the package). Overall, assembly was easy enough and it took us only about eight minutes to get this rack ready to roll, but that hardly compared to the simplicity of unfolding and snapping together the Seville Classics rack.

It’s also not the most elegant design we encountered. On our test unit, the bamboo was sanded smooth, but the squared-off handles had sharp edges that would have been nicer had they been rounded. And since the rack has no stabilizing feet, we imagine it could get rickety on rough terrain. This is a great rack and it definitely does its job well, but in the end it just isn’t quite as impressive as the Seville Classics.

This investment-worthy rack is slim enough to fit in a closet and sleek enough for an entryway. It has a wooden shelf on top and can house up to 24 shoes.

Durable and minimalist, compact yet capacious, the Yamazaki Home Tower Shoe Rack looks more like a piece of furniture than your average shoe rack, due to its powder-coated steel design and ash veneer top. It’s far from being a budget solution, but if you’re able to make the investment, this is a shoe rack that won’t end up as a curbside donation. Its five shelves, plus space on the floor beneath, will comfortably hold 18 to 24 shoes, depending on their size and style. And the wood top makes an attractive shelf for belts, wallets, and other items. It also has two hooks on the side for hanging things like keys or umbrella.

The rack assembles quickly but will require using a screwdriver. We’ve been testing this for more than two years, and it never feels rickety or unstable, despite the steel’s slenderness. The open design is space-efficient—your shoes straddle two lateral steel bars for each “shelf”; this means the rack can also double as a hanger. In our tests, we have used it for more than shoes, draping jeans and bulky sweaters for easy access. However, due to this rack’s design, you won’t be able to use this in a child’s closet, since tiny shoes will tumble through.

This elegant little rack takes up the footprint of just one pair of shoes, but holds five.

For the smallest spaces, we like the Yamazaki Home Tower Shoe Rack–Tall, the compact cousin of the similarly named upgrade pick, which houses five pairs of shoes but will take up the floor space of just one. The thin, powder-coated steel frame ensures that the rack won’t take up more space than it needs to in tight corners, such as in a bedroom closet, and it comes to just 2½ feet tall. In testing, the rectangular-shaped base gives the rack a sturdy footing, and the U-shape frame doubles as a handle, should you need to move the rack around. This model assembles quickly but requires the use of a screwdriver to attach the two halves.

The shoe cabinet we like best is the IKEA Bissa. It’s just as useful as shoe cabinets more than three times the price, and miles easier to assemble. It doesn’t come with the customization options of our main pick, and it won’t fit as wide a range of shoes, but we think this model is an excellent option for an entryway, or anywhere else you want to store your shoes out of sight.

The Bissa comes with either two or three drawers, and each one holds about four pairs of shoes—fewer than larger cabinets we considered because, at 20 inches wide, the Bissa is one of the narrowest models we found. It can also accommodate taller shoes if you remove the drawer’s adjustable center divider—a feature common to most cabinet styles. The Bissa is also slim, only 11 inches deep, so it’s great for small hallways.

In true IKEA fashion, the instructions consisted of a series of pictures, which were clear and (for the most part) easy to follow. The parts were well-labeled and the technique was mostly intuitive. We ran into a snag when it came time to insert the shoe drawers into our assembled cabinet, as that step was somewhat unclear in the instructions; it took a helpful YouTube video to get us back on track. We finished the entire project in about 45 minutes, which seemed like a miracle after we spent two hours assembling our other shoe-cabinet contender, the Baxton Studio Simms.

The Bissa doesn’t have a closed back panel, since it’s meant to stand up against a wall. We agree with IKEA’s recommendation to attach it to the wall to ensure sure it won’t tip over (especially if you have kids). A Wirecutter editor who uses the Bissa confirms that, though stable, the rack does sometimes tip forward when they are removing shoes, especially when its top rack is more full than the one below.

We especially love the bargain price of the Bissa, which was the only shoe cabinet we found in the same price range as freestanding shoe racks. Most cabinets cost many times more. Sitting side by side with the other, more expensive cabinet-style model we tested in person, the Bissa did look cheaper—the cabinet was smaller and the walls were thinner—but in this case we think that’s a pro rather than a con. In addition to being a nightmare to put together, the more expensive Baxton Studio cabinet was just too big and bulky, wasting space.

If you’re worried about your shoes shifting, you may prefer another rack style. Because the Bissa’s drawers pivot open, your shoes will move around more than if you simply set them on a freestanding rack like our main pick. This could mean that to prevent nicer pairs from touching or scuffing, you may want to give them some breathing room, or stow them in a shoe bag, which in turn could reduce capacity. However, if you want to be able to pile a drawer full of sneakers and then hide them away, one Wirecutter editor who owns this rack told us this is the perfect way to do it.

In a notoriously bad category, the Whitmor 36 Pair Over the Door Shoe Rack manages to shine. It avoids many of the usual pitfalls that people hate about hanging racks, and it holds more shoes than any of our other picks.

Most over-the-door hanging racks are made from a length of fabric with pockets to hold your shoes. The Whitmor model consists of two end pieces connected by horizontal bars that form shelves. In our tests, assembly was quick (about 10 minutes) and intuitive, but we did need to use some extra muscle when inserting the bars—they were a bit wobbly in the frame until we pounded them together (we used the heel of a boot on the fly, but you can use a mallet).

Other shoe racks we tried had slippery bars that let our shoes fall through the center, but the bars on this rack were textured and gripped our shoes’ soles well. This rack held most of our shoes (even when I slammed the door), but because of the shelf style, it wasn’t as successful with very small or very large sizes. Short toddler shoes reached both bars but felt less stable than larger sizes, and very long soles (men’s size 12) stuck too far off the back of the shelf.

The Whitmor rack is surprisingly stable, thanks to its rigid curved frame and its hooks, which attach securely to the top of a door. Other hanging racks in our test group have loose hooks that cause sag, but the Whitmor’s hooks are constructed of flat, wide, J-shaped molded metal strips. The hooks are strong and lined with rubber so they grip the top of the door well, and they sit flat enough that they should allow you to open and close the door normally. The hooks slip perfectly over a 1⅔-inch-thick door, but they might be too loose on thinner doors and won’t fit over thicker doors.

Finally, we love the ability to customize a shoe rack, and this model was the only hanging rack we tested that let us modify it. It can adjust in two key ways. First, the frame’s three separate sections clip together so you can alter the length of the rack based on the number of shoes you have to store. Second, if you need more clearance than the 5 inches between the shelves, you can fold alternating shelves flat to get them out of the way and make room for taller shoes.

There’s no escaping the fact that having shoes on your door isn’t ideal—the extra weight on the door can stress its hinges, and the hardware may prevent the door from shutting properly, damaging the door trim and making locks and latches too tight. Plus, the racks themselves are bulky and can look messy. But if you need to keep your shoes off the floor, the Whitmor rack is the best way we’ve found to do that.

The steel Open Spaces Entryway Rack comes in seven colors. Assembly was a little difficult—we found that some of the tolerances for slotting the steel pieces together made alignment frustrating. But once assembled, the piece was sturdy and surprisingly useful. Though this is advertised as entryway shelving—it has a trendy, minimalist appearance—it easily holds 12 adult pairs of shoes, with over 8.5 inches of shelf clearance and plenty of space for tall styles up top. If you can’t hide your shoe rack away, or you don’t want to, you might like something in lavender, say, or forest green. But since it is $180, we can’t recommend this as an organizing solution, especially if you need to maximize space. The top bar feels more decorative than functional and restricts where you can put the rack. That said, we found the bar was useful for keeping yoga mats and foam rollers on the top shelf from tipping forward. And we have found the rack to be sturdy (holding two 10-pound weights on its second shelf without issue) and useful as entryway storage, due to its generous shelf size.

If you want a very customizable yet unconventional shoe-storage system, the Crates & Pallet Large Wood Crate is a solid, if rustic, option. The divided version is handy for creating more space, but these crates don’t stack securely, and they’re a bit bulky for the amount of storage they give you. We can see these working well if you want to store outdoor shoes on a porch or in a mudroom, but we don’t think they’re ideal for more delicate styles.

We really liked The Container Store’s Silver Mesh Stackable Shoe Shelf, and we came close to making it a pick. This model is a great-looking freestanding rack with a sleek metallic mesh design. Each level is sold individually, but they stack together easily and ingeniously. This rack would be ideal if you have only a few pairs of shoes to store (each tier easily holds four). In our tests, however, as we added more levels, we found the stack to be too wobbly to win our recommendation.

The Langria 5-Tier Metal Shoe Rack Organizer sounds good on paper, as it’s almost endlessly adjustable (you can position the shelves at any height you choose), but in reality the quality just isn’t there. The plastic clips that were meant to keep the shelves secure didn’t install correctly for us, and the rack wasn’t marked with any guidelines, so we were left to guess at where to install them in order to keep the shelves level. The entire frame was a wobbly mess and almost immediately dumped all our shoes on the floor.

The sleek design and narrow width of the Whitmor 20 Pair Shoe Rack make it great for small spaces, but in our tests its shelves—which were slick and consisted of only two horizontal bars—let our shoes slip through the middle and fall.

The Container Store’s 8-Pair Shoe Organizer was the best cubby-style option we found, but it wasn’t good enough to make our final list. The spaces fit a pair of shoes side by side but are too short for heels or ankle boots. In our tests, the white shelving boards seemed to attract dust and lint; this model kept picking up fibers from the carpet in our office, something that didn’t happen with any other rack. Another minor, yet very noticeable, flaw: The body is constructed with black screws that stick out terribly against the all-white surface (this is the same on both Container Store cubby styles we tried). The rack comes with a small bag of white plastic pieces meant to cover up this problem, but it took only about two minutes for them to fall off.

The Container Store’s 12-Pair Shoe Organizer has the same outer dimensions (and proclivity for dust) as the 8-Pair Shoe Organizer but divides the interior area into more, smaller cubbies. This design makes its compartments too small to fit anything except very small and narrow flats or kids shoes.

We had high hopes for the Real Simple Shoe Organizer because it appeared to be a rare cubby-style rack that was also adjustable—removable slats let you customize the height of the cubbies. It’s a great idea, but in our tests the width of the cubbies (which was not adjustable) turned out to be far too narrow to fit a pair of adult shoes side by side. Only one shoe fits per slot, which is a terrible waste of space.

We thought The Container Store's Clear Stackable Shoe Drawers might be a good way to both protect and display beautiful and delicate shoes, and they are. The drawers are made from good-quality plastic, and they stack well, but they also show every fingerprint and wind up looking dingy quickly. We found the women's-size box way too small to store any pair except sandals or flats. The more expensive men's-size box fit some of our heels (on their sides only, which isn’t ideal for display) but not our ankle boots. Overall we concluded that these boxes weren’t a practical option for storing many pairs.

The Baxton Studio Simms Shoe Cabinet was the most expensive model we tested, and we were hoping to find a gem, but this cabinet-style rack was a nightmare to assemble. The directions were unclear, the parts weren't well-labeled, and we had to backtrack and undo work in order to complete certain steps. It took our team of two people nearly two hours to complete the job. The finished product looks very nice and the drawers pivot smoothly, but we expect the flimsy plastic hinges to break quickly.

The Honey-Can-Do 24-Pocket Over-The-Door Closet Organizer had all the problems inherent to the over-the-door style, but it was the best fabric hanging rack we found. The bamboo panel looks nice and helps a bit to keep the panel flat against the door, the hooks fit a standard door securely, and the canvas is good quality. As with most hanging racks, the pockets fit only one shoe each and tend to sag, but if you have lots of kids shoes to get up off the floor (each pocket fits a pair of toddler-sized shoes), this model would be a good budget option.

If you’ve found that most over-the-door racks don’t fit your thicker-than-average door, consider the Misslo Hanging Over the Door Shoe Organizer. The hooks are wider (1¾ inches) than on most other styles. However, if you have a standard door (1⅜ inches), you should skip this model, as loose hooks only increase the sag factor. The pockets are large but still fit only one adult shoe per slot.

This article was edited by Daniela Gorny and Christine Ryan.

We spent 42 hours on research and consulted five professional organizers to find the best tools for tackling messy closets of every size.

After testing more than a dozen hangers, we found the Proman Kascade Hanger the most versatile and affordable for most closets.

After testing over two dozen irons (and researching many more), we like the Chi Electronic Iron 13102 for its durability and ease of use.

For the second time, our favorite board is the Brabantia Ironing Board B . It’s the best we’ve tried for the price—just the right size, with a sturdy build.

After 20 hours researching dozens of organizing solutions, we recommend these items to maximize storage and keep small bathrooms clutter-free.

Abbey Claire Keusch, owner, Abbey Claire Professional Organizing, phone interview, August 17, 2017

Beth Penn, founder, Bneato Bar, phone interview, August 15, 2017

Barbara Reich, owner, Resourceful Consultants, phone interview, August 15, 2017

Bonnie Williams, sales associate, Prada, phone interview, August 16, 2017

Lauren Schwartzberg, A Shoe Organizer That Takes Up Practically Zero Space, New York, April 3, 2017

The Invisible, Closet Storage Systems: Elfa vs. Rubbermaid vs. Closetmaid, Real Mod, May 13, 2014

Michelle Ullman, The best shoe racks you can buy, Business Insider, July 18, 2017

Choosing the best closet system, Consumer Reports, January 1, 2014

Jennifer Hunter is a senior editor covering apparel, accessories, and pets, and she was previously editor of Wirecutter’s home-goods coverage. She spent a decade writing and editing for lifestyle brands such as Architectural Digest and Apartment Therapy, which has come in handy for her latest project: restoring her untouched mid-century Los Angeles home.

Katie Okamoto is a writer and the editor of sustainability coverage at Wirecutter. She has been covering food and design products and their intersections with environment and health issues for more than a decade. Katie has also worked in design and sustainability, and she holds a bachelor’s in environmental studies, a master’s in architecture, and a professional certificate in life cycle assessment.

Chair for Events Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).