Aha! Hack: Baking Sheet as a Boot Tray

You don’t need to have lived through the bomb cyclone of 2018 to understand the importance of having a boot tray nearby wherever you enter your home. Even just plain wet boots—never mind ones coated with snow, ice, mud, de-icing salt, or a wintry mix of all four—can wreak havoc on hardwood floors or rugs. If you don’t have a boot tray, though, consider this kitchen staple stand-in: the rimmed baking sheet.

The rim guarantees that the mess that melts off your boots never seeps onto the floor; just wash the pan when everything dries. We prefer jelly roll pans, which are slightly smaller than the average baking tray and can accommodate two pairs of boots nicely. Bonus: Unlike larger trays, jelly roll pans fit into a dishwasher!

We rather like the utilitarian and understated look of these pans, but if you want to prettify the tray, simply add some pebbles. (Home Depot carries an array; we think these tumbled polished pebbles would look especially lovely in a pan.)

Here are two more great DIY shoe storage projects:

DIY: Rolling Boot Tray for a Mini Mudroom

Small Space DIY: A Perfect Shoe Rack for a Narrow Entryway