Boot Tray With Drip Resevoir

All the snow we've had this year has translated into wet messy boots. At first we were putting our boots on plastic trays to protect our floors. The only problem was that as the snow melted you had trays full of dirty salt water that would slop over the sides if bumped. Also the soles of the boots didn't dry so you'd drip this salty ick on the floor as you put your boots back on. So I devised this fast and simple solution using a plastic container.

The holes in the lid allow the water to drain into the container below to keep it from spilling. The holes also allow air circulation to dry the soles of the boots.

Step 1: Tools & Materials

The only thing you need to make this is a plastic container with a lid. Make sure it is large enough to accomodate your boots. I made sure that the boots would fit within the depression in the center. This will keep the melting snow from flowing over the edge of the lid.

The tools I used were:

* A drill with a 1/4" bit
* Utility knife
* Ruler
* Marker

Step 2: Measure & Mark

First I set my ruler about an inch from the edge of the depression. Then I marked off 1 inch intervals. When I got the first row done I moved the ruler over three inches. I marked 1 inch intervals again but made sure they were off set from the first set of marks by 1/2". I did this on the theory that it would provide better drainage and air circulation to the soles of the boots. Also it will help the lid maintain its strength.

Step 3: Drill

Next I drilled out every mark with a my 1/4" bit. I discovered the trick to drilling on plastic is to let the bit do the work. Don't apply pressure to the drill as this will cause the plastic to crack. I let the drill's own weight push the bit in and found it worked best when I actually held the drill back a little so its full wieght wasn't brought to bear.

Step 4: Clean-up

With all the holes drilled I vacuumed up the shavings. Some of the holes had little tails of plastic sticking out. I used my utility knife to trim these away so they wouldn't keep water from flowing into the holes. And to make it look a little nicer.

Once the holes were cleaned up I vacuumed it one more time with the trusty Shop-Vac, snapped the lid in place and pressed the new boot tray into service. So far it is working well.