Take off shoes?

[Begonia]

I was reading an article about culture in another country, and it mentioned that it's customary to remove your shoes in the house, or in some cases before you enter the house. It got me wondering about the rest of you?? Do people remove their shoes where you live? In my case, yes they do, it's customary here as well, with few exceptions. I'm referring to pre covid.

 

[chrono]

We remove our shoes before entering the house. It’s cultural.

 

[caf]

Most people who come into my home in Denver remove their shoes. Seems more young people than older. My SO doesn’t. He’d rather keeps his shoes on. But off certainly tracks less dirt in.

 

[1ofakind]

Some of each here. If I know I’m going somewhere where it is expected to remove shoes I bring a pair of house shoes with me...I shouldn’t go without good support for my feet. We don’t wear our outside shoes inside very often but we are redoing floors so I don’t really care about the floors right now. I invite guests to keep their shoes on for that reason. When the floors are done I would prefer no shoes but I would rather guests be comfortable so it’s fine either way. Usually if they see we are not wearing shoes they remove theirs as well.

 

[Karl_K]

We remove our shoes just inside the door at our place.
When visiting we do what the hosts do.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

We leave our shoes on the front porch. Guests do the same.

I love being barefooted except in winter when I wear socks.

The dog walks around barefoot though so it's definitely just cultural since she probably brings in enough germs to kill us all

 

[GliderPoss]

It's not cultural here but certainly I always ask my host when visiting other people's houses.

 

[ringbling17]

It’s not customary in my culture but personally I prefer that people don’t wear shoes in my house, so if only a few people are coming over I ask them to remove them. If my kids friends come over they know to remove their shoes.
If a lot of people come over like when I’m having a party, then I let everyone do what they are comfortable with on the first floor. If they go upstairs or to the basement they have to take their shoes often bc both are carpeted.
Actually I can’t stand when people come to my house and want to go upstairs to the bedrooms or I find them upstairs without asking me. The party is downstairs. I started locking my closet and even my bedroom sometimes bc I don’t want people in and out of my bedroom. Once I went into my master bathroom and found someone pulled the towel rack off the wall. I don’t even know why someone would have been in there bc we have other bathrooms that no one needs to be using mine.

When I go to someone’s house I do what the host is doing, but I usually ask at the door if they want me to take my shoes off. I used to automatically take my shoes off but then realized how dirty some floors were when the bottom of my socks got filthy. Then it gets complicated bc I don’t want to wear my dirty socks inside my shoes. So I usually throw my socks away.

 

[Gussie]

I am a bit weird about shoes. I absolutely do not go barefoot unless I am showering, swimming, or sleeping. If I have to go to the bathroom at night, I slip on my flip flops that are right beside the bed.

I once went to a baby shower and it was their custom to take shoes off at the door. I did it and tried very hard to be polite and conceal my discomfort. I left there thinking that I might really have a problem because it bothered me so much. It's like I feel every grain of dirt and i just can't handle it.

 

[voce]

I have outdoor shoes and indoor shoes. The indoors are cleaner than outdoors, but I have a phobia of stepping on a critter in the dark and getting icky stuff on my foot, so I don't like to go barefoot. Thus I happily wear my Crocs indoors.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

Yes, we remove our shoes for sanitary reasons (not cultural). I have brand new running shoes that I use to work out at home.

 

[caf]

I am a bit weird about shoes. I absolutely do not go barefoot unless I am showering, swimming, or sleeping. If I have to go to the bathroom at night, I slip on my flip flops that are right beside the bed.

I once went to a baby shower and it was their custom to take shoes off at the door. I did it and tried very hard to be polite and conceal my discomfort. I left there thinking that I might really have a problem because it bothered me so much. It's like I feel every grain of dirt and i just can't handle it.

This is how my SO feels. I don’t think you’re unusual or have a problem. People’s feet have different sensitivities!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

It’s not customary in my culture but personally I prefer that people don’t wear shoes in my house, so if only a few people are coming over I ask them to remove them. If my kids friends come over they know to remove their shoes.
If a lot of people come over like when I’m having a party, then I let everyone do what they are comfortable with on the first floor. If they go upstairs or to the basement they have to take their shoes often bc both are carpeted.
Actually I can’t stand when people come to my house and want to go upstairs to the bedrooms or I find them upstairs without asking me. The party is downstairs. I started locking my closet and even my bedroom sometimes bc I don’t want people in and out of my bedroom. Once I went into my master bathroom and found someone pulled the towel rack off the wall. I don’t even know why someone would have been in there bc we have other bathrooms that no one needs to be using mine.

When I go to someone’s house I do what the host is doing, but I usually ask at the door if they want me to take my shoes off. I used to automatically take my shoes off but then realized how dirty some floors were when the bottom of my socks got filthy. Then it gets complicated bc I don’t want to wear my dirty socks inside my shoes. So I usually throw my socks away.

People are so rude
i have an ongoing joke with my SIL that when im off to borrow her loo i say im just off to play with the make up (which she knows i would never do) but Gary's DIL pokes through bathroom cupboards and under the basin, in the vanity etc ...i think its the hight of rudeness
So me and my SIL would ne quite trustworthy at one of your parties, we just won't bring Sue

 

[PintoBean]

Absolutely shoes off. I know landscapers put stuff down on the ground... and then there's the other stuff I DON'T know about. My primary concern is for the furbabies. I dont want to track toxic stuff in.

 

[PintoBean]

I am a bit weird about shoes. I absolutely do not go barefoot unless I am showering, swimming, or sleeping. If I have to go to the bathroom at night, I slip on my flip flops that are right beside the bed.

I once went to a baby shower and it was their custom to take shoes off at the door. I did it and tried very hard to be polite and conceal my discomfort. I left there thinking that I might really have a problem because it bothered me so much. It's like I feel every grain of dirt and i just can't handle it.

I love cushiony indoor slippers. That's what my toesies prefer to feel.

 

[1ofakind]

People are so rude
i have an ongoing joke with my SIL that when im off to borrow her loo i say im just off to play with the make up (which she knows i would never do) but Gary's DIL pokes through bathroom cupboards and under the basin, in the vanity etc ...i think its the hight of rudeness
So me and my SIL would ne quite trustworthy at one of your parties, we just won't bring Sue

Oh if I knew someone would be poking through cabinets I would leave something for them to find....something they would not soon forget and may discourage them from such behavior in the future...a realistic fake rat on a string so it moves when they open the door...a freaky clown head...one of those fake surveillance cameras so they think they’re being recorded....be creative and have fun, lol.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Absolutely shoes off. I know landscapers put stuff down on the ground... and then there's the other stuff I DON'T know about. My primary concern is for the furbabies. I dont want to track toxic stuff in.

The fur babies in this house track in as much stuff from the garden as me
Before and after gardening

 

[PintoBean]

The fur babies in this house track in as much stuff from the garden as me
Before and after gardening

Toesies
My cats are indoor only and when I adopted them, the contract I signed said they are to stay inside. Different environments we live in lol. If my kitties were going to track muck, I'd wash their feetsies. No wonder they hate me lololol.

 

[dk168]

My mum has house slippers for guests. I don't like wearing other people's shoes so I bring my own.

I have friends who have light colour carpets and ask guests to remove their shoes when they enter the house.

I don't bother as the pets will not wipe their feet before they come into the house!

DK

 

[dk168]

I don't like to go bare feet at all, so I always wear something on my feet, even when I go into the shower.

At home, I have a special pair of old Croc type shoes for showering, mainly because the underfloor heating in the shower is not on a timer and I don't like stepping onto a cold floor. It was one of 3 design flaws that I made when I had the house renovated before I moved in for good. This should be resolved soon as I am finally going to install a timer after 14 years!

When I go camping and use the communal facilities, I always wear my Crocs into the shower.

I mainly wear Crocs throughout the year even in winter with waterproof socks, and have old Crocs to wear indoors so as to prolong the life of new ones.

If I had been to a walk in my walking boots, I would take them off soon after coming into the house.

When I went camping in a tent in the past, I would have indoor and outdoor shoes to minimise the amount of mud I brought into the tent. However I did not always remember to change shoes. Besides, as I had said before, the dog never wiped his feet when he came into the tent.

I do not ask guests to take off their shoes when they come to my house.

I only change shoes more for practical reasons and not due to cultural preferences.

DK

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

My kids play on that floor, so I hate people not removing their shoes. I offer thick guest socks (evidently cleaned after each use)/ single use hotel slippers for extremely picky guests or house guests. we have indoor shoes for the family..

Terrace is an in betwewn thing...it's big and tiled and on first floor level, so we do sometimes go in and out in our indoors shoes when we carry food outside etc...

My FIL hates taking off his shoes. Once asked him to remove them , he ignored me as usual...he had dog poo under his sole.
When I told him he just went outside and scraped it off... But left them on...
It was sooo yucky... Honestly, that is the very reason why it's gross to not change shoes in the house..
Used a whole pack of disinfectant wipes that day...


Another one: a friend's girlfriend came and refused to take off her stilettos. "They're part of my outfit and very clean" Ummm ok.

The heels had metal tips (I didn't know) and were she sat /walked my antique hardwod floors had deep dents. I didn't invite her again...

 

[Austina]

I’m usually barefoot in my own home, except in winter when I wear socks, and when I go to someone else’s house, I take my shoes off.

Friends who come to my house, usually take their shoes off when they come in, I’ve never asked them to, they just do.

 

[OreoRosies86]

I don’t wear shoes inside but always tell guests we don’t have a shoe rule. Most take theirs off unprompted though.

 

[missy]

I want this to become a custom in our home. I do not wear my outside shoes in the house and neither does my DH.
However, my DH feels it is ungracious (is that a word) to ask guests to remove their shoes. Finally though he has agreed if I want to we can now start.

So I will warn people before they visit (if that ever happens again since Covid no one has visited) they will be asked to remove their shoes. I will find something to offer them to wear inside the house before I start doing this so they are comfortable. And it is important to make sure they know my request before they come. I do not want guests to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome and I think there is a right way to make them feel welcome and not make it a big deal.

I regret listening to my dh all these years as I wanted to do this decades ago. The germs we bring in on our shoes are gross and this is one thing we can control.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

I’ve never been asked to remove shoes when visiting friends, but I happily would. My closest friend here has hardwood floors and she is usually barefoot or socked. So my shoes naturally fall off sometime during my visit. At least back when we had visits!

Most of my life, I never wore shoes or socks in the house as a safety measure - with foster kittens they sometimes dart past and l was always afraid that I wouldn’t be able to feel them underfoot until it was too late. It’s amazing how quickly the brain recognises fluff and pivots a limb to avoid a squish!

Now that I’m... ahem... mature... I can’t stand frozen toes! So it’s warm rag socks indoors, and usually the wonderful lambswool Haflinger felt slippers atop them. I’m careful to watch for furry creatures before setting my feet down anywhere. As an aside, one of the cats is a habitual toe-nuzzler and insists on nosing around my toes as a sign of affection (I know, she’s odd) so one sock comes off briefly when we curl up together. TMI, sorry.

I always wear my Crocs

As for crocs, they make insoles too. I’ll always be grateful to the Crocs company for making a product that, when combined with five-toe-socks from Injinji, allowed me to walk 5-10 miles a day at work. Blissful. Changed my life, I can tell you!

Anyone else wear slippers, or socks with grip strips on the bottom?

 

[ringbling17]

To clarify, everyone in the house wears house slippers/sandals so we never go barefoot and when only a few guests come over we provide them with slippers or socks. I personally wear either thick socks or super soft slippers.

 

[ringbling17]

Oh if I knew someone would be poking through cabinets I would leave something for them to find....something they would not soon forget and may discourage them from such behavior in the future...a realistic fake rat on a string so it moves when they open the door...a freaky clown head...one of those fake surveillance cameras so they think they’re being recorded....be creative and have fun, lol.

That’s funny! Maybe I will do that. I’m having a smallish bbq next Friday and it’s the first time they will be at my new home so I may have to try one of your ideas!

 

[ringbling17]

People are so rude
i have an ongoing joke with my SIL that when im off to borrow her loo i say im just off to play with the make up (which she knows i would never do) but Gary's DIL pokes through bathroom cupboards and under the basin, in the vanity etc ...i think its the hight of rudeness
So me and my SIL would ne quite trustworthy at one of your parties, we just won't bring Sue

Yes! Don’t bring Sue! Lol!

 

[ringbling17]

My kids play on that floor, so I hate people not removing their shoes. I offer thick guest socks (evidently cleaned after each use)/ single use hotel slippers for extremely picky guests or house guests. we have indoor shoes for the family..

Terrace is an in betwewn thing...it's big and tiled and on first floor level, so we do sometimes go in and out in our indoors shoes when we carry food outside etc...

My FIL hates taking off his shoes. Once asked him to remove them , he ignored me as usual...he had dog poo under his sole.
When I told him he just went outside and scraped it off... But left them on...
It was sooo yucky... Honestly, that is the very reason why it's gross to not change shoes in the house..
Used a whole pack of disinfectant wipes that day...


Another one: a friend's girlfriend came and refused to take off her stilettos. "They're part of my outfit and very clean" Ummm ok.

The heels had metal tips (I didn't know) and were she sat /walked my antique hardwod floors had deep dents. I didn't invite her again...

This!
All my homes have always had wood floors on the first floor so I completely understand.
Even my mom won’t take off her shoes. One winter she visited when it snowed outside and she didn’t take her shoes off so the snow was tracked into the house and left dirty puddles everywhere when melted. She wouldn’t do that in her own home so I don’t know why she would think it was acceptable in ours. Not to mention my kids were very young then and we had a crawler.
We also have a deck and do wear our indoor slippers back and forth when we go out to put food. But they only get worn on the deck, never to go buy groceries and back!

 

[Slickk]

I normally allow visitors to do what they are comfortable with. I do remove my shoes but dh leaves his on. I sweep and mop often as I am a clean-floor gal.

Once my 20something niece flounced all over my newly finished oak hard wood floors with 5” heels and left stiletto dents. All. Over!! Ten years later and I am finally having them refinished to remove that little gift. After that incident, no heels allowed thankyouverymuch!