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DYDT: Shoes On or Off Home

Backtracking in our “do you do this” discussion (or, as I now affectionately call this string of posts in my head DYDT), I may not decorate at all, but my house is very clean. (Josh likes to follow after me and my bleach bottle chanting clean, clean, clean three times.)  I don’t like people tracking dirt into the house, so we’ve always asked people to take off their shoes when they come inside.

Actually, it wasn’t always like that.  In our old apartment, we wore our shoes inside, and after a while, mud and such got tracked onto the carpet.  And when we moved into this house and got all new carpets, I decided that we would never wear shoes inside again.  So we take them off at the door, and then walk around in our socks (or sometimes, slippers).  Our floors are very clean (return to the first paragraph where I wrote about my ever-present bleach bottle), so my socks never look dingy from doing this, which is what other people mentioned during the DYDT when we talked about socks on or off in bed.

We ask that everyone take off their shoes in the house.  There are times when a kid puts on his shoes because he’s about to leave, and then doubles back into the carpeted living room for something he forgot — and that sort of thing never bothers me.  But in general, we ask that everyone remove their shoes when they’re walking around inside.  Almost no one has complained about this.  Actually, a few have.  Or they comment on it enough to let me know that they think it’s odd.  But for the most part, people recognize that there are whole cultures out there that request all people entering the house remove their shoes, and they comply.

I like the way shoes-off keeps the carpets neat.  Back when the twins were crawling, it made me feel as if less dirt was being tracked onto the floor where they were putting their hands.  Shoes on the tiled floors doesn’t bother me, but I like them off when people are stepping onto carpets.  Perhaps it’s because dirt remains on the surface with a tiled floor, but it falls between the pile on a carpet.  I may have watched too many carpet cleaning commercials in the ’80s.

The only people exempt from the shoes-off rule are workpeople.  I’m too shy to ask them to take off their shoes, and they’re usually going in and out of the house to get tools from their trucks.  I vacuum well after they leave — when we had our windows replaced over the course of 4 days, I vacuumed after each work day — but I never ask them to take off their shoes while they’re here.

Do you have a shoes on or off home?

53 comments

1 Pepper { 04.03.13 at 7:37 am }

We ourselves take shoes off because of both dirt and comfort. Much as I love to buy shoes, I prefer to walk around in comfy socks. Most people take them off out of habit – living here, the weather is either snowy or muddy at least 9 months of the year. My daughter is 2 and likes to bully guests into removing shoes if they don’t. It is quite amusing to watch. 🙂

2 Tiara { 04.03.13 at 7:40 am }

I definitely prefer shoes off in the house…I’ve always found it odd on TV shows that they always have their shoes on, even while lounging on a couch with their feet up. Oh sure, I know no one wants to walk around a TV set in sock feet but it just always bothered me.

I always liked my friend’s parent’s place where they insisted you remove your shoes but had a basket of slippers for you to choose from.

3 Justine { 04.03.13 at 7:46 am }

Shoes off. We used to have a gravel driveway, and we have wood floors … so it was a necessity. We already have long scratches in the floor from small pebbles being dragged across it. And the dirt on the carpet drives me a little crazy. I sweep a lot, but that’s for dust and food bits, which are inevitable in a dining room where small children eat.

And there’s something about shoes off that seems more inviting, anyway. Like “don’t be in such a rush to leave.” 😉

4 persnickety { 04.03.13 at 8:11 am }

Off, always off. But I lived in Japan for 3 years, where it is always off.
I don’t have a basket of slippers in our current apartment because it is carpeted, but i definitely did in the last house (wood floors).
I do miss the genkan- the entryway to a Japanese home, where the shoes can be taken off or put on- it establishes a nice break point. While i am shoes off in the house, my husband (who wears %$#$@ ing boots) is not so good. A genkan would totally solve the problem.

5 Catwoman73 { 04.03.13 at 8:18 am }

For us- it depends on the weather outside. If it’s snowing or raining, shoes definitely come off. If it’s nice and dry, we’re not quite as particular, though I find that we usually take them off automatically. As do our guests. Though I am compelled to always wear slippers- I feel strange without them.

6 Alexis { 04.03.13 at 8:21 am }

Shoes off. We have wood floors downstairs and light beige carpets on the stairs and upstairs. It isn’t the end of the world if someone walks downstairs with shoes (if a guest isn’t going past the kitchen, I won’t ask them to take shoes off), but it’s an absolute no-no upstairs. I grew up in a barefoot house. My husband grew up in a shoes or maybe slippers in the evening house. We’ve wound up with a slippers or barefoot house, and the shoes are lined up under the hall table.

7 Ellen { 04.03.13 at 8:26 am }

Having lived in Asia for three years, and now four in Europe, there is no question: shoes off. Everywhere. My children have indoor and outdoor shoes at school. It would be considered quite rude to walk into anyone’s home locally and leave your shoes on. Relocating back to the US, I am sure we will remain a shoes-off family; the children have known no other way of life, and my husband and I are co-opted.

8 Peach { 04.03.13 at 8:31 am }

Shoes off….always off. I don’t actually know anyone who allows shoes on in their house. I have an aunt who freaks if you step off her entry mat in shoes, even if you’re moving to let others in. I think shoes off is very typical! And cleaner!

9 Heather { 04.03.13 at 8:31 am }

Off. We used to not be so strict about it until I cleaned the carpets now I am (that was a pain in the ass). Now that we’ve gone to that rule, I really like it. The kids always took their shoes off anyway, so they haven’t been a problem. Actually I have a hard time getting anything to stay on their feet (socks, shoes, slippers, etc) they love the feeling of ‘naked feet’.

10 Lollipop Goldstein { 04.03.13 at 9:00 am }

This is so interesting. I don’t actually know any other person in my face-to-face world that has a shoes-off home. Or, at least, I’ve never had someone ask me to take off my shoes in their house when I’ve entered.

11 Gail { 04.03.13 at 9:08 am }

We don’t have any rules about this. The majority of the part of the house where we entertain has tile or laminate floors, so it doesn’t matter to us. Usually, the two of us take our shoes off when we’re home and live in our slippers until we are ready to leave. But, that’s mostly for comfort than for cleanliness.
We do have friends that are “shoes off” people and we comply with their rules, but my feet are always freezing at their house. I think if people are “shoes off”, then they should bump up the heat or put heating elements under the floors or offer everyone extra socks when they come in.

12 Brianna { 04.03.13 at 9:14 am }

We’re similar to you, in that if someone’s going to go on the carpet we ask them to take their shoes off. If they’re only on the linoleum, shoes on are fine.

13 Chickenpig { 04.03.13 at 9:18 am }

I always take off my shoes, but I’m the only one who does consistently. When the babies were little, I had a strict no shoes in the nursery policy, but my husband never followed it and it drove me CRAZY. But, we have a dog, and we have always had dogs, and they track far more dirt into the house than anybody’s shoes. Right now I am wearing shoes, even though I hate wearing shoes, because I’m going to have to walk the dog in a few and I don’t want to have to put my shoes back on.

14 a { 04.03.13 at 9:22 am }

We’re a shoes off household, but if we ever get a dog, I suspect that will change. I make people (even workmen sometimes, but around here, they often have shoe covers) take their shoes off in the house, and I’m not even the one who’s a germaphobe. We’ve had light colored carpet in our last two houses, so it’s pretty much necessary to have a no shoes policy. I think it also cuts down on wear to the carpet.

15 Ellen { 04.03.13 at 9:37 am }

Mel, I really wish you hadn’t asked this question today, because I have a freelancing deadline on Friday and need to be as productive as possible. Unfortunately this topic fascinates me. : )

My husband and I are from different parts of the Midwest; our families are Caucasian. Where I grew up, in the northern Midwest, we ALWAYS took our shoes off indoors. There’s always a shoe pile-up in the entryway. I remember my parents asking my homecoming date to take off his shoes on our brand-new carpet, and then he put them on again for pictures (this now horrifies me). I’ve lived in St. Louis for nearly 14 years and have never once been asked to take off shoes inside someone’s house, including in small farm towns in southern IL, which to me is proof enough that STL is a Southern city. Nor have any adult guests, other than my own relatives, asked whether they should remove their shoes. My husband and my brother’s wife, both from this region, have been scolded for not taking off shoes for Christmas Eve visits in northern IL. I join them in their grumbling. It drives me CRAZY now to go back to my hometown and have to carry Isotoners in my handbag. Someone made a big deal of the fact that I wore shoes indoors at my own baby shower in northern IL. But, as Carrie Bradshaw said, “This is an outfit!” Slippers or socks do not complete the look.

I thought it might be a rural vs. suburban/urban difference, so I asked D’s mom, who grew up on a farm in southern IL, whether guests were expected to take off their shoes indoors. She said no, they used doormats and wiped their shoes carefully. Work boots aren’t worn inside, but everyday shoes are. So I think it is a geographical and cultural distinction — a Memphian friend was aghast at the very idea of a guest being asked or expected to walk around in stocking feet. In “The Help,” Minny immediately (and disapprovingly) notices Celia’s bare feet inside her own house. There are different ideas of hospitality and guest-host interactions. In the self-deprecating northern Midwest, one doesn’t want to make more work for the host. In the South, one doesn’t want to make guests feel self-conscious or uneasy.

16 Brid { 04.03.13 at 9:46 am }

Shoes on for workers is a given. It’s a work safety issue.
We’re an on or an off type of place. Given, we don’t have carpet… just a few area rugs. And, it depends on the weather. I think kids these days are programmed to take off their shoes. Most of our friends are shoes off, but if I am having a party, I don’t want to wreck my outfit by walking around in tights or something, plus, it’s disgusting. I always say at parties to leave shoes on. Usually, the shoes go off, the flips go on.
The thing that cracks me up here, is how many of us actually want to comment on such an issue! This must be what Twitter is like!

17 Elizabeth { 04.03.13 at 9:50 am }

In Albania it’s shoes off at the door. But every home has a pile of slippers in assorted sizes next to the door so every family member and every guest has something to protect their feet from the cold tile floors. We got to like this system do much we still do it here in Colombia.

18 Katie { 04.03.13 at 10:11 am }

Off. Not because I’m worried about my floors – just because it’s more comfortable. I don’t demand that guests take their shoes off, and it’s always interesting to see who does and who doesn’t.

19 Kitten { 04.03.13 at 10:15 am }

Shoes off! It’s always been that way, even growing up, but my parents were never strict about it. It’s just what we did. Everyone in our family took their shoes off. At family gatherings, you’d know how late you were by how large the pile of shoes in the entry way was.

Winter is especially tough on floors here in North Dakota. It’s not just snow and ice, but dirt and salt (to prevent one from slipping on the snow and ice) that gets tracked in. For instance, right now, we live in a 3rd floor apartment. Even after walking up 2 flights of stairs and down a long hallway, we still have enough dirt and salt on the entry way floor requiring me to vacuum at least twice a week. And it’s just the 2 of us. Living in apartments, where the carpet is cheap to begin with, the less dirt and tromping across carpet with shoes the better.

Apart from the dirt, it just feels weird wearing shoes indoors. Even my comfiest pair needs to come off when I’m indoors. I usually always wear socks, mostly because my feet tend to be cold, but also because I hate stepping on grit or crumbs, and I’m too lazy to vacuum every day.

20 manymanymoons { 04.03.13 at 10:34 am }

Let me tell you, this has been the topic of many a heated debate in my house. My husband is strictly a shoes off person (he is Vietnamese but was raised in Boston from age one) and I am a shoes off person unless my outfit is only cute with shoes on in which case it’s my house and I can wear them if I want to person. He gets livid when I don’t follow the “house rule”. It is seriously our biggest debate. While I agree with him on basic principal (you know, that the soles of our shoes are filthy), I would like us to have a bit more of a relaxed rule where exceptions are made. That double back because you forgot something exception does not cut it for him. He tries to throw in a comment on occasion about “Well in my culture” to which I politely remind him that while he was born in Vietnam, he was raised in BOSTON where I am pretty sure the shoes on families out weight the shoes off families. 🙂

In the end I think he is right. It’s cleaner to not wear your shoes in the house and thus we probably shouldn’t do it so I mostly don’t. But when my black pencil skirt is on my butt I shall most certainly be wearing my black knee high boots all over that house.

Great topic!

21 magpie { 04.03.13 at 10:42 am }

Off. I’m not freaky compulsive about it though, so if we have a party, I look the other way, and my MIL/FIL get a pass because they’re in their 80s.

22 magpie { 04.03.13 at 10:44 am }

also, FWIW, i tend to walk around in socks or bare feet at the office…

23 Jenny { 04.03.13 at 10:53 am }

We have a clash of cultures in my home, so this isn’t an easy one to answer.

I was always raised to take my shoes off in the house. Where I live, it just makes sense. We have snow half the year and no one wants to have huge puddles of melted snow all over the house. In spring we get a lot of rain, which inevitably leads to a lot of mud. Again, who wants to track that through their house?

But my husband is from west Texas, where they don’t have these issues, and he was raised in a home where shoes were kept on. So even though he’s now living in snowy, wet Canada, he keeps his shoes on and it drives me bonkers because I’m always stepping in his wet tracks (in my socks, of course). Thank goodness we don’t have carpet!

24 Ellen { 04.03.13 at 10:59 am }

I also have some ideas on how this topic relates to socioeconomic class identification or aspiration; presence of an agricultural class system; and individual/cultural identification with/acknowledgment of work, particularly agrarian work, among other factors like the Edwardian emphasis on hygiene, status of companion animals, textile development and marketing, etc. I might be overthinking it. Perhaps my Isotoners are too tight. : )

25 It Is What It Is { 04.03.13 at 10:59 am }

In our old home, where we lived for 16 years, we wore our shoes inside. we had honey colored hard wood floors and, frankly, I never realized just how much dirt their was. I kept a clean house but the color of the floors didn’t show the dirt, either. My personal tendency though, was to go to our room and kick off (and put away) my shoes when I got home.

Now we live in a house with dark walnut hard wood floors and OMG from Day 1 I knew they’d be the bane of my existence. We immediately decided we would be shoe free. My son, then 4 1/2, proudly took on the role of ‘shoe police’ and he would instruct anyone coming into the house to take their shoes off. Who could refuse him?

So, we are completely shoe free here and have iron shoe racks at the front and back doors and just inside our front door is a chair with a waterproof mat underneath where guests can take off/put on/store their shoes.

I’ve been looking on etsy.com for a decorative “Shoe Free Home” sign to hang at the front door which will help decrease the need to explain and I am going to buy a box of shoe covers (I’ve been planning to do so for over a year!) for workmen.

But, yeah, now that I know the amount of dust and dirt that adheres to the bottom of the average shoe sole and how said grime is immediately deposited on floors and rugs (we have several area rugs), we are shoe free all the way.

26 Elena { 04.03.13 at 11:11 am }

I grew up in a shoes off culture and everyone either brought their own slippers or used some from the pile at the hosts house. I live in a condo which has carpeted hallways so by the time people get to my front door their shoes have effectively been wiped clean so they’re welcome to keep them on if they’d like. I will probably have to rethink this if/when we move to a house. I take shoes off at parents and in-laws houses (but I have personal slippers stashed there)

27 Betty M { 04.03.13 at 11:27 am }

Shoes off in my family. Generally in the UK others seem to be shoes on in my experience. I won’t make a fuss if people wear shoes in my house but usually the pile of shoes by the door and the fact that none of us are wearing them makes most people remove theirs without a fuss.

28 Amy { 04.03.13 at 12:54 pm }

Shoes off! I live in Northern IL and we’ve always been a shoe off house. The pile of shoes by the front door tends to lead people into taking off their shoes when they come over as well. Or my daughter will tell them “No Shoes in the House!”.

When we go to friends’ homes…we also remove our shoes. I bring slipper socks (the ones with the non slip grips) for my daughter and myself…my hubby goes in his socks.

29 Bionic { 04.03.13 at 12:54 pm }

We always take ours off, but I don’t insist with guests. Frankly, with a toddler and two cats in a tiny apartment, it’s hard to argue that our floors are so precious-clean, anyway. Because we live in a large apartment building, anyone coming into our home has likely already lost their outside-dirt on the stairs, hallways, and elevator.

I do wear real shoes for certain kinds of cooking, in particular frying.

30 Amy { 04.03.13 at 1:01 pm }

DH and I are shoes off in the house, mostly for comfort. We don’t make others take their shoes off, because, frankly, with DH being a logger and tracking dirt and sawdust and fir needles all over the house, and us living on a beef farm AND having a dog and two cats (and me being in a high risk pregnancy again), my floors are NOT clean…at least not most of the time. My floors are the bain of my existence, really. One day, hopefully not too far off, we’ll redo the floors all in hard surfaces, and then I can swifter and Roomba to my heart’s content. 🙂

31 Lisa @ hapahopes { 04.03.13 at 1:38 pm }

My husband is Asian, so we’re a shoe-off household. I’ve never gotten used to it though, I guess because I grew up in St. Louis (Ellen tells it like it is!) so it just feels weird to have shoeless feet inside. I have a pair of flip flops I wear inside and long as they are NEVER EVER worn outside. We don’t ask others to take their shoes off, though, and only my husband’s family really does. Doesn’t bother me and my husband says it doesn’t bother him. I guess if our main floor was carpeted it would be a different story.

My mom does bring special flip flops when she stays though. 🙂

32 Ana { 04.03.13 at 1:54 pm }

Shoes off. Both of us are from a shoes-off culture and shoes-off homes (though born/raised in the US, in the south, where shoes off was absolutely unheard of). In the winter, I’m in socks or fuzzy slippers. In the warmer weather (oh god soon, please!) I can show off my pedicure. I can’t wait to get my shoes off at the end of work day, even flats or sneakers get uncomfortable after a while, I can’t imagine being truly relaxed with shoes on. We are also on the floor a lot, playing, so clean-ish floors (without any work on my part, of course) is important.

I’m by no means a clean freak, but tracking outside gunk into the house (even though we don’t have carpet) just seems gross to me. We even wipe off our dog’s paws with baby wipes after walks, bc I suspect there is always a trace of poop or pee on them.

Most guests will see the shoe pile and oblige. I’ve never asked workers to remove their shoes, and can’t imagine doing so. I like the idea of shoe covers, because work boots in my bedroom is kind of icky. When we’ve had parties (very rarely) we let people keep on their fancy shoes since I imagine they may have created an outfit around them; I remember creating a look around some fabulous boots, and being a bit miffed when asked to remove them and display my ratty old tights at a party.

I don’t freak out about going back in to grab something, and how could I possibly complain when my kids enter the home and run into the kitchen to hug me instead of taking off their shoes?

Oh Mel, THIS topic on a day when I have too much work?? Saboteur!

33 JustHeather { 04.03.13 at 2:19 pm }

Finland is a shoes off country and I happily oblige. I just try to remember to take socks/slippers with me because my feet are almost always cold. Even at work, most people will have a 2nd pair of shoes/sandals to switch into (many women into cute boots and high heels, me, Crocs!). It is not nice wearing your thick, clunky winter boots all day in the office!

In the US, my family is a shoes on family, and hubby finds it gross, strange and uncomfortable. I believe he will take his shoes off anyway.
In Hawaii, they are a shoes off culture (my mom and dad have mentioned it to me several times as I was too young to remember).

I love these topics!!! Keep ’em coming.

34 Mina { 04.03.13 at 2:35 pm }

Shoes off. I used to be very ticked off by people who would ask me to take my shoes off, especially if it was an occasion and we were dressed up. Btw, remember the Sex and the City episode when Carry was asked ot take her shoes off at a baby shower and someone stole her Manolos? 🙂 How awkward.
When we lived in the flat, we had parquet flooring, and I’d rather people kept their shoes on, it was easier to clean dust than sweaty footprints. But after we had George, and he started being mobile, it was shoes off. And we still are.
Now for the cultural bit of trivia 🙂 – in Germany the rule is pretty much shoes off. So much so that you go in a block of flats, and you can tell who is having guests, since they all leave their shoes outside on the common hallway. I was so freaked in the beginning by this. Now, not so much. Also, here you can often find at the entrance, on a wall, a huge slipper inside which there are many pairs of normal felt slippers, various sizes, for guests. And even at some doctors’ offices there is this rule, our former ped and my current physiotherapist have a sign at the entrance which says – shoes off, or put some shoe covers.

35 Turia { 04.03.13 at 2:55 pm }

I haven’t read the comments, but we are a shoes-off household, and I suspect it’s because we live in Canada. No one wears their winter boots inside, so that just becomes the norm. I have been to very few Canadian households where shoes stay on. When Q. and I first moved back we were invited to a party (in winter) at the chair’s house, and we turned up with shoes in a bag because I couldn’t remember what people did at grown up parties once winter boots came off. It turns out everyone just stands around in their socks.

36 k { 04.03.13 at 3:15 pm }

I never cared until we had the twins. Then all I could think about was how GROSS it was to have them rolling around on the floor that people’s shoes had been on. We’re MOSTLY a shoes off household. I say mostly because shoes go on generally in the living room and there is some walking through the house after, and I won’t think twice about running up the stairs in shoes if I forgot something. Most people get the hint when they see our shoes by the door or see us shoeless. I’m a socks/slippers around the house girl all the way. I don’t even like my kids touching the bottoms of their shoes. But then, I’m a bit germophobic, so I’m sure that plays in as well.

37 Blanche { 04.03.13 at 3:30 pm }

I’d be happy to be shoes off but DH wears hiking boots all day, every day and refuses. Plus we have a dog & cats who track even more stuff in so it seems kind of pointless. As is, I’m usually sock or barefoot for comfort as is LO.

38 Kimberly { 04.03.13 at 4:41 pm }

As I look at my feet, wearing my toms while sitting in my favorite chair, I realize that I’m seasonal when it comes to whether I care or not if your shoes are on. In spring and summer I will wear my toms/flip flops in the house all the time, the rest of the year it’s barefoot. Though when I go to other people’s houses, my first instinct is to take my shoes off at the door regardless of their shoes allowed or not rule.

The big thing for me is that all of our downstairs is either hardwood or tile so its easier to clean. If I had carpets throughout, I would probably enforce a no shoes rule.

39 loribeth { 04.03.13 at 5:27 pm }

Shoes off, definitely. Like Turia & Jenny, I think it’s a Canadian thing. Who wants wet boots or shoes with sand, salt, mud & melting snow on them, tracking all over the house?? (Who wants to stay IN a pair of clompy old boots?? :p)

40 FrozenOJ { 04.03.13 at 6:48 pm }

We always take our shoes off, but that’s just because it’s more comfortable. We never ask people to remove theirs but some people follow our example. I find around here if there are shoes in the entryway people assume they are supposed to take theirs off too. My mom almost always has her shoes on unless you make her take them off because as a kid she stepped on a jack barefooted and will not risk doing the same again. After stepping on some legos myself I get her point but still prefer to not wear shoes.

41 LC { 04.03.13 at 7:07 pm }

We’re a (fairly strict) shoes off house. DH is half Korean and was raised strictly shoes off. For me, growing up, you left winter boots by the door, but took other shoes off when you were somewhere more comfortable. Now I’ve gotten into the habit of taking them off almost immediately and, at other people’s homes, look for the pile of shoes by the door to indicate shoes-on/shoes-off.

42 amy { 04.03.13 at 7:27 pm }

Three steps inside our front door we have a bench specifically for removing and storing shoes! Mark even removes his work boots before coming onto the front porch. It is common for work men to have shoe covers in our area and we would never ask guests to remove shoes. However, frequent guests do it just because we do!

43 Jamie { 04.03.13 at 11:12 pm }

Shoes off. It is how I grew up and how I’ve always done it in my own home. I take my shoes off when I go to other people’s homes, even if they don’t ask. I just think that is the polite thing to do. Plus, it just feels more comfortable and at home.

44 Siochana { 04.04.13 at 1:01 am }

I always take off shoes. I would feel very strange wearing shoes in the house. Sometimes as a guest people tell me to keep them on because their floor is dirty or something, but I always feel embarrassed even about agreeing to their request, like I’m doing something quite rude. On the other hand I hate cold feet so I almost always wear slippers. I have a big collection and there’s usually a pair in every room. 🙂

45 mark { 04.04.13 at 2:16 am }

We are a shoes off house. My partner and I both grew up in homes where you took off your shoes and wore slippers in the house. This is what we do in our own house. Just about everyone we know does this.

46 St. Elsewhere { 04.04.13 at 3:05 am }

I am very uncomfortable (usually) to be barefoot. So, you will find me wearing shoes or slippers or socks. I sometimes do go barefoot, but that is not a norm.

Once home, I will change into slippers from my shoes. Those slippers are for home-use only. I re-change my footwear if I am stepping outside the house.

I grew up in a house where everyone wore slippers/footwear even inside the house. DH grew up in a house where they did not wear anything inside the house. He still likes to go minus slippers inside the house.

When I visit DH’s house, I have to remain alert about not wearing slippers or shoes inside the house, and usually put on socks because they are excused and I am less uncomfortable that way.

47 Mali { 04.04.13 at 5:04 am }

Shoes off – grew up on a farm, and then lived in Asia twice, and have lots of friends who have lived in Asia. We don’t like to ask people to remove their shoes – though most do when they come in, and if we’re having a formal dinner party, I will be without shoes but guests are shod.

Not having kids or pets means it’s easier to keep the floors clean, of course.

48 marwil { 04.04.13 at 6:05 am }

Shoes off please. To me it’s given, but since moving to England, I notice that some are getting uncertain and actually asks before entering our house. When we visit other people’s homes they can say not to bother with it but it feels so wrong to walk around with shoes on indoors. It feels rude. Interesting topic, and I had expected more saying shoes on in the comments!

49 mark { 04.04.13 at 6:33 am }

We are in the Uk Marwil and always take off our shoes when visiting. It is pretty much the norm here to take off shoes. We often take our slippers with us to change into, although some people offer guest slippers.

50 Mijk { 04.04.13 at 3:46 pm }

Both but I must say I cant imagine lving with a fully carpetted house. i even hate going to other peoples carpetted house I think it is gross even if its clean and I would not liek to take my shoes of then It is completely my personal fobia but thank God carpets are not done in my country very often…..

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