Wearing Shoes Inside - The Fuck?

[Flames66]

I am currently living on the top floor of a three floor house. I don't take my shoes off until I reach the lobby area of my living space. Once my shoes are off they stay off for the rest of the day and I don't particularly like having my shoes on while inside. I have several pairs of slippers for if my feet get cold.

All that being said, I don't see what the fuss is about the floor getting dirty. I clean my floor roughly weekly so it doesn't get visibly dirty and don't think about the state of it between then unless I have been doing something like sawing wood. Feet are designed to step on things and immune systems are designed to encounter and deal with germs (and are strengthened by doing so). What is the big deal about the floor not being clean and sterilised at all times?

 

[Nemu]

I live in New England, where it is currently 7 degrees below freezing, and I have hardwood floors in every room but my office. My floors are FREEZING, so I wear shoes in my house. lol

I DO, tho, have a certain pair of Etnies that I ONLY wear in the house, and I am the only one who wears shoes all of the time, so my floors aren't completely trashed. I just feel more comfortable wearing sneakers in my house, I always have. *shrug*

 

[Saregon]

It might have to do with the climate in the different regions.
Here in Norway, if you're walking through the door with your shoes on you'd on most days be tracking in a shitload of mud or snow.

This. Also it's considered quite rude by most Norwegians, and if you track your dirty shoes inside my house and get crap on/scratch my wood floors, I'ma smack you upside the head.

I'm not though, but I will give a very sternly worded warning to take them off.

OK fine, I'll ask you to please take them off, I have manners, after all.

 

[Gardenia]

In multiple instances of US media, I've seen characters wear shoes inside a private home.It always struck me as odd; Why would one wear it? For comfort? Isn't it more comfortable without the shoes..Or with slippers?
And hey, don't you realize that it is DIRTY?. What especially baffles me is that Sheldon and the others in Big Bang Theory wear shoes inside the apartment, even with Sheldon's extreme germ fobia. Isn't this exactly the sort of thing he would crack down on?

So, my question is; Is this really common-place in the US, and why? How do you feel about it?

I'm pretty sure it's commonplace in most Western nations. We're not Japanese, and we don't have a ritualistic point of view on wearing shoes indoors.

Although i have never been to Ireland, I have visited quite a few western countries, and have had visitors from others. Never have I been to a house where it was the norm to keep your shoes on, and never have I had to explain to guests why it was expected of them to remove them. I would say it's more about courtesy than rituals. Don't go dragging your shit into other peoples houses. Vacuuming? "Ain't nobody got time for that.jpg"

 

[Flames66]

I remember though in Spain, they usually had their shoes on.
Why?
"Because it's dirty on the floor, and you don't wanna get your feet dirty"
Why's the floor so dirty then?
"b-bb-becaus..."
THE FLOOR IS DIRTY BECAUSE YOU WALK WITH YOUR SHOES INSIDE FFS, JUST STOP DOING IT AND KEEP YOUR HOME CLEAN WHILE YOUR FEET ARE FRESH TOO. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
It's like what came first of chicken/egg, except you know that if you just took yourself a few minutes every now and then to clean your floor, and DON'T WALK WITH YOUR SHOES ON INSIDE. Then you won't ever need to do it again.

I'm not sure what the big deal is about clean floors. That is what the immune system is for and it get's stronger by encountering and dealing with germs. I clean my floor weekly and don't even think about it between cleans. Shoes, socks, slippers and bare feet all walk on the same floor and I have never had any problems.

My brother wears shoes inside our home. In fact, often he'll wear clothes where it looks like he's going to go somewhere. But he doesn't. He just chills.

I also like to wear my outdoor clothes inside from time to time. If I feel like wearing my huge fluffy winter jacket I don't see why the fact that I'm sitting on a sofa watching a film should stop me.

 

[Scars Unseen]

I live in Japan, so it's shoes off for me. I don't think I could go back. My feet smell much nicer for not being trapped inside a sweaty shoe all day.

 

[Iskenator67]

I wears shoes indoors all the time, As soon as I wake up I put them on & I don't take them off until I got to bed. There steel toe work boots too. I just feel more comfortable with my 10 pound boots on.

 

[BlackStar42]

If you have cold tile floors, you aren't going to be taking your shoes off unless there's any comfy slippers nearby.

 

[Patrick Buck]

I take my shoes off, basically to stop the floors getting covered in crap. Our Carpets are really badly chosen, they show up so much dirt. We didn't choose them, and now we're kinda stuck with it.

 

[Odinsson]

I usually just ask. At home I wear boots in the house all the time, and most of my friends' families are ok with it, but it never hurts to be polite.

 

[ntw3001]

In the UK, people usually take their shoes off. It was never a rule in my parents' house, but that was unusual.

In TV shows, it's not interesting to watch characters messing around with their shoes while they're charging in and out of their flat engaged in madcap antics. That means that in UK comedies, people still wear their shoes indoors.

 

[NLS]

I remember though in Spain, they usually had their shoes on.
Why?
"Because it's dirty on the floor, and you don't wanna get your feet dirty"
Why's the floor so dirty then?
"b-bb-becaus..."
THE FLOOR IS DIRTY BECAUSE YOU WALK WITH YOUR SHOES INSIDE FFS, JUST STOP DOING IT AND KEEP YOUR HOME CLEAN WHILE YOUR FEET ARE FRESH TOO. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
It's like what came first of chicken/egg, except you know that if you just took yourself a few minutes every now and then to clean your floor, and DON'T WALK WITH YOUR SHOES ON INSIDE. Then you won't ever need to do it again.

I'm not sure what the big deal is about clean floors. That is what the immune system is for and it get's stronger by encountering and dealing with germs. I clean my floor weekly and don't even think about it between cleans. Shoes, socks, slippers and bare feet all walk on the same floor and I have never had any problems.

My brother wears shoes inside our home. In fact, often he'll wear clothes where it looks like he's going to go somewhere. But he doesn't. He just chills.

I also like to wear my outdoor clothes inside from time to time. If I feel like wearing my huge fluffy winter jacket I don't see why the fact that I'm sitting on a sofa watching a film should stop me.

Yeah my problem isn't really clean/dirty floors. I'm admittedly not very good at keeping my floor clean. My main gripe is walking with shoes inside "because it's dirty", when you can perfectly just walk around with your socks on.

 

[Owlslayer]

Well, it`s common sense to remove your shoes when going inside where I live. Haven`t seen anyone who walks around with shoes indoors, seems kinda rude, or something along the lines of that. And i usually wear slippers or socks indoors.

 

[Agayek]

I generally take my shoes off in my apartment, but that's mostly because I find shoes to be rather uncomfortable more than any degree of politeness or cleanliness.

In other people's places, I'll leave my shoes on unless I'm asked to take them off, which has only ever happened back in high school when I went to the home of one of my second generation asian friends.

 

[Chanel Tompkins]

I wear my shoes indoors sometimes, but usually only if I'm getting ready to leave, have just gotten home, or have to do something that would involve a danger to my feet if I did it in my slippers (cooking, fixing lights, etc.). I don't wear shoes just to warm my feet-I have super thick socks for that.

 

[KingofallCosmos]

In holland we take off the wooden shoes cause it makes such a ruckus.

Seriously though, I can vaguely remember my mother preferring shoes off, but we never did, so there you go. I do know some strange people who got a whole set of different sizes slippers for guests.

Also, I drop a lot of glass and dishes.

 

[Macgyvercas]

Depends on what kind of flooring. Is it carpet? Tile? It can really depend. Some people prefer shoes though while others would go for sandals or slippers. That's what I've observed, anyways. I prefer slippers myself though.

I'm thinking that it would be dirty no matter what you do though. Your feet aren't always going to be clean, so when you put them inside your slippers, then your slippers get dirty too. Furthermore, I've noticed that walking around the house in most surfaces will move dust & dirt into the air. In a way...

[HEADING=1]No where is safe. [/HEADING]

I like slippers...

Either that or just wear socks or go barefoot. I don't like wearing shoes inside.

 

[gim73]

Sheldon is a character in a TV series. You wear shoes at work, don't you?

I don't wear shoes indoors, or pants. NO PANTS!!!

 

[Odbarc]

I've only seen Americans do this. Doesn't happen in Canada. It's fucking rude to run around a persons house with your shoes on.

 

[Snow Fire]

Always wear my g.i. combat boots indoors, I love how secure my feet feel. :3