Wearing Shoes Inside - The Fuck?

[Terramax]

And hey, don't you realize that it is DIRTY?

Last time I checked, most people's feet and socks are dirty too. Unless, of course, you wash your feet before you step into your house.

Sure, you can argue your feet are less dirty than shoes, but then again I know people who walk around gardens, parks, beaches bare foot all day long.

 

[Savryc]

You can wear shoes in my house if you're one of those odd freaks that insist on keeping them on but if you make a mess you aren't leaving till you've cleaned up. You tracked that shit in here, you can bloody well deal with it.

 

[Tomeran]

I most definetly take off my shoes before going inside a house. It is common courtesy here in Sweden and as far as im aware, most of Europe.

Its one thing to walk inside a house with socks or feet, because even though neither may be particulary clean they dont really drag a whole mess of dirt with them. Shoes and boots however almost always do(more or less), unless you've actually cleaned them properly before going inside the house. There's quite the significant difference, especielly during muddy days and when the snow is out.

Personally if someone walked into my house with their shoes on, I would consider them very rude, for above stated reasons. It would be similar to taking garbage with you and just toss it around idly on the floor. Want to do that in your house? Your call. But visiting someone elses? That's just wrong.

Of course this also varies on the part of the house. Certain hallways and garages are common "dirt zones", and its not quite the same "no-no" there, even if dragging a massive sludge of mud or half-melted snow is never a good thing.

 

[Nieroshai]

Actors probably prefer to wear them on the set, which is not an actual home. That, or it's simple oversight. Such a detail is irrelevant, especially when the camera spends most of its time on faces and gestures.

 

[xochiquetzal]

I live in Sweden and the only time we ever keep the shoes on in doors in my family is if we are running in to grab something on the rush or if you are wearing fancy shoes at someone house party.

and personally I like to go barefoot on our parquet oak.

 

[smokingplane]

I live in Belgium, and mostly where I live people just wear shoes inside.
Tracing dirt trough te house just isn't an issue, if you got dirty shoes you take them off and else you just use the doormat.

I do know some people that hava a habit of always taking off their shoes, but its uncommon.

 

[Lyri]

no carpet in my house - You ever try and vacuum that? It's a friggin nightmare.

Plus, I have a dog.

I love the smell of freshly vacc'd carpet, it's hardly a nightmare.

I understand why you wear shoes now, no carpet.

 

[mattttherman3]

I notice that bare feet tend to make prints on hardwood floors, so whenever they get cleaned at my house, we wear flip flops or socks

 

[AngryFrenchCanadian]

I'll usually get my shoes off inside the house unless the floor gets cold because it's winter.

 

[Stu35]

I have lived in Japan for 10 years now and I am heading home next year. I will certainly not allow shoes in my home back in Australia. Thing is though, many Aussies don't wear shoes anyway. That's the other extreme. I have gotten in trouble for going outside without shoes in Japan.

Thongs, ftw.



(Mostly I just wanted to say "Thongs" in their footwear context. I rarely get to do that.)



Anyway, in Britain me mostly take our shoes off, it's considered the polite thing to do.

As for all the germophobic reasoning behind it... Meh, according to the news we're the worst country in Europe for washing our hands (and according to other studies I've seen, we also have the fewest hypochondriacs, I reckon there's a link there...). I guess what I'm trying to say is: People these days worry too much about germs, maybe the entire western world would suffer from Hayfever and other allergies less if we just manned up and accepted the occasional bout of flu / D&V.

So, that aside, I personally feel more comfortable in peoples houses in just my socks.

 

[darksuccubus]

As a Russian, I also find this a odd, you can wear slippers after all. Guess it's a US thing

 

[mizi]

Another American - I only take my shoes off at other people's houses if I'm planning on putting my feet on the furniture (like a table/couch or something) . At home I'll only take them off if I feel like it/going to be sitting on the floor or lying down somewhere. Some of my friends have 'no shoes in the house' policies, and I always try to respect there wishes (that's basic etiquette). I've never lived in a house with a 'no shoes indoors' policy and I don't own any indoor slippers.

Edit: I also live in a really wet, rainy area (pacific northwest). I usually try to leave garden shoes or others that end up caked in mud on a mat by the door, but otherwise we don't worry about the extra wear on the carpets (the ones in my house are kind of dark at old).

I think the 'no shoes in the house ever' is more of a cultural thing than a practical one.

 

[Enverex]

Here (UK) people generally take their shoes off if it's a familiar setting, the home isn't a mess (e.g. dirty flooring) and it's carpeted. You generally wouldn't bother or want to take your shoes off on cold stone/tile/laminate flooring.

 

[ReinofFire]

Does it really mean that much to people? So many posts are just about how silly it is to keep your shoes on and how people are weird for keeping them on. Why?

Personally where I'm from keeping shoes on is just what you do, taking them off only happens if you live there or are staying prolonged periods of time. Oh and if you think its just because its not dirty, I live in New Mexico.

 

[Vangaurd227]

I wear shoes all day everyday unless I'm in bed. I'm in bed right now so I'm obviously not wearing shoes.

 

[HyperDavidovich]

Come to any Asian household. We MAKE you remove your shoes (by any means necessary).

 

[Lawllerskater]

I almost always wear shoes indoors because I can't be bothered to take them off. Unless they're noticeably uncomfortable heels or something. I only had one friend growing up whose parents made us take off our shoes on the carpet, and I always thought that was totally strict and weird.

i dont think neanderthals even had shoes to wear, so that would be point for shoe-wearing

 

[ninjapenguin981]

Depends on the type of floor. If it's tile or wood then I'll keep my shoes on, but if I'm going upstairs where it's carpeted I'll take my shoes off.

 

[RubyT]

What I gather frim this thread: Americans have smelly feet, cold floors and are really scared of stubbing toes. They also wear shoes indoors because of sharp objects or wet patches on the floor, but don't connect those with wearing shoes indoors.