how do you feel about shoes in your house

[colours]

do you enforce a "leave your shoes at the door" policy? or do you not care

 

[professor plum]

you better leave those at the door unless you're going to be here for less than 5 minutes!

 

[LDSman]

During the winter, shoes are left at door. Preferably on the mat.

 

[Caite-chan]

Unless they are covered in snow or ungodly dirty I could care less. I mean that's what vacuums are for right?

 

[Commander Saturn]

Shoes off, slippers on, no exceptions.

 

[Dusk]

I don't have my own place yet so I don't care what the rest of my family does but I can't stand people wearing shoes in my room and I wear shoes for use indoors only when around the house.

 

[Cherrim]

Shoes off always. If you have to wear something indoors, wear slippers.

 

[Her]

i don't really care but i assume you'll be taking them off if your feet are going anywhere near my carpet - i've never known anyone to insist on me leaving their shoes on when i entered their place, and i can't imagine i'd be like 'no, please leave your doc marten dirtmobiles attached to your feet, i insist'

 

[XNaut]

I always leave my shoes on in the house.

 

[ruby]

you're leaving them at the door unless you're prepared for the heavy consequences coming to anyone responsible for dirtying my cute socks and slippers

 

[pkmin3033]

Better shoes than bare feet. I cannot STAND bare feet. But wear socks, slippers, or get the fuck out. I mean, it's just good manners to take off your dirty shoes before you come into the house proper, unless you're going to be out within five minutes.

 

[Azuviin]

Never been to an Asian household where they don't take off their shoes.

 

[Aslan]

Living in an Asian household the rule has always been to take off your shoes when you're indoors - same goes for all of my friend's houses, it's a common courtesy. It's fine to just wear socks indoors though, I'm not fussed if someone has slippers on or not as long as it's not like bare feet?

 

[Ninetales]

Is it true that Americans wear shoes in their homes? In Canada, nobody does that. Who in their right mind would want to wear shoes inside when you could wear fuzzy socks or go bare feet. I just don't understand. Nevermind the fact that it's so dirty. If anyone came in treading dirt in my household, they'd be thrown out.

 

[Ivysaur]

I wear slippers at home, but I keep my shoes on my bedroom and when I need to leave, I put them on and wear them around the house while I do the finishing touches before walking out.

And when someone's visiting, just clean them on the mat by the door and you're fine to walk around with them. We definitely do not have any room to leave them by the entrance.
My first ex, who was asian, struggled to understand this so hard.

 

[o1a1d1s1]

Different kinds of shoes for different places. It needs to be done, because if the landlord won't do it, then nobody will. It's the basic courtesy.

 

[Fairy]

I really can't be bothered to care, tbh. Shoes, no shoes, whatever, just feel comfortable. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[CiCi]

Can't stand people wearing shoes in my house. The only time I accept it is the very rare occasion we have a worker coming in here to check on our a/c unit (and whenever we get an electrician in, he'll probably wind up wearing shoes). It squiggs me out but really they're here to do a job and not get hounded by my germophobia. I just go in after they leave with disinfectant and they've always been courteous enough to wipe their feet on our mat. Living someone where it's common courtesy to remove your shoes before entering someone's home would be a godsend.

As for guests: no exceptions, shoes off at the shoe rack (a lovely rustic-looking one with three levels on it that my wonderful mother made for me, thank you mom 🖤). I don't want your shoes touching my carpet. Less because I'm worried about dirt that can be easily vacuumed and more because I'm worried about the viruses and bacteria you're harboring on those literal walking petri dishes.

And for everyone here who doesn't know or is unsure: no, Americans do not typically take off their shoes indoors. I've lived with family where no one took their shoes off indoors and I was forced to wear them, too, to avoid stepping in their ick. Always left my own shoes in the corner of my room and put them on or took them off in the hallway. It's super gross. Never been told to take my shoes off in someone's house and I noticed most of my guests aren't used to that, either. I've gotten some odd looks but everyone's been compliant thus far. My grandmother has been picking up the habit with guests in her home, too.

 

[Bellsprout]

I don't care about wearing shoes in my house. It was never a rule in my family. Often times I'm running back and forth outside and I'm not taking my shoes off every time. I also find feet repulsive so I personally would rather someone wear shoes in my house than be barefoot. Socks are okay at least. I also don't have any carpet in my house so maybe that's the difference???

Is it true that Americans wear shoes in their homes? In Canada, nobody does that. Who in their right mind would want to wear shoes inside when you could wear fuzzy socks or go bare feet. I just don't understand. Nevermind the fact that it's so dirty. If anyone came in treading dirt in my household, they'd be thrown out.

American here. I've only met one family in my entire life that made everyone take their shoes off at the door. So from my experience it's true at least.

 

[NikolaP]

In my country, in every house I've ever been to: no shoes on in the house. No shoes on in the room in the student dorm, no shoes on in any living quarters, period. Slippers are for walking in the house, you have a few pairs for different parts of the year: thick, warm slippers for the winter, sandals or flip-flops or something airy for the summer. You may walk barefoot in the house, or with slippers on bare feet, but only in the hottest time of summer. Otherwise always wear socks, whichever length and thickness is appropriate.

The main paradigm here is that your floor (with all the carpets) is clean, and while you can't and won't eat food that fell on it (unless it's really nice food and you vacuumed like 5 minutes ago), you can sit on it or put anything down on it knowing it's safe; and that the outside floor, the ground, the pavement, where dogs urinate and where sewer workers walk home from work, is FILTHY and disgusting. Consequently, the cleaner the part of your house, the more repulsive the thought of someone stepping in it in shoes. A child's room, for instance, or a bedroom.

The hall is where you keep your shoes, which you put on when leaving the house. You also keep your slippers there, and they are worn inside the house. No overlap. Unless it would be very inconvenient to take your shoes off for a second after you've put them on, like if you forgot to switch the light off; or you need to step out of your apartment for a moment to sign the mail receipt and it's a fuss to put on shoes. In that case, vacuum where you stepped (if you're a hygiene-obsessed neat freak like me, most people don't overreact quite that much) and thoroughly wipe off your slippers (definitely, everyone does that).

You may want to walk gingerly on the outer edges of your shoes when going into rooms beyond the hallway, as I often used to when I was little. Walking on your knees is another option I'd resort to back then.

Don't get me started on beds and couches. To even think to put shoes on these is just... No. Never. In my house, if you put your feet on the bed or the couch, you even take your slippers off. The couch is a very clean place, you can eat things that fall on the couch. You put your face on the bed and the couch, for goodness's sake!

Concerning guests: in your hall, you have several extra pairs of slippers. You give them to your guests if they're coming in for over 5 minutes and aren't standing in the hallway during that time. You do this especially if they are children. Adults may get a pass if they didn't ask for slippers and are only sitting in the living room and going to the bathroom. They may voluntarily go barefoot if you don't have slippers for them. You do not do this for strangers visiting you on some business.

I've learned, to my surprise, that this is a part of my country's culture and not present everywhere in the world. I'd always thought that American TV shows are just being lazy for not giving their actors slippers to wear while they're filming a scene in their room or lying on the couch. When in an American movie someone walks into their home and drags themselves to bed and goes to sleep with their shoes on, my family laughs at the uncultured peasant that person just showed themselves to be by my country's norms.