Shoes off when you enter the house? YES or NO?

[thefed]

A gentleman just came to buy a car from me, and said "oh...shoes off huh? must be an ohio thing"

So....do you take your shoes off when you enter your home (and ask others to do so)?

Where do you live?

Is this a geographical thing like 'soda' and 'pop' or is this guy nuts?

 

[rescueme]

75M west of NYC (in Eastern PA).

Yes, we do take our shoes off (among other items of clothing ).

Dirt remains (at least we try) on the other side of the exterior door...

In fact, service folks (such as our heat pump contractor) has "booties" which they wear during their semi-annual service checkup.

 

[FIREd]

Yes we remove our shoes when we come home (we live in Alabama). We don't ask our guests to remove their shoes (unless they go where it is carpeted), but most do anyways when they see that we don't wear shoes inside the house.

 

[Glo]

We do not wear shoes in our house; I don't require guests to remove their shoes, but some do. We have hardwood floors so I can easily wash them. We live in NE Ohio. When we lived in central Ohio, no one removed shoes; they'd think it was very weird if someone asked them to do so.

 

[Charlotte]

At my house (in NC), we take our shoes off right after coming in, but I don't ask my guests to do so. Some guests do, but most don't.

It is funny, because when we visit other people's homes, my elementary-school-aged children immediately take their shoes off and plonk them by the door. I usually keep my shoes on when we're at another's home, unless I'm aware that my shoes are dirty/muddy, then I'd slip them off at the door...


Charlotte

 

[travelover]

Shoes off for residents, dog gets her feet wiped at the door. Guests have a choice unless it is really muddy or snowy outside (SE MI).

 

[GoodSense]

My house is entirely carpeted in beige, so I ask all guests to remove their shoes. I even have a sign that says so, so I don't have to say it myself. When dark mud stains the carpet, it's almost impossible to remove. Learned it the hard way. I live in Minnesota.

 

[thefed]

My house is entirely carpeted in beige, so I ask all guests to remove their shoes. I even have a sign that says so, so I don't have to say it myself. When dark mud stains the carpet, it's almost impossible to remove. Learned it the hard way. I live in Minnesota.

wow! I thought my wife was the only one with a sign at the door!lol

 

[aaronc879]

In the winter(half the year here in Wisconsin) I always take my shoes off. Otherwise only when they're wet. I expect others to follow my lead. Other than the first few feet at the entrance, I have carpeting that is <2 years old throughout the home.

 

[RonBoyd]

So....do you take your shoes off when you enter your home (and ask others to do so)?

So, is this a Poll... without the usual hassle?

 

[GoodSense]

wow! I thought my wife was the only one with a sign at the door!lol

Haha, it's just more efficient this way. Saves them the trouble of asking. Even with the sign, one extended family member still neglected to take off his shoes and tread mud all over the place.

 

[audreyh1]

Shoes off for our RV. In the new house we will probably have to switch to slippers or something because we have mostly tile floors.

Audrey

 

[mickeyd]

Most of my life I have been a "shoes off" guy as soon as I hit the house. Must be something in my Cajun heritage (you know, those LA bayous and swamps). But since I have been diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes I am advised by my doc to always wear shoes as any kind of foot injury could lead to more complications. So I'm now a shoes on guy.

 

[RonBoyd]

as any kind of foot injury could lead to more complications. So I'm now a shoes on guy.

I don't have Diabetes but... I am a guy who has a tendency to travel quickly when walking. I was a "shoes-off" (and no socks, of course) guy for, forty-fifty years, until my little toe caught the leg of a lamp table as I went zooming by. The pain was excruciating and the toe stuck out at a 90 degree angle to my foot. I can tell you that getting it back into its normal position was not a pleasant experience at all. I went barefoot for another couple of weeks -- until the black toe turned to flesh tone once again and my foot fit into a shoe. I, now, have something, shoe or slipper, on my feet at all times.

 

[Calgary_Girl]

I am Canadian, so yes, we take our shoes off.

We don't have to ask others to take theirs off because everyone already does up here . It did take my husband (who's American) a while to get used to it but now it's second nature to him as well .

 

[kyounge1956]

Most of my life I have been a "shoes off" guy as soon as I hit the house. Must be something in my Cajun heritage (you know, those LA bayous and swamps). But since I have been diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes I am advised by my doc to always wear shoes as any kind of foot injury could lead to more complications. So I'm now a shoes on guy.

I have also been advised by doctor to wear shoes at all times, due to plantar fasciitis, so now I have one pair of shoes that never goes outdoors. I usually change shoes when I come in, but I won't say I've never nipped inside wearing my outdoor shoes if I forget something. I live in Seattle and have beige wall-to-wall carpet. I only started to remove my shoes indoors when I moved into this house. My previous home had wood or vinyl floors throughout and I didn't change or remove my shoes inside, but it probably would have been a good idea and saved a lot of scratching on the finish.

My rector and his family also change or remove shoes in the house. They are from Hawaii and I think it's a widespread custom there. (Japanese influence?)

 

[Gumby]

We almost always remove our shoes and change into slippers staged just inside the door. However, I certainly don't expect my guests to do so.

 

[Koolau]

Here in Hawaii, EVERYONE removes shoes before entering a dwelling. I understand it goes back to oriental (perhaps specifically Japanese, but I'm not certain) tradition and custom. Sock feet are fine, but no shoes "in dah house". A few folks (not many) have a small sign requesting removal of shoes. My favorite:

Humble host request thee to put off thy rubbah slippahs. Mahalo!

When we have workmen in, we always tell them to leave their shoes ON as we want to insure their safety! I never liked wearing shoes in the house anyway, so it's kind of nice to be expected to remove shoes. With ugly feet like mine, I always wear ultra white socks (should see our bleach bill).

 

[Payin-the-Toll]

Due to back, knee, and hip problems, I developed the habit of always having my shoes off, even when driving for fairly long distances. New double hips which also helped the knees, and a little arthritis helped stiffen up the back, but I still go shoeless. Here's the weird thing--I can't stand to be barefooted, so I always have socks on. I keep a pair of thongs at the front and back door (to fetch the paper, etc.), and only put on shoes when necessary. Wife is usually shoeless, but we give visiting guests their choice.

 

[kcowan]

In our penthouse, there is a carpeted hall that insure that the shoes are mostly clean when guests enter so it is a shoes on policy. We even put our shoes on when we entertain.

BUT if they go out on to our 1300 sq.ft. patio, we ask them to wipe their feet when they return inside. It is hit and miss and we have to have our carpets cleaned once a year.

 

[TromboneAl]

Yes, shoes off. It's a Swedish thing too.

 

[tmm99]

Yes, shoes off. It's a Swedish thing too.

Yes, shoes off, and is also a Japanese thing.

 

[WanderALot]

Shoes off, but not enforced with guests, even though most take off their shoes automatically. The wood floors and the carpeted upstairs are definitely cleaner than they would otherwise be. We live in SoCal where there are a lot of Asians who can sometimes be quite strict with this practice.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

At the present time I keep a pair of slippers to change in to here in western PA as it has been a sloppy winter. I would never ask anyone to take their shoes off when coming in to my home. However, most people do without asking if it is bad weather outside. When it is dry, I really don't care about the shoes. I live in my house, the dog has had accidents and thrown up, things have been spilled, I put down drinking glasses on antique wood surfaces, eat on the sofas, etc. I figure the house will be here long after I am dead and gone, and my son will likely donate the furnishings to St. Vincent de Paul.

 

[donheff]

Wow. I am amazed at how many of you take off your shoes when entering. We don't here (Washington, DC)s. We have hardwood floors so that may make a difference but and I can't think of anyone who routinely does. My family and friends didn't take off shoes in Chicago either.