Taking shoes off before you come inside your house

I always remove them when going into someone elses house but mine I will sometimes leave them on if I am just popping in to get something.

Yes, we take our shoes off at the door and welcome it when others do too although we don't ask them to.

I think it is pretty rare to remove shoes here, one of those differences. My sil is the only one I know of.

If my shoes or boots are muddly Iwould take them off but other than that I would not take make shoes off - I don't care about a bit of dirt pre covid it was good to have a good variety of microbes in your home. I would certainly not ask guests to go around barefoot. If I am wearing my walking shoes I would change them but slippers - never - I bit like wearing track suits all the time!

We have a porch with mud boxes for shoes so all are left there. I would never ask a friend to take theirs off and if we have guests would not sit at the dinner table in slippers. So I suppose I have outdoor shoes and a couple of pairs of ballet pumps for indoors. We have mainly wooden floors though and never insist the GC take their s off I'm frightened of them slipping so they usually bring slippers.

I cannot believe that you are all sitting there discussing whether or not you take your shoes off! It is common sense. If it is wet or muddy, yes, if it is dry, no

I live in Sweden and it is tradition to take shoes off when going indoors, even young children do this which is lovely, of course it does raise problems when many are visiting, its like a second hand shoe shop in the hall, going home its s free for all everyone trying to find their shoes then putting them on.

Taking off shoes on entry is something I have come across only rarely in my long life. In my house shoes are removed if they are wet/muddy, but not otherwise. I have always thought that a bit of dirt is good for the immune system, and too much cleaning is bad for the hands and rheumatics.

There’s dirt and there’s dirt that includes dog poo, spit and all sorts of horrible stuff that you get on pavements though. It’s only fairly recently that people have had carpets in their homes. Prior to that floors would be cleaned on a regular basis.

Guess what? There's hoovers and all manner of other cleaners!
Our waiting room was carpeted and somehow we survived hundreds of patients traipsing through our house.
Obsessive hygiene is not good for immune systems

I live in the Tropics of Queensland (Australia) and always remove my shoes. We have tiled floors and its seems to be the custom however, occasionally the host will let you know if removal of shoes is not necessary. I was amazed when I came to live here that some schools allow children to go to school without shoes and it seems 'general practice' that schools allow athletes to go 'shoeless' at sporting carnivals.

However, there are places where shoes are a 'must' - walking on the coral, in the rainforest and long grass. I recently stayed in holiday accommodation and they had a dish and soap at the door with a sign - 'if you have been shoeless please wash feet'. Another common practice is that before you have a 'nap' is to place a large towel on the bed first.

we do it in our house,and in other houses if its the owners wishes, especially in winter when the ground is wet or muddy , it has made a different to our floors, so much cleaner than before and no dog poo either in case someone has trod in it, that is not a hard and fast rule,if someone prefers not to thats okay or sometimes its awkward if workmen are in and out but cant see it would be a problem otherwise

Looking at the replies on here, there seems to be a majority for “outdoor shoes off at the door”. Perhaps culture has shifted as our houses have become more expensively carpeted, or people have become more concerned about hygiene?

I agree it’s a cultural thing. Also we’re more concerned about using more and more chemicals in our homes to keep them hygienic so to just keep them clean in the first place makes sense. I hate asking people to take their shoes off (not that I have visitors these days) and wish it was just part of our culture to do so. I even put a bench in my porch so that people had somewhere to sit when they took their shoes off. It’s all about respecting other people, their personal space and their homes etc. We have a lot to learn from other cultures I think.

This thread is enlightening. If anybody asked me to remove my shoes, I wouldn’t return in a hurry. How rude to ask. Luckily nobody ever has done.

What is very funny on this thread is how rudeness is perceived.

Some posters think it is rude to be asked to remove their shoes.
The host/hostess may think it is rude for the guest to walk with outdoor shoes in the house - hygiene, carpet conservation, whatever reason it is

I believe this is more than a cultural thing.
It is a tolerance and adapt to different ways of living life is.
Just because you never did something, it doesn't mean other people may follow different rules and it is ok.

Where does "my house my rules" start and end?

One way of spreading Athletes Foot and other nasties , I’m not keen on smellly feet and you split your outfit taking off designer shoes
Actually by the time I get mine off it would be time to start putting them back on to go home ?

We always take ours off. Read recently that they usually have some sort of poop on them.

I've always gone barefoot at home and have never yet had athletes foot or a verruca. I also don't allow shoes on in the house and provide overshoes so never had dog poo on my carpets either. I can't see how it's rude if I provide overshoes to wear and I don't care if you're wearing designer shoes or not it's more about what you may have trodden in.

Me neither FF in fact the fungus that causes athletes foot thrives in warm, moist environments, ie sweaty shoes and slippers.

Most of us don't wear designer shoes!

mumofmadboys

Most of us don't wear designer shoes!

I'm one who doesn't! Never owned a pair