Shoes? A random general question..
 

So my girlfriend, roomate and I were having a discussion about shoe's in the house. We're in Canada, and all of us have always taken our shoes off when we go inside. Sure if I'm running in to grab something I've forgotten i'll leave my shoes on. Unless it's rainy and my shoes are obviously wet then I wont. But as a general rule I take my shoes off when I enter my house, or the house of anyone else.

However, on most movies, television series, ect, it seems that nobody takes off their shoes when they enter a house. So we got to thinking, who does, who doesn't?

I know it is a semi-American stereotype to say that "All Americans wear shoes in the house", but really, who wears their shoes in the house, and who doesn't, and why? And no, slippers doesn't count.

Turns out nobody on TeeVee ever burps, farts, takes a dump, etc. unless it's part of the plot of some sophomoric National Lampoon comedy.

...

I'm American and I go discalced every chance I get. I never wear socks without shoes. I like the feel of the carpet and floors on my feet.

I spend a lot of my time indoors just lounging in my ubiquitous black underwear and a t-shirt. I don't like wearing clothes indoors.

When you're in the military, you spend as much time as you can with your feet out of boots. It's good to air 'em out as much as you can.

I also learned to like being unshod from practicing karate for hours on thin rough carpet on a concrete floor. It'll toughen your feet up.

...

Huh. What's the point of having carpet in your house if you wear shoes all the time? Seems like a superfluous expense.

You know I've never thought of your final point P9. It's a good one, I shall use it on my daughter, who generally forgets to remove her shoes.

I dont wear shoes in the house. I also rarely wear trousers (unless its really cold) - first thing I do when I get in is kick my shoes off and strip to my boxers.... but I usually do wear a shirt.

When I lived alone I was naked. All the time. If someone decided to grace me with their presence they'd be answered by a Hugh Hefner wannabe.

Now I do not take off my shoes because this house is filthy. Only in my room do I take my shoes off and I have house shoes, the little furry type thingys.

Shoe off in the house. In Canada, I kept the socks on because it was rarely warm. Here, it's bare feet.

I stay clothed but I do slip into shorts as soon as I get home. It's too hot to keep wearing pants.

I usually wear flip-flops and kick them off as soon as I come in. We all take our shoes off when we come inside. It keeps the carpet clean.

As soon as I get home, clothes and shoes off, trackies and slippers on. I even have inside and outside slippers for if i go out back to do stuff.

What about at a (relatively) formal get together? We still generally doff the shoes at the door, but it tends to lead to a huge pile that has to be managed, especially during our winters when there's snow melting off everything. But I have an older Eastern European neighbour who was appalled when she gave a party and everyone was taking their shoes off. She almost thought it was some sort of insult that people felt so intimate with her home as to begin disrobing, lol (she's accepted it as a weird New World custom, now).

I'm always barefoot in the house. As soon as I come in, I take off my shoes but it's more of a comfort thing than 'whoa, watch the carpet' thing. I don't care if someone wears shoes in my home.

Now when I get new carpet in a couple weeks, I may need to rethink this lol.

Usually I take work clothes off and slip shorts, t-shirt and sandals on right after coming through the door. My husband is constantly in and out of the house during the day, so he leaves his on until he comes in the final time. Then it's shoes and socks off. Since he does come in and out and isn't very concerned about what he's tracking in, I usually have some sort of shoes on all the time. Plus, I have very sensitive feet. Many people have told me to toughen them up, but I think I was just cursed. All my family knows (even my dog knew) not to mess with the bottom of my feet unless you want to be kicked.

In my house we always take our shoes off unless we just run in real quick to grab something. I have a lot of Asian friends and the shoes have to come off otherwise it's a big sign of disrespect. However, a lot of my other friends wear shoes in the house and think it is weird not to wear them. I don't feel comfortable or 'at home' if I keep my shoes on; I just feel like I'm about to leave.
When my host doesn't indicate what I'm supposed to do I usually look at their feet and follow suit.

I always take my shoes off, always have, always will.
Worked on a farm for a while when I was younger, we had field boots,
and regular boots. Helps to prevent the spread of disease from feces.

Shoes off once I come in, even my 2 year old daughter knows to take her shoes off, and if she wants to go on the balcony she will bring over shoes.

I always take mine off too. When I lived in Hawaii it was primarily to keep the "red dirt" out of the house, but I also only had "slippas" out there too.

Now it is more out of habit and the need to get out of fire boots which are not the lightest things to wear.

I rarely take my boots off, indoors or out. Too many encounters with broken glass (and one rusty nail) when I was a kid. Nothing like picking your foot up and realizing that you're 1/4 of the way to Stigmataland, with a hunk of 2x4 securely fastened on for the ride.

I take them off at the door. That's what mudrooms are for, after all. If I'm taking a quick step outside I'll slide into some Nike soccer slides.

I'll wear shoes in the house if I'm getting ready to leave or just got back from outside. I then go straight to my bedroom and remove the shoes and walk around barefooted.

I also prefer to strip down to boxers and a comfortable t-shirt if I'm hanging in the house.

I'll take off my shoes at the door only if they're muddy or really soaking wet, but usually when I get home I just leave my shoes on. I take shoes off only when I'm getting ready for bed.
On the other foot...
I have nothing against barefoot. When I get up in the morning I usually go around the house barefoot until I'm ready to leave and go somewhere. I think it is more a matter of convenience (or maybe laziness) than anything else.

At others' homes I'm willing to follow their customary practice.:)

Lindy

Take your shoes off when you come to my house. I don't want your shitkickers all over my new carpet or new couch. I've got strategically placed rugs to catch messes, though. If you've got fungus-eaten gargoyle feet, however, I may spray you down with Lysol.

I rarely put shoes on... the dog park and work are pretty much the only places I wear shoes.

I wear flip-flops inside the house. We have zero carpet, save a runner near the frunt door and a rug in the living room. My house has these old wood floors that have patches where they're now unfinished and may give those who drag their feet splinters, so I generally encourage people to wear shoes while in my house. Going barefoot is dangerous here--a friend was dancing in my living room at a party last summer and ended up with an inch-long splinter in her foot.

Generally, I don't wear normal shoes inside my house though. My husband does, but that is because he doesn't have a pair of flip-flops or slippers he likes as much as I like mine. I've been trying to work on him wearing slippers.

I prefer nothing on my feet.
I don't worry about my carpet. It's indoor-outdoor indestructo type carpeting.
(Government housing.)
I miss having wood floors, but not wood stairs.
Socks & smooth wood stairs = Dangerous.

I suppose if someone wanted to go barefoot in my house who had athlete's foot,
I might hand them a pair of those strange hospital socks. You know, the ones that
never fit right & have gummy-worms glued to the bottom.

I ma going to have to agree. I don't like the sensation of things on my feet i would prefer to walk around barefoot everywhere. But with the advent of "No shoes, no shirt, no service" it kinda become socially unacceptable to going around bare foot. I heard a remark once i don't remember if i saw it on a TV survival show or read it in a article but it said that nowadays our feet are 60% less health they our ancestors due to the effect of footwear.

I guess we humans had tougher feet back in antiquity.

on a fun note check these out.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

Geez I barely wear shoes outside let alone inside. Normally, especially in nice weather, its either barefoot or sandals (I do have a pair of running sneakers though) on the odd chance I do need shoes I have an old beat up pair of boat shoes I wear...but right now they're full of dust, spider webs and probably the odd brown recluse or two. I NEVER wear shoes or socks inside, ever.

The great thing about the human foot is you can build up callouses and once those mothers get hold you could walk across a field of broken glass and not even wince, natures own shoes!

NO shoes in our house. In the winter I wear socks. Outside around here I wear shoes because it's dirty and people let their dogs shit in the grass right outside our garage door. Everywhere else, I'm shoeless. I tend to take off my shoes when I'm working and visiting someone else's house where they take theirs off, too, which totally grosses S out.
"You think they want your dirty, stinky feet on their floor?"
"It's either that or the dirt off the bottom of my shoes..."

I get really irritated when workmen walk right past our shoe rack, up the stairs and tromp across our wood floors, tracking all kinds of crap. I've made people go back down again. Carpet holds dirt, grossness, cat hair, people dander, etc.... it weirds me out, but I usually sit on the floor, so I force myself not to think about it. But, there's less of it since there are no shoes on our floors.

UGG boots in the house is the go, until it gets too hot and then it is bare feet. Shoes in the house aren't banned - we have floorboards just about everywhere in the house, so no carpet to worry about dirtying, though usually our family leave shoes at the door.

In Norway it's usually shoes off. We've had some visitors from Great Britain and they where used to wear shoes indoors. It's quite rude to walk inn to someones house without removing your shoes - unless you're told otherwise.

When I am in someone's house or apartment or at my own place, I take off my shoes.

Speaking of people in movies and t.v., they also forget to look through the door peep hole when someone is knocking on their door and they forget to close the door when they enter someone's house or apartment.

Shoes off, whether at home or visiting, unless told otherwise.

Also on TV or in movies (how'd we get on this subject?), people never seem to eat (Hello, Jack Bauer!)

I have always hated shoes. One of the things my mom told me that as early or six or seven I hated shoes, and would even try to take them off at school if I could. I walked barefoot everywhere at home, and my parents had a lot of acreage.

Nowadays I wear sandals and take them off immediately when I come inside. Even in offices where I work with a dress code.. black sandals are ..sorta.. dressy?

Ironically, I am a huge of fan of shoes when worn by women (especially classy, even muted - not pornstar - high heels)... but that's another story altogether. It may be because women's shoes rarely cover the whole foot. I hate having my whole foot wrapped in material.. it's like wearing those little footies that doctors and crime scene people wear. No interest in feet that way though.

I take mine off in the house but I never take mine off when I'm a visitor unless I'm staying the night.

Can't say I pay much attention to shoes. I put them on and take them off when I have a reason. We have hardwood floors and 2 big dogs, shoes aren't going to do anything that the dogs don't already do.

I can see the Monty Python crew doing a skit about OCD clean-freakoids of long past,
Trying to keep the dirt floor in their cave, clean.

It was probably a neat-freak who invented God, or God invented clean-freaks to keep them out of trouble and off the streets,
cleanliness being next to him and all that.

Cleanliness helps us to live longer,
& therefore we have more time to clean.

Of course it's logical sense to take off the encrusted stall-mucking boots
before entering the main living areas.

Wall-to-wall carpet is a silly invention.

Oxblood finished floors are the way to go.

Women's shoes are not so much footgear as costume. Women's feet (hence shoes) are a major fetish of both genders.

Lindy

shoes off in my house. even moreso with a little one crawling around putting his paws in his mouth.

the last thing i want is your bathroom bacteria in his intestines.

Shoes off in the house. I like to have bare feet wherever I have the chance, indoors and out.

Men's shoes too, depending on the context. In the business world, they judge men by their shoes.

For me, it's a catch 22. I love beautiful shoes, but I hate wearing them, and usually end up limping through my day. I prefer barefooting, most of the time. Slippers are off limits. Flip flops, maybe.

I just find it bourgeois and too familiar to remove your shoes at someone elses house. I know Miss Manners would agree with me.

I dunno, wouldn't it be manners to remove your shoes in someone else's house because you assume they just cleaned up and would like to keep it that way? I always took that for granted.

These replies are fascinating. I always thought it was just slobs who didn't
remove their shoes upon entering the house.

I was wrong!!