What Do You Think?

[Lari]

I don't really like wearing shoes so I'm always happy to take them off.

There's no hard and fast rule at our place. Do what you want!

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I always ask the hosts if they want me to take my shoes off. I don't know if it is a regional thing, but I feel it's kind of an unspoken rule in my area that you take your shoes off when you enter someones home.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

i wouldn't be offended at all, because i only extremely rarely will wear 'outdoors shoes' inside my house.

guests at our (my cats and my) home are asked to please remove shoes as they enter our home. the exception would be someone who is unable to do so, like had been injured or is elderly. and repair persons or contractors, to an extent.

a couple winters ago i had some home improvements done. those guys were tracking all sorts of nasty mess all over the house. so i politely asked if they might remove their boots (in the back enclosed porch) at the door, before entering the house. they agreed, and understood. the electrician who recently did some work here was not asked to remove his shoes -- it's fall, so no winter mess on the shoes.

 

[jcat]

One keeps a basket of socks and slipper socks for people to use if they want.

That's quite common in Germany, where very few people wear "street shoes" inside and most guests automatically remove their shoes.

I'm not at all offended if people ask me to remove my shoes. It's not something I ask of guests though; when we had (a) large, clumsy dog(s) and/or a cat that liked to attack feet, I advised people to leave their shoes on.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

That's quite common in Germany, where very few people wear "street shoes" inside and most guests automatically remove their shoes.

I'm not at all offended if people ask me to remove my shoes. It's not something I ask of guests though; when we had (a) large, clumsy dog(s) and/or a cat that liked to attack feet, I advised people to leave their shoes on.

Now that you say that; she did live in Germany for a while. Maybe she picked it up there.

 

[Winchester]

I think we're more laid-back on TCS. On the original board where I saw the thread, they were saying they'd never visit the person again, that they'd be highly offended if they were asked to remove their shoes, etc. But with us on TCS, it seems to be about comfort and friendliness, if that makes any sense.

With five cats and a Beast, and all of the hair, fur, etc. I would never ask anybody to remove their shoes. If you want to, that's fine. But it's not a requirement. We had a lot of contractors and such here during the summer when they were working on the bathroom. And we had tons of rain. They rolled out sheets of material: up the steps and back the hallway, so they didn't mess the carpet up too badly. Every morning, they'd roll it out; every night, they'd roll it back up.

 

[Moz]

I missed this thread. I always love reading the shoes/no-shoes discussion from cultures that wear shoes at home.

I'm Canadian and nearly everyone takes their shoes off at home or when visiting other homes. Even if I'm visiting someone and they tell me I can keep my shoes on, I'll take them off. It feels disrespectful (and plain gross) to tramp around in someone else's house while I'm wearing shoes.

Whenever I read this discussion on other websites, the pro-indoor shoe people always argue that sock feet are more gross than shoes and/or that your house will smell like feet if you don't wear shoes indoors. I can say that I have never been in a house that smelled like feet, even in the summer.

My feet get washed every day while showering and I always wear clean socks - I can't say the same thing about my shoes that may have stepped in someone's globby spit on the sidewalk, or dog poop, or just regular dust/dirt outside. Have you ever had to wipe dirt off your shoe? Even when you get the dirt off, you'll still be wiping brown dirt off your 'clean' shoe. Now imagine that all over your carpets and furniture every day.

Besides, how comfy can it be to curl up on a couch when you're wearing shoes? I just can't fathom wearing shoes indoors. It's such an alien concept to me. I am definitely a socks/slippers/bare feet at home evangelist.

 

[muffy]

I always take off my shoes when I am at my house. I also take mine off when I go to my bother's or sister's or anybody else that request it. People don't realize how dirty their shoes are.

 

[Winchester]

When I visit one of my GFs, the very first thing I do is take my shoes off. She thinks it's hilarious because I'm the only person she knows who does this. But I'm always walking around in my socks at my house; it's more comfortable. I, too, am the type of person who loves to cuddle on a couch or chair, even as a guest. Thankfully, people who know me accept me and it's all OK.

 

[rgwanner]

I would not be offended at all. Most places I go I know the residents well and I just automatically take off my shoes anyway because I hate wearing shoes. I don't ask guests to take off their shoes but most are close enough that they do it anyway just like they would at home. Socks are just more comfortable.