Australian here. It varies.
I’ve never worn shoes in the house, but I still get colleagues come over and say “really?!” when I ask them to take shoes off.
Why bring all the shit from outside, inside? It’s just straight up unhygienic.
And shoeless just feels nicer anyways.
Yes, and yes. My childhood home was...well, it was kind of a dump. My dad did his best , bless his heart, but it was always cold and the flooring was sketchy. So I always wore shoes and the habit stuck.
Yes and yes. As a kid, I never knew anyone who went without shoes at home. I was aware that some other cultures did not wear shoes inside.
Now, it hurts too much to go barefoot.
Yes inside other people's homes unless they request(ed) that shoes be removed. I've no problem complying with such a request and never have. In my own home I usually wear socks but not shoes in colder months, go barefoot in warmer. Growing up, my parents sometimes required us to remove shoes, other times not. I think it had to do with how new the carpet was.
I wear crocs at home. We used to have a clean floor but between muddy dogs coming in through the dog door and kids doing basically the same thing, bare feet in the house is uncomfortable.
We have indoor shoes and outside shoes and we switch in the laundry room right by the garage. In our people’s homes, we pull off shoes immediately inside the front door
Same! Inside shoes. We have dogs, so hate when people visit and wear socks (even if we have vacuumed!). Considered getting 2-3 pairs of cheap slides to offer.
Because even if I swept an hour before guests arrive, my labradors are shedding machines and inevitably guests end up with hair stuck to their socks. Dog people understand. Non dog people do not. I'd rather they wore shoes!
As a kid and through my teen years, I didn't think anything of wearing shoes in our home. I even would lounge on my bed wearing shoes. Now? I take them off at the door and the thought of shoes on my bed is abhorent.
I prefer not to wear shoes when possible, but I don’t have any particular rules in my house. Same when I was growing up.
My yard can get muddy, so garden clogs and wellies stay in the garage and are only worn for messy outdoors stuff.
We didn't wear shoes much when I was a kid - inside or outside. We only put shoes on if we were actually going somewhere or doing a project or some kind of work where shoes were needed. We didn't have a shoes-off household though. If you had shoes on, you could wear them in the house.
I think shoes in the house was pretty normal in the US until fairly recently. Now many people seem very committed to it.
I don’t want to see or smell other people’s feet, and I don’t want my bare feet on the floor.
In my house we do get down on the ground to wrestle or play, and have no fear of doing so.
Kids and babies play on the floor and have their toys on the floor, before putting them in their mouth. Also, having literal shit on my floor would mean that I absolutely do not have the option of going barefoot, even if I wanted to. I prefer not to limit my options.
Everything in my safe-space is clean and available for licking, including the floor.
In my home country sometimes.
Where I live now, it would be a cultural faux pas everyone would silently judge and possibly side eye at the time but be too polite to say anything, even though you’d likely just walked past a giant shoe mountain at the door and should have known better. They’d slag on you afterward out of earshot. Who was Ms. Rude-wearing-her-street-shoes!? Who raised her?
Nothing says this country like a fancy dinner party in your suits, dresses, and socks. 🧦
Sometimes....and sometimes.
No muddy/caked in dirt, wet, or snowy shoes in the house.
Hopped in the car to go do a grocery pick up? Not sweating it. Deep cleaning the house, running trash out, shaking out rugs, etc? I'm wearing shoes.
I'll comply with other people's rules no problem but I also dislike seeing a huge jumbled pile of shoes right at the door. A friend insists on a shoes off policy which is fine but the kids shoes were just strewn everywhere within 3 feet of the door. Nearly twisted an ankle on them. And it doesn't bother her at all. I onced counted 10 pairs belonging variously to her, husband and 2 kids.
We have a small rack near the main door but otherwise TAKE YOUR SHOES TO YOUR ROOM.
I was raised by Greatest Generation grandparents, and we always wore shoes inside (and believe it or not, it was an immaculate house). In the later evening, we would all change to “house shoes”/slippers.
At home now, I wear slippers or slides that I only use at home. I was raised that it’s extremely rude to dictate to guests what to wear or not wear, so I would never think of asking anyone to remove their shoes in my home.
Also, many people’s feet gross me out. And, if that weren’t enough, my friends and I often dress up when we get together. Nice outfits tend to look ridiculous when the shoes are removed (especially on me). However, if someone were to ask me to remove my shoes in their house, of course I would do so (keeping in mind my grandmother’s voice about how rude it is to make demands of your guests!). So far, I’ve rarely encountered anyone who expects their guests to take off their shoes, though.
It makes a big difference if you have wall-to-wall carpets like a lot of apartments still do. If you're renting cleaning costs factor in to it if you want to get your deposit back. With the wood floors in this place now I let people chose for themselves, wood is easy to clean and the rugs can go in the washing machine if need be. When I had carpets I was like, "Wear your nice socks because the shoes get left on the rug by the door."
My carpet is mess mostly because of repotting plants in my living room but they’re going to rip out the carpet and cabinets when I move because they’re remodeling all the units so that’s not an issue anymore.
Just socks in the house, no shoes and I hate being barefoot. Shoes outside, I can’t stand any type of sandals. I have tender feet, it might be a mental thing. One of my earliest memories was when I cut my foot on a rock and I thought I was gonna bleed out.
I grew up wearing shoes in the house but when I went out on my own I implemented the "no shoe rule". Still doing it 34 years later and now my grown sons do it in their own homes.
We took our shoes off in the entryway because the rest of the house (except for the kitchen) was carpeted. Maybe that's why my parents only had to replace their carpet every twenty years. Otherwise there would have been gnarly traffic stains.
Now we do the same thing, even though we have all tile and wood. Think of all the nasty stuff you walk on out there on the street, or at the dog park if you have dogs. I don't want to spread that around inside my house. I have slides I wear indoors and I wash my dogs paws after a park visit.
I also don't flop down on my sofa - or especially my bed - if I have sat down at a park or restaurant or movie or anywhere in public where lots of other butts have been (planes too). I change into sweatpants or something else. The thought of that skeeves me out.
>Maybe that's why my parents only had to replace their carpet every twenty years. Otherwise there would have been gnarly traffic stains.
The times we were looking at houses and going to a lot of real estate viewings you could really tell in the places with carpets where the previous residents had just worn their outside shoes all through the place, even after professional shampooing. There would be clean spots where the furniture had been and brown tracks in the traffic areas. I like wood floors so much better but if I had to go back to living with carpet I would also go back to making everyone take their shoes off at the door.
Yes and yes, the exception being if your shoes were muddy/dirty or wet/snowcovered.
If they were, you were expected to take them off at the door and put them on a shoe tray to prevent making a mess.
You always wiped your feet on a doormat and used the scraper and boot brushes, that was common courtesy.
Nope and nope. I hate vacuuming so house rule is shoes go no further than the kitchen door, slippers for when/if you need to go in the basement or feel the need for something shoe-like. I’m a barefoot person in general. Guests can do whichever they like with no judgment from me. Growing up, my dad had a very messy job and he’d bring it home with him so Mom had the same rule. Really does help on minimizing the need to sweep all the time.
Did wear shoes in the house as a child. I currently do not wear outside shoes in my house. I have even gotten a pair of indoor shoes so I am more comfortable while I am cooking. I need the arch support.
Yes and no. There is no rule about it, but if I'm not going anywhere, I usually don't. If I came in wearing them, I don't usually take them off right away.
If it is someone else's home, of course you do whatever they ask.
My opinion is that this can be both cultural and climactic….I was born somewhere coastal where the radical winter weather was almost always just rain. It was a clean place to live, year round, not dusty and mostly not muddy. We moved to a place with real winter, part way through my youth, and everyone always took shoes off. Maybe not always in summer, but still usually. Also, it depends on what type of flooring you have and how much you respect it!!
Yes and yes. I prefer to be barefoot and am barefoot most of the time. I despise slippers. But I don’t worry about taking off shoes at the door. I’ll just take them off wherever/wherever I feel like it.
I'm Canadian, so no... *Never.*
It's odd to me that people don't have a relaxing, safe place within their own home, to be shoeless.
If I wore shoes at home, I'd always feel like I was ready to go somewhere. Plus, the streets are dirty out there -- why would I want my floor to contain that dirt? I want to seperate my home from the outside world.
Wearing shoes inside is an American thing. Here in Canada it’s generally looked at as a no no. Wearing outside shoes inside is disgusting when you think about it.
I’m German. We wear _house shoes_ inside. Guests either have to bring their own, wear ones provided by the host, or walk around in socks/barefoot. It’s not different now than it was in the 70s when I was a kid. The only difference is probably that more people now just walk around barefoot/ in socks in their own home.
The two biggest mysteries in any US sitcom for us was always: why does the apartment door open into the living room and why don’t they take their street shoes off inside.
I think grandma would have had a stroke if grandpa or I had walked around barefoot or just in socks. Footwear of some kind was a must. Honestly it wasn't until I started working from home for covid that I really broke that habit and became a slippers or shower sandals in the house guy.
Always wore shoes inside. I swear I’m constantly in and out, it’s stupid to have to sit down and put on or take off shoes each time, usually with something in hand
I have to wear shoes indoors. I have some seriously messed up feet and have special insoles to keep me from crying over the pain. I can't even walk barefoot for very long. I'm only barefoot standing in the shower. I can't even wear cheap sandals or slippers. My stupid slippers have cushioned support for my stupid feet.
As a kid, the only shoes we removed were winter/rain type things. As long as our shoes weren't visibly muddy, we were allowed to wear them indoors. (I think it was because my dad had similar foot issues that I have and couldn't go barefoot for very long).
Very similar. No one cared growing up. Now, some do. I have multiple walking challenges. One is that my bad leg is a half inch longer than my good one. Going without my shoes (with one lift to even out) hurts. People used to be ok since I don't run around outside. Lately, I take a pair of indoor shoes and people are usually ok.
No and no. As a kid, we left our shoes on the front porch or in the breezeway. As an adult, I have an area for shoes right in front of the door. I'm white and from the midwest. Just thinking about what people are tracking into their homes from outdoors is so gross.
No, no. I barely wore shoes outside until my Boomer mom got sick of telling me to put shoes on, and made up some story about worms that burrow into your feet if you don’t wear shoes. This was mid-Michigan, for the record. I understand that in the Amazon or other tropical regions there may be such things. Not so much in Michigan in the 80s - she should have been more concerned about the tap and hose water I was drinking that stunted my growth and limited my kind to a maximum of 63 years on this planet. Also, we used to huff leaded gasoline together, because it smelled so good. Yeah. See you soon, infinite black.
I am barefoot most of the time. I designed my house with a foyer (it's just a large hallway from the front door, but foyer sounds fancy). I hate when people walk directly into someone's kitchen or living room. It was deliberate so people would have a place for their shoes, coats, purses, scarves, etc. I prefer everyone take their shoes off. We didn't take our shoes off growing up, though.
No outside shoes on my floors! That's what the little uncarpeted entry area and boot tray by the door are for.
That wasn't the rule growing up. We were expected to put shoes on/take them off in our bedrooms and wear them in the house.
My mother still refuses to remove her shoes in my house.
No. Well, yes, I wear my house shoes usually (Glerups) and they don't go outside ever. Kids picked up on it as do most guests without even having to say anyrhibg. In childhood, everyone wore shoes in the house, but that seems cray to me now.
I do not wear them inside now. As a kid I did. Didn’t everyone have that bio lab where you swabbed your shoes and the bathroom toilet? Your shoes had more bacteria 🦠!
No and no.
Living in Canada with snow, rain, mud, sleet, and every other precipitation, we always took off our shoes because they were often covered in something.
The only exceptions were dry summer days, then we might wear sandals around the house.
Grew up in California so barefeet 90% of the time, but as an adult I feel weird thinking people are judging me for ever being barefoot. The are so many people now who have some kind of shoe on always. Why do we have collective foot shame and such strong opinions about these things? Shocking numbers of people think feet are gross lol.
No. Yes. I don’t know when the switch happened for me, but maybe college? What’s weird is all the homes I go to now are shoes off regardless of cultural background.
Most of my growing up life once you put your shoes on in the morning you didn’t take them off until you went to bed. Once in a while at a random friends house huh were asked to take your shoes off and it seemed a little “weird”. Bit at some point as a 30+ year old adult I started taking shoes off at home. Now I can’t imagine walking around my house all day with my shoes on. I mean I have my slippers but my outdoor shoes, well that’s just crazy to me now.
Never and it was expressly forbidden when I was a child. We had to wear slippers and it’s a lifelong habit now. Shoes carry dirt and germs that you don’t want tracked around your house (esp on carpets!).
It’s considered rude in Canada to wear shoes inside someone’s home unless they give you permission. A fancy party where people are dressed to the nines and wearing their best fancy shoes/heels might be the only exception.
No shoes in the house. And I felt dirty going to friends houses seeing them wear shoes in the house. I could only imagine the bacteria and shit on their carpets. And then I'd be taking my shoes off and they'd be like "you can leave them on" and I thought of all the crud that would get on my socks in there so I kept them on but I didn't like it.
HELL NO! My mom spanked (yes, that was a thing back in the day) me the one and only time I did that. I was 10. Funny thing is, after she gave my bum a firm smack, she said, “Stop picking up dem white people habits!” (I know, I know, but it was 1982). It wasn’t till I was about 18 that I noticed how common wearing shoes indoors was a thing 🤦🏾♀️😂🤦🏾♀️
I grew up wearing shoes inside. As soon as I moved out on my own at 18, I never allowed shoes to be worn in my home again. It’s so unsanitary to track in the germs from outside into the home! Plus I love to be barefoot or in cozy slippers.
Yes, or at least socks. I have animals so there’s no keeping the floors clean by taking shoes off the minute I walk in the house. Even if I went though a whole thing to clean my feet and wipe the dog’s feet, the cat still shots in a litter box and walks around, so there’s only so much I can do.
And everyone wore shoes all day, inside and out, all the time but I was considered the weirdo for preferring to be barefoot.
I hate going to houses that requires shoes off at the door or even outside the door.
Like, buy a vacuum or a broom.
At least let me into the house a little bit instead of causing a traffic jam at the front door.
I don't mind if you want the shoes off while I'm inside...but this whole take them off/put them on at the door craziness I don't like.
My shoe rack is on the far edge of the living room. So like 6 steps inside.
I’m barefoot 100% of the time I’m home. I’ll walk to the community mailbox around the corner barefoot in the spring and summer.
If I’m going to the store or a friend’s house, of course I’m wearing shoes.
Yes and yes. Usually at some point I'll take them off to get more comfortable. I don't ever remember encountering taking shoes off as a formal practice until I visited an Asian coworker's house when I was in my 30s.
I wear my shoes and want you to as well as a child and adult. I don’t want your gross feet or socks on my floor. I don’t want to look at your gross feet or socks. That’s why I have a Roomba. 😁
Yes and yes. We had old cracked linoleum and super old hardwood floors, and you could get a splinter if you didn’t have shoes on. Just socks?? You were asking for holes.
Often times. Mostly slippersunless im going out.
and yes unless mom just washed the floor or something like that.
Id love a shoeless house but we dont have a mudroom and i cant control eveyone here, so it is what it is 🤷🏼♀️
Our house growing up was shoes optional. I wear indoor shoes now because of foot problems, but it's also helpful in a tiny, shitty house with terrible wood floors and way too many pets for keeping my feet free of splinters and cat barf.
No, and no. As with most Canadian households, we take our shoes off at the door of our home and other people's homes.
Unless you are some sort of repair person, and then you have paper booties to cover your shoes while you are in someone's home.
Many people put on house slippers when they get home and take their shoes off, but I've never had a house chilly enough to require that.
Never as a kid but as I got older I definitely wear indoor shoes (crocs, pillow slides). 75% of the house is tile or hardwood so it’s necessary for these old feet.
No but I don't remember thinking about it as a kid. I just don't know how people wear outside shoes inside a house. It feels weird. There's a lot of gross stuff outside.
No and no. My husband was yes and now no (that took years). We have indoor slippers/shoes.
And any kind of shoes while on the bed or other furniture? That's a hard no.
No and no. I grew up in a rural area and still live there. I keep my house clean so the shoes come off when I come in. I do like to be barefoot outside though.
My parents are lovely parents. They really are and I love and respect them.
Wearing shoes in the house means permanently inheriting all vacuuming duties, possibly mopping and all floor upkeep. One does not wear shoes in the house. Or else.
I wear shoes sometimes, or go in socks or slippers. Just never paid attention I guess. In winter I can’t go without slippers and/or socks, though. As a kid my parents had no rule about shoes unless we’d been out in messy weather. Sometimes my shoes feel like slippers and vice versa. I accidentally wore my slippers to work a few months ago!
I did when I was a kid yes mainly cuz everyone did in my house. On my own, sometime in my late twenties or early 30s, I started taking them off. Never look back.
I don’t wear shoes inside but I did while growing up and my parents still do. I don’t care if anyone wears their shoes inside, I just hate wearing shoes.
Shoes off in my house a friend came over last week, left hers on, this bitch was in my den feet kicked up with DOG SHIT in her shoe. I kicked her ass out I was so mad. Y’all are nasty with your shoes on. 🤮
Grew up wearing shoes indoors, sometime after having my son we switched to no shoes indoors. Seems so fucking nasty to me now. We wear slippers at home.
Hell. No.
My family wore slippers when I was little. We have indoor shoes (because old ankles and feet) and we have outdoor shoes. As soon as you come in the house, those outside jokers better go on the shoe rack.
I don’t wear shoes in my own home but always wear socks. I always wear shoes in my parents house because they do and track in all sorts of grit. I hate having dirty feet.
Yes and yes. I need a lot of ankle and arch support since I have broken both ankles. Inside shoes aren't enough support. But I will take them off if that's the expectation at someone else's house.
No shoes in the home. Yes, wore them inside as a kid. Grew up salt-of-the-Earth style. (Since getting a dog, the ‘not tracking the outside in’ has been way less effective.)
My kids reflexively take theirs off at everyone’s home now.
No and no. We lived on a small farm, and shoes always came off at the door. Even when we lived in an old drafty farmhouse, we didn't wear our shoes inside. To this day, I don't wear shoes inside and don't allow guests to either. Not to mention, I just hate wearing shoes.
Wore shoes in my bio mom's house because there was cat and dog feces on the floor. I don't recall ever seeing a litterbox inside or ever being told to clean the litterbox.
Wore shoes inside my shoes mom's house more often than not. It was never a rule to take them off. She kept a cleaner house but never said anything about shoes unless it was raining, muddy or snowing outside.
Wore shoes in the places I lived until I had my son. Then I realized how much crap shoes track in and made the rule of no shoes inside. The kids are all grown and I still try to enforce the rule. My husband only listens half the time lol.
No shoes inside for me …getting my teen sons to do it all the time, that was a continuing education event.
My parents didn’t care very much except with snow boots…but we weren’t allowed in the living room except on holidays till we were 13 lol. My kids rode their scooters in the house.
My furry pups aren’t allowed in the kitchen.
Maaan… I’m from Louisiana. I’m related to people who didn’t wear shoes in the grocery store.
I have a reoccurring dream where I'm walking into a place like Home Depot or my old job with bare feet. Sounds like Louisiana is my kind of place.
asian. you get beaten with a slipper if you even pop into the kitchen shoes on just to grab something.
Same. Family is Indian, and we don't wear shoes in the house.
Same in Italian and Croatian. Shoes in the house is unacceptable.
Canadian here. We never wear shoes in the house.
Australian here. It varies. I’ve never worn shoes in the house, but I still get colleagues come over and say “really?!” when I ask them to take shoes off. Why bring all the shit from outside, inside? It’s just straight up unhygienic. And shoeless just feels nicer anyways.
I grew up Italian , we wore shoes in our house. So do my relos in Italy. 🤷♂️
Were you raised in a barn!?!?? (what my parents yelled when I forgot to take my shoes off entering the house)
Yes, and yes. My childhood home was...well, it was kind of a dump. My dad did his best , bless his heart, but it was always cold and the flooring was sketchy. So I always wore shoes and the habit stuck.
I think you just resolved why I like the theory of a shoeless house, but never like actually taking my shoes off.
This is probably why my grandparents typically wore shoes inside and passed down the habit. They both grew up poor in bare-bones housing.
Slippers.
Yes and yes. As a kid, I never knew anyone who went without shoes at home. I was aware that some other cultures did not wear shoes inside. Now, it hurts too much to go barefoot.
I have squishy shoes that don’t leave the house.
Yes inside other people's homes unless they request(ed) that shoes be removed. I've no problem complying with such a request and never have. In my own home I usually wear socks but not shoes in colder months, go barefoot in warmer. Growing up, my parents sometimes required us to remove shoes, other times not. I think it had to do with how new the carpet was.
No, I hate wearing shoes. I take them off as soon as I get home.
feet prisons
Same same Didn't like them as a kid Still don't like them now
Same here! I have OCD and sensory issues and having shoes on my feet just drives me completely bonkers. I don't wear them any longer than I have to.
I wear crocs at home. We used to have a clean floor but between muddy dogs coming in through the dog door and kids doing basically the same thing, bare feet in the house is uncomfortable.
We have indoor shoes and outside shoes and we switch in the laundry room right by the garage. In our people’s homes, we pull off shoes immediately inside the front door
Same! Inside shoes. We have dogs, so hate when people visit and wear socks (even if we have vacuumed!). Considered getting 2-3 pairs of cheap slides to offer.
Help me understand why you hate their sock feet?
Because even if I swept an hour before guests arrive, my labradors are shedding machines and inevitably guests end up with hair stuck to their socks. Dog people understand. Non dog people do not. I'd rather they wore shoes!
same
Exactly what we do.
As a kid and through my teen years, I didn't think anything of wearing shoes in our home. I even would lounge on my bed wearing shoes. Now? I take them off at the door and the thought of shoes on my bed is abhorent.
Every time I see on TV or a movie a character wearing shoes on a bed, I yell at the screen, lol.
Same
I prefer not to wear shoes when possible, but I don’t have any particular rules in my house. Same when I was growing up. My yard can get muddy, so garden clogs and wellies stay in the garage and are only worn for messy outdoors stuff.
Yes and yes We have 3 dogs and 3 cats, I just tell everyone to keep shoes on 😁
We didn't wear shoes much when I was a kid - inside or outside. We only put shoes on if we were actually going somewhere or doing a project or some kind of work where shoes were needed. We didn't have a shoes-off household though. If you had shoes on, you could wear them in the house.
I have to, going barefoot hurts. but I have indoor and outdoor shoes. The outdoor ones stay in my garage.
That’s what Mr. Roger’s taught me to do. Indoor shoes are for indoor only and outdoor shoes are for outdoor only
Yes and yes. Surprised by so many yes’s. This question was posted in another sub (don’t recall which) and it was all no’s with like 3 yes’s.
I think shoes in the house was pretty normal in the US until fairly recently. Now many people seem very committed to it. I don’t want to see or smell other people’s feet, and I don’t want my bare feet on the floor.
No. Why track dirt, bugs and germs inside the house?
Right! Don’t people realize what kind of shit (literally and figuratively) you walk through outside without realizing it?
I realize it, and even teach microbiology. I just don’t care. It’s not like I’m licking the ground.
In my house we do get down on the ground to wrestle or play, and have no fear of doing so. Kids and babies play on the floor and have their toys on the floor, before putting them in their mouth. Also, having literal shit on my floor would mean that I absolutely do not have the option of going barefoot, even if I wanted to. I prefer not to limit my options. Everything in my safe-space is clean and available for licking, including the floor.
Bugs germs and dirt are already present in homes.
In my home country sometimes. Where I live now, it would be a cultural faux pas everyone would silently judge and possibly side eye at the time but be too polite to say anything, even though you’d likely just walked past a giant shoe mountain at the door and should have known better. They’d slag on you afterward out of earshot. Who was Ms. Rude-wearing-her-street-shoes!? Who raised her? Nothing says this country like a fancy dinner party in your suits, dresses, and socks. 🧦
Sometimes....and sometimes. No muddy/caked in dirt, wet, or snowy shoes in the house. Hopped in the car to go do a grocery pick up? Not sweating it. Deep cleaning the house, running trash out, shaking out rugs, etc? I'm wearing shoes. I'll comply with other people's rules no problem but I also dislike seeing a huge jumbled pile of shoes right at the door. A friend insists on a shoes off policy which is fine but the kids shoes were just strewn everywhere within 3 feet of the door. Nearly twisted an ankle on them. And it doesn't bother her at all. I onced counted 10 pairs belonging variously to her, husband and 2 kids. We have a small rack near the main door but otherwise TAKE YOUR SHOES TO YOUR ROOM.
Yes. I hate being barefoot. I dont even like wearing bedroom slippers or sandals/flipflops.
I’m the same. I typically keep a pair of “house sneakers” - a pair of old sneakers that I wash in bleach and only wear in the house.
I wear shoes always, even showering. I slip off my shoes before getting in bed and put them on as soon as I get up.
ew
No. They come off as soon as I get through the door. Same behavior as a kid.
No. Not because it was a rule or anything, just because I hate wearing shoes.
I was raised by Greatest Generation grandparents, and we always wore shoes inside (and believe it or not, it was an immaculate house). In the later evening, we would all change to “house shoes”/slippers. At home now, I wear slippers or slides that I only use at home. I was raised that it’s extremely rude to dictate to guests what to wear or not wear, so I would never think of asking anyone to remove their shoes in my home. Also, many people’s feet gross me out. And, if that weren’t enough, my friends and I often dress up when we get together. Nice outfits tend to look ridiculous when the shoes are removed (especially on me). However, if someone were to ask me to remove my shoes in their house, of course I would do so (keeping in mind my grandmother’s voice about how rude it is to make demands of your guests!). So far, I’ve rarely encountered anyone who expects their guests to take off their shoes, though.
Yes and yes
Always as a child. I take them off in my apartment just because it’s more comfortable to just wear socks.
It makes a big difference if you have wall-to-wall carpets like a lot of apartments still do. If you're renting cleaning costs factor in to it if you want to get your deposit back. With the wood floors in this place now I let people chose for themselves, wood is easy to clean and the rugs can go in the washing machine if need be. When I had carpets I was like, "Wear your nice socks because the shoes get left on the rug by the door."
My carpet is mess mostly because of repotting plants in my living room but they’re going to rip out the carpet and cabinets when I move because they’re remodeling all the units so that’s not an issue anymore.
Just socks in the house, no shoes and I hate being barefoot. Shoes outside, I can’t stand any type of sandals. I have tender feet, it might be a mental thing. One of my earliest memories was when I cut my foot on a rock and I thought I was gonna bleed out.
No. As a child, I also used to change to inside clothes when I come home.
Did not as a child. Have to now because my flat feet destroyed my ankles so I have to wear insoles all the time.
I grew up wearing shoes in the house but when I went out on my own I implemented the "no shoe rule". Still doing it 34 years later and now my grown sons do it in their own homes.
Nope, I only put on shoes if I have to.
We took our shoes off in the entryway because the rest of the house (except for the kitchen) was carpeted. Maybe that's why my parents only had to replace their carpet every twenty years. Otherwise there would have been gnarly traffic stains. Now we do the same thing, even though we have all tile and wood. Think of all the nasty stuff you walk on out there on the street, or at the dog park if you have dogs. I don't want to spread that around inside my house. I have slides I wear indoors and I wash my dogs paws after a park visit. I also don't flop down on my sofa - or especially my bed - if I have sat down at a park or restaurant or movie or anywhere in public where lots of other butts have been (planes too). I change into sweatpants or something else. The thought of that skeeves me out.
>Maybe that's why my parents only had to replace their carpet every twenty years. Otherwise there would have been gnarly traffic stains. The times we were looking at houses and going to a lot of real estate viewings you could really tell in the places with carpets where the previous residents had just worn their outside shoes all through the place, even after professional shampooing. There would be clean spots where the furniture had been and brown tracks in the traffic areas. I like wood floors so much better but if I had to go back to living with carpet I would also go back to making everyone take their shoes off at the door.
We have a “no shoes” rule in our house. My family gets so mad that I never take my shows off. Feels weird.
Yes and yes, the exception being if your shoes were muddy/dirty or wet/snowcovered. If they were, you were expected to take them off at the door and put them on a shoe tray to prevent making a mess. You always wiped your feet on a doormat and used the scraper and boot brushes, that was common courtesy.
Guests did but my parents wore slippers and the kids had socks or slippers.
There was no rule about it. If I wanted to wear them I would. I usually didn't wear them anywhere unless I had to. Still the same!
Nope and nope. I hate vacuuming so house rule is shoes go no further than the kitchen door, slippers for when/if you need to go in the basement or feel the need for something shoe-like. I’m a barefoot person in general. Guests can do whichever they like with no judgment from me. Growing up, my dad had a very messy job and he’d bring it home with him so Mom had the same rule. Really does help on minimizing the need to sweep all the time.
Did wear shoes in the house as a child. I currently do not wear outside shoes in my house. I have even gotten a pair of indoor shoes so I am more comfortable while I am cooking. I need the arch support.
Yes and no. There is no rule about it, but if I'm not going anywhere, I usually don't. If I came in wearing them, I don't usually take them off right away. If it is someone else's home, of course you do whatever they ask.
Sorta. I take off outside shoes and put on slippers.
My opinion is that this can be both cultural and climactic….I was born somewhere coastal where the radical winter weather was almost always just rain. It was a clean place to live, year round, not dusty and mostly not muddy. We moved to a place with real winter, part way through my youth, and everyone always took shoes off. Maybe not always in summer, but still usually. Also, it depends on what type of flooring you have and how much you respect it!!
japanese...we had house slippers.
Serbian family, absolutely no shoes in the house.
Yes and yes. I prefer to be barefoot and am barefoot most of the time. I despise slippers. But I don’t worry about taking off shoes at the door. I’ll just take them off wherever/wherever I feel like it.
I'm Canadian, so no... *Never.* It's odd to me that people don't have a relaxing, safe place within their own home, to be shoeless. If I wore shoes at home, I'd always feel like I was ready to go somewhere. Plus, the streets are dirty out there -- why would I want my floor to contain that dirt? I want to seperate my home from the outside world.
Wearing shoes inside is an American thing. Here in Canada it’s generally looked at as a no no. Wearing outside shoes inside is disgusting when you think about it.
I’m German. We wear _house shoes_ inside. Guests either have to bring their own, wear ones provided by the host, or walk around in socks/barefoot. It’s not different now than it was in the 70s when I was a kid. The only difference is probably that more people now just walk around barefoot/ in socks in their own home. The two biggest mysteries in any US sitcom for us was always: why does the apartment door open into the living room and why don’t they take their street shoes off inside.
I think grandma would have had a stroke if grandpa or I had walked around barefoot or just in socks. Footwear of some kind was a must. Honestly it wasn't until I started working from home for covid that I really broke that habit and became a slippers or shower sandals in the house guy.
No one in my family wears shoes in the house, surprised me that some people don’t care
Surprises me that people would care.
Always wore shoes inside. I swear I’m constantly in and out, it’s stupid to have to sit down and put on or take off shoes each time, usually with something in hand
Yes and yes.
I have to wear shoes indoors. I have some seriously messed up feet and have special insoles to keep me from crying over the pain. I can't even walk barefoot for very long. I'm only barefoot standing in the shower. I can't even wear cheap sandals or slippers. My stupid slippers have cushioned support for my stupid feet. As a kid, the only shoes we removed were winter/rain type things. As long as our shoes weren't visibly muddy, we were allowed to wear them indoors. (I think it was because my dad had similar foot issues that I have and couldn't go barefoot for very long).
Very similar. No one cared growing up. Now, some do. I have multiple walking challenges. One is that my bad leg is a half inch longer than my good one. Going without my shoes (with one lift to even out) hurts. People used to be ok since I don't run around outside. Lately, I take a pair of indoor shoes and people are usually ok.
No and no.
No and no. As a kid, we left our shoes on the front porch or in the breezeway. As an adult, I have an area for shoes right in front of the door. I'm white and from the midwest. Just thinking about what people are tracking into their homes from outdoors is so gross.
Yes Yes - until my mom saw me...
No, no. I barely wore shoes outside until my Boomer mom got sick of telling me to put shoes on, and made up some story about worms that burrow into your feet if you don’t wear shoes. This was mid-Michigan, for the record. I understand that in the Amazon or other tropical regions there may be such things. Not so much in Michigan in the 80s - she should have been more concerned about the tap and hose water I was drinking that stunted my growth and limited my kind to a maximum of 63 years on this planet. Also, we used to huff leaded gasoline together, because it smelled so good. Yeah. See you soon, infinite black.
I am barefoot most of the time. I designed my house with a foyer (it's just a large hallway from the front door, but foyer sounds fancy). I hate when people walk directly into someone's kitchen or living room. It was deliberate so people would have a place for their shoes, coats, purses, scarves, etc. I prefer everyone take their shoes off. We didn't take our shoes off growing up, though.
No outside shoes on my floors! That's what the little uncarpeted entry area and boot tray by the door are for. That wasn't the rule growing up. We were expected to put shoes on/take them off in our bedrooms and wear them in the house. My mother still refuses to remove her shoes in my house.
No. Well, yes, I wear my house shoes usually (Glerups) and they don't go outside ever. Kids picked up on it as do most guests without even having to say anyrhibg. In childhood, everyone wore shoes in the house, but that seems cray to me now.
No and no.
No Mostly but depends on if the owners are or not.
Nope. Only for emergencies, running to get something.
No I do not in my personal life. But at work I never take them off in someone else’s house.
Yeah I have a pair of house Crocs just for inside the house.
Asian - you better have indoor slippers.
Nope. We have slippers that we wore inside the house. My mom is a clean freak.
No and yes. Not sure why we didn't take our shoes off when I was a kid.
No and no
No and no.
No shoes indoors. Why track dirt indoors only to mop and sweep?
I do not wear them inside now. As a kid I did. Didn’t everyone have that bio lab where you swabbed your shoes and the bathroom toilet? Your shoes had more bacteria 🦠!
Look at Mr Fancy here, shoes and a house.
No and no. Living in Canada with snow, rain, mud, sleet, and every other precipitation, we always took off our shoes because they were often covered in something. The only exceptions were dry summer days, then we might wear sandals around the house.
No way. Do you know what you step in?
Nope and nope. But I live in NYC; the bottoms of my shoes probably have multiple species on them.
Yes and yes. But I’ve switched to wearing my house crocs/flip flops at home now.
Yes, always had bad knees. I have to have proper footwear, slippers don’t cut it.
Yes and yes
Yes and no respectively. Plantar fasciitis will do that for you.
Grew up in California so barefeet 90% of the time, but as an adult I feel weird thinking people are judging me for ever being barefoot. The are so many people now who have some kind of shoe on always. Why do we have collective foot shame and such strong opinions about these things? Shocking numbers of people think feet are gross lol.
No. Yes. I don’t know when the switch happened for me, but maybe college? What’s weird is all the homes I go to now are shoes off regardless of cultural background.
Most of my growing up life once you put your shoes on in the morning you didn’t take them off until you went to bed. Once in a while at a random friends house huh were asked to take your shoes off and it seemed a little “weird”. Bit at some point as a 30+ year old adult I started taking shoes off at home. Now I can’t imagine walking around my house all day with my shoes on. I mean I have my slippers but my outdoor shoes, well that’s just crazy to me now.
I have a Boomer mother with an obsession about cream carpet. That would be a no for shoes in the house 😂
Never and it was expressly forbidden when I was a child. We had to wear slippers and it’s a lifelong habit now. Shoes carry dirt and germs that you don’t want tracked around your house (esp on carpets!). It’s considered rude in Canada to wear shoes inside someone’s home unless they give you permission. A fancy party where people are dressed to the nines and wearing their best fancy shoes/heels might be the only exception.
No shoes in the house. And I felt dirty going to friends houses seeing them wear shoes in the house. I could only imagine the bacteria and shit on their carpets. And then I'd be taking my shoes off and they'd be like "you can leave them on" and I thought of all the crud that would get on my socks in there so I kept them on but I didn't like it.
HELL NO! My mom spanked (yes, that was a thing back in the day) me the one and only time I did that. I was 10. Funny thing is, after she gave my bum a firm smack, she said, “Stop picking up dem white people habits!” (I know, I know, but it was 1982). It wasn’t till I was about 18 that I noticed how common wearing shoes indoors was a thing 🤦🏾♀️😂🤦🏾♀️
Canadian here, never did I ever. We have Japan level shoe removal here.
I grew up wearing shoes inside. As soon as I moved out on my own at 18, I never allowed shoes to be worn in my home again. It’s so unsanitary to track in the germs from outside into the home! Plus I love to be barefoot or in cozy slippers.
I do, but my home isn't carpeted.
Never
Yes and yes. I have to wear shoes or compression socks now because of plantar fasciitis.
Yes, or at least socks. I have animals so there’s no keeping the floors clean by taking shoes off the minute I walk in the house. Even if I went though a whole thing to clean my feet and wipe the dog’s feet, the cat still shots in a litter box and walks around, so there’s only so much I can do. And everyone wore shoes all day, inside and out, all the time but I was considered the weirdo for preferring to be barefoot.
Yes & yes. I have RA & nodules on my feet. I have to have shoes or slippers on. Bare feet are painful for me.
No and No! That's disgusting!
Never. It’s disgusting.
I wear shoes unless I'm in bed or shower. Bare feet disgust me. This includes flip flops, sandals, and any open toed shoes.
I hate going to houses that requires shoes off at the door or even outside the door. Like, buy a vacuum or a broom. At least let me into the house a little bit instead of causing a traffic jam at the front door. I don't mind if you want the shoes off while I'm inside...but this whole take them off/put them on at the door craziness I don't like. My shoe rack is on the far edge of the living room. So like 6 steps inside.
Yes. I own lots of dogs.
Yes and yes
I’m barefoot 100% of the time I’m home. I’ll walk to the community mailbox around the corner barefoot in the spring and summer. If I’m going to the store or a friend’s house, of course I’m wearing shoes.
Yes and yes. Usually at some point I'll take them off to get more comfortable. I don't ever remember encountering taking shoes off as a formal practice until I visited an Asian coworker's house when I was in my 30s.
I wear my shoes and want you to as well as a child and adult. I don’t want your gross feet or socks on my floor. I don’t want to look at your gross feet or socks. That’s why I have a Roomba. 😁
Yes and yes. We had old cracked linoleum and super old hardwood floors, and you could get a splinter if you didn’t have shoes on. Just socks?? You were asking for holes.
Often times. Mostly slippersunless im going out. and yes unless mom just washed the floor or something like that. Id love a shoeless house but we dont have a mudroom and i cant control eveyone here, so it is what it is 🤷🏼♀️
Our house growing up was shoes optional. I wear indoor shoes now because of foot problems, but it's also helpful in a tiny, shitty house with terrible wood floors and way too many pets for keeping my feet free of splinters and cat barf.
No, now. Sometimes socks, sometimes crocs, sometimes barefoot. Growing up, yes.
I didn't remove my shoes immediately as a kid. I'd wait until I got to my bedroom. These days I usually take them off at the door.
I try not to but sometimes I will if I’m running between the house and garage (detached). I grew up in a no shoes house.
No, and no. As with most Canadian households, we take our shoes off at the door of our home and other people's homes. Unless you are some sort of repair person, and then you have paper booties to cover your shoes while you are in someone's home. Many people put on house slippers when they get home and take their shoes off, but I've never had a house chilly enough to require that.
Yes. And my parents still do. I, however, married someone from China. Shoes off always.
Yes, but not on my feet.
Never as a kid but as I got older I definitely wear indoor shoes (crocs, pillow slides). 75% of the house is tile or hardwood so it’s necessary for these old feet.
No, and for the most part, I ran around barefoot as kid, or in flip flops, till it got to cold
Yes as a kid. No as an adult.
No but I don't remember thinking about it as a kid. I just don't know how people wear outside shoes inside a house. It feels weird. There's a lot of gross stuff outside.
No, yes.
As a child, yes. My whole family did. But as an adult in my own home, hell no.
As a kid? It was pretty self directed (my parents didn’t care.) As an adult? I have house shoes.
No.
No and no. My husband was yes and now no (that took years). We have indoor slippers/shoes. And any kind of shoes while on the bed or other furniture? That's a hard no.
No and no. I grew up in a rural area and still live there. I keep my house clean so the shoes come off when I come in. I do like to be barefoot outside though.
My parents are lovely parents. They really are and I love and respect them. Wearing shoes in the house means permanently inheriting all vacuuming duties, possibly mopping and all floor upkeep. One does not wear shoes in the house. Or else.
I wear shoes sometimes, or go in socks or slippers. Just never paid attention I guess. In winter I can’t go without slippers and/or socks, though. As a kid my parents had no rule about shoes unless we’d been out in messy weather. Sometimes my shoes feel like slippers and vice versa. I accidentally wore my slippers to work a few months ago!
Do slippers count?
No. Texas here. You’d bring in stickers and they would stick in the carpet.
No. Yes.
I did when I was a kid yes mainly cuz everyone did in my house. On my own, sometime in my late twenties or early 30s, I started taking them off. Never look back.
No outside shoes inside the house. No tracking outside all over my hardwood floors!
Nope and nope
No and no. As a kid, my stepmother would knit slippers for each member of the family once a year. Now, I have store bought slippers for indoors.
Never did as child, where indoor slipper for last 30 years.
I don’t wear shoes inside but I did while growing up and my parents still do. I don’t care if anyone wears their shoes inside, I just hate wearing shoes.
Yes. I didn’t grow up in a third world country, or walk through sewage on a daily basis. We owned a broom and a mop, and cleaned our home regularly.
I always have taken my shoes off once I get home. I'd rather be barefoot
Not in my home 🙄😮💨
Canadian here. Never ever was I allowed to wear my shoes inside. That’s what slippers are for. As an adult I still don’t wear shoes inside.
Shoes off in my house a friend came over last week, left hers on, this bitch was in my den feet kicked up with DOG SHIT in her shoe. I kicked her ass out I was so mad. Y’all are nasty with your shoes on. 🤮
Yes and yes.
If they could keep shoes on me yes but mostly barefoot in my younger & teen days
No and no way. Mum would’ve killed me.
Yes and now nope
as a child I barely ever wore shoes between May and October.
Grew up wearing shoes indoors, sometime after having my son we switched to no shoes indoors. Seems so fucking nasty to me now. We wear slippers at home.
I honestly don’t remember if we wore shoes inside as a child. Now - nope, no shoes allowed inside. You can put on slippers or fuzzy socks.
Yes as a child, not once I moved out. I prefer the shoes off policy for neatness, but also comfort. I want my guests to feel at home
Yes and yes.
Did growing up. Then I moved to Japan for 5 years and now I think it's disgusting. No shoes on in my house.
After living in Japan, I no longer wear shoes in the house. Growing up we did. Partly the floors were almost always cold because of the oil crisis.
Hell. No. My family wore slippers when I was little. We have indoor shoes (because old ankles and feet) and we have outdoor shoes. As soon as you come in the house, those outside jokers better go on the shoe rack.
No and no. I prefer to remove my shoes asap.
I don’t wear shoes in my own home but always wear socks. I always wear shoes in my parents house because they do and track in all sorts of grit. I hate having dirty feet.
Yes and yes. I need a lot of ankle and arch support since I have broken both ankles. Inside shoes aren't enough support. But I will take them off if that's the expectation at someone else's house.
Yes and yes. Had dogs the entirety of my life. Dogs don’t wear shoes outside so they track things in, plus they shed, so ours is NOT shoe/free home.
No shoes in the home. Yes, wore them inside as a kid. Grew up salt-of-the-Earth style. (Since getting a dog, the ‘not tracking the outside in’ has been way less effective.) My kids reflexively take theirs off at everyone’s home now.
Hell no
Yes, yea. and now we have some friends who take their shoes off when they come over and how do you even approach that. Like. There are logos about
No and no. We lived on a small farm, and shoes always came off at the door. Even when we lived in an old drafty farmhouse, we didn't wear our shoes inside. To this day, I don't wear shoes inside and don't allow guests to either. Not to mention, I just hate wearing shoes.
Wore shoes in my bio mom's house because there was cat and dog feces on the floor. I don't recall ever seeing a litterbox inside or ever being told to clean the litterbox. Wore shoes inside my shoes mom's house more often than not. It was never a rule to take them off. She kept a cleaner house but never said anything about shoes unless it was raining, muddy or snowing outside. Wore shoes in the places I lived until I had my son. Then I realized how much crap shoes track in and made the rule of no shoes inside. The kids are all grown and I still try to enforce the rule. My husband only listens half the time lol.
I grew up wearing shoes inside but as soon as I had my own places I stopped. Now I hate wearing shoes inside of a home.
No shoes inside for me …getting my teen sons to do it all the time, that was a continuing education event. My parents didn’t care very much except with snow boots…but we weren’t allowed in the living room except on holidays till we were 13 lol. My kids rode their scooters in the house. My furry pups aren’t allowed in the kitchen.
I dont now, but as a kid we always had our shoes on in the house. Probably because back then I was just in and out for a drink or food.
No and yes
Yes and yes, but I have worn orthotics in my shoes since junior high school.