Every household has its own rules about shoes in the house. Some people post signs right at the front door: “Kindly Remove Your Shoes,” other people want the more “lived-in” approach–where anything goes. We take our shoes off about 75% of the time. I stumbled across an article on Treehugger about why taking your shoes off might actually be healthier for everyone, though, and now I may try to squeeze a little more bare feet out of that remaining 25%.
Treehugger offered six great reasons to take off those shoes: Bacteria, toxins, dirt, wear and tear, neighbors {if you are in an apartment}, and comfort/health. Shoes protect our feet from the outside world, no doubt. They also provide a nice little barrier between your bare feet, and say the guy who spit in the parking lot as he was leaving the store {also, if that is you, please stop. It’s gross.}. All of that bacteria that comes from you-don’t-probably-want-to-know where can end up on the bottom of your shoe. Leaving your shoes off means it doesn’t come in to rest on your carpet. They same goes for potential toxins. You may unknowingly stroll through the park after they’ve fertilized, and then bring those chemicals indoors. Overall, the article totally convinced me that it’s probably way cleaner to take them off.
Then, I found an article that gave quite a few great reasons as to why going barefoot is better for your overall health: increased balance, foot strength, and circulation to name a few. While I am not going on a barefoot walk anytime soon, I could put in some barefoot time in my own living room. I’ll reap the health benefits and hopefully not have to clean as much? Yes, please.
While I am never going to convince the boys to take their shoes off 100% of the time, I like the idea of going shoe-less most of the time. How about you, what’s the shoe policy at your house?
~Mavis
Randi says
Mavis- Once again, you are spot on! After spending the better part of yesterday steam cleaning my carpets (with my new carpet cleaner via an Amazon deal) i pondered the ‘no-shoes’ policy. I mentioned it to HH, who replied that I’ve never mentioned it and that he’d be on board. I am thinking of a new rule for the house. I’m the one who vacuums, steam cleans, sweeps and mops so i get to make this new shoe-free rule. I’ve pondered it long and hard before and have been stumped with a shoe storage solution for the collection of shoes. We do not have a mud room or much of an entry way so have struggled with a convenient but effective shoe storage solution.
Ashley says
I have a fake leather storage bench by my door. I don’t know how much space you have, but you can find small/medium sized storage benches that look nice, store shoes, and are good to sit on while you lace up.
Cindy says
I wish I had room for a bench, but I don’t so I keep my shoes in a basket near the back door. Beats a messy pile!
Kirsten G. says
We take our shoes off in the house. Growing up I was taught that taking your shoes off was what you do. I’ve taught my kids the same. They actually prefer to walk around barefoot all year round.
Joy says
We are definitely a “No-shoe” household. My dad has owned a carpet cleaning business for 40 years and says 80% of the dirt in our homes comes from our shoes! I could never handle the thought of walking into a disgusting public restroom and then tracking whatever was on my shoes onto my carpets where my babies crawled! Yuck!
Lisa says
I could have sworn this has come up in the not too distant past, but I can’t seem to find it. In that case people were all over the no shoes inside (maybe I saw it on a different site). Then there was the Do you let the dogs on the furniture debate, with most people letting their dogs on the furniture. I wonder how many of the no shoes people let dogs on the furniture. Knowing my dogs, I know they’ve gotten into some nasty stuff and I only wipe their feet when they’re obviously muddy. I can only imagine what they’ve dragged into the house. I know I’ve seen paw prints in piles of poop before it gets cleaned up. Overall, we’re a pretty healthy bunch. We have no rules regarding shoes inside the house.
Mary West says
I always wear shoes in my house because I have 5 (as of last week 4) dogs. First of all, they track in more dirt than my husband and I ever could. If it’s raining, they feel they have the right to forget they are house broken. Try stepping in a pee puddle with bare feet – YUCK! Also we have discovered that basset hound hair can get stuck in your feet like a splinter and hurts just as much. So shoes are on. We have no carpet and I’m best friends with my sponge mop.
Cheryl says
“If it’s raining, (snowing, windy, chilly) they feel they have the right to forget they are house broken.”
Ashley says
It’s just automatic for us all to take our shoes off on the front rug. I would feel very strange walking in my house with shoes on. That said, I never ask guests to take theirs off, but they do 99% off the time anyhow. And if they don’t, I assume that maybe they have a stinky feet problem and we’re better off with them keeping them on, lol. I’m in Wisconsin though, so half the year our shoes are caked with snow or mud, so most wouldn’t dream of walking past the rug with their shoes on.
Jen Y says
I take my shoes off as soon as I walk in the door and sometimes in the car on the way home.
I grew up in southern West Virginia & never wore shoes at home. Some of my favorite memories are running barefoot on carpets of moss in our woods & walking through the squishy muddy puddles in the dirt road after a rain. I used to embarrass my husband (then boyfriend) in college because I took my shoes off almost as soon as I sat down no matter where I was – the library, church, class…I have a little more respect for other people’s opinions now but I still WANT to that. And really, most summer shoes are nothing more than a strip of leather holding it on over your toe anyway.
So obviously, we are a no shoe house & hopefully eventually we’ll be a no carpet house as well. I do tend to wear socks more as I’ve aged but for the most part my feet are bare.
Deborah from FL says
When I saw the topic I cringed. This is a sensitive topic for me.
First let me say I agree 100% about the shoe-free home being so much cleaner. And as a cat owner, the thought of them laying around on the floor that has Heaven-knows-what on it makes me kind of nauseous.
My problem is this: because I have one leg shorter than the other, I wear a lift in one shoe. Furthermore, limping around without the shoe on puts stress on my spine, which is deteriorating. I don’t have a choice. So this leaves me with Plan B: determining the best way to remove the ick and toxins and whatnot as effectively as possible from the bottom of my shoes. A basic door mat just doesn’t seem to address the microscopic stuff. I mean, it might. I just don’t know.
Anyone out there know anything about such a mat?
Last thought, when I visit people with the no-shoes policy, they have always been completely understanding about my predicament, but I still feel really awful schlepping my shoe-ickies around their house, knowing they’ll have to clean up behind me. Pity-party over. Thank you for attending. 😛
Lisa Millar says
I am sure real friends don’t think twice about what’s on your shoes and would be more interested in your comfort! (and company!)
We are a mostly no shoes inside household, but I am not bothered if people choose to leave them on. The house has to be cleaned at some point anyway! 🙂
If it really bothers you is it too expensive or difficult to have a pair of shoes with you that are strictly ‘indoor’ shoes? I have indoor shoes/slippers I sometimes take with me, but maybe that’s more tricky with the special kind you need!
Deborah from FL says
You’re very kind Lisa.
Having a second pair (or better yet 3rd!) pair is a great idea. However, it is cost-prohibitive for me. Besides the lift in one, I require diabetic shoes. My insurance pays for one pair of specially designed shoes per year, and I’m grateful for that. 🙂
Lisa Millar says
I suspected they may be hugely expensive – anything custom made (esp medical) usually is!
I guess there is always those disposable blue shoe covers (like when you go in for an op) but unless you have been tromping about in the mud, people probably think upon it much less than you do! 😀
Deborah from FL says
I hadn’t thought about shoe covers! They’d be easy enough to carry in my purse if I have any concerns about where my shoes have been. 😛
Brilliant! Thanks again Lisa! 🙂
Lisa Millar says
😀 Welcome! On the odd occasions my brain comes up with something useful! lol
Monica says
I ALWAYS have my shoes on in the house, unless I’m in the bed or lounging on the couch (with my feet on it). My husband always takes his shoes off, once he is upstairs (or where he will be for the majority of the rest of the night). My mom always wore her shoes in the house, so I was, in a sense, taught to always have them on. I feel much more productive wearing them as well. There are germs every where, and we are overall healthy, so I guess we will just continue our routine! 🙂
erin says
We leave our shoes in the garage. It’s a natural habit for everyone in our house and we always take shoes off when visiting someone. When my son started preschool it was the first time he spent any time away from home during the day and at the classroom door he took off his shoes and walked right in.
Ellen in Clackamas says
I am like Mary West. I have 2 big dogs and figure with all the stuff they are tracking in I am safer to leave my shoes on!!! I must say though when I am working in the garden I have clogs and do slip them off before coming in the house (If I SEE tracks that is a whole nother thing!!). I do however have a pair of slip on shoes to exchange them for at the back door.
Nichole says
I grew up with a no shoes in the house rule, my hubby grew up the with the opposite. Since I’m the one who takes care of the house, I WIN. I also taught pre-school for 11 years so I know what I stepped in every day (juice, crumbs, dropped lunch meat residue and of course pee-pee- the male race just splashes!). My son and I are so trained in taking our shoes off that we take them off at other peoples houses as well.
Amanda says
We are a shoes on kinda house. We live on a large cattle/crops farming operation and there is never enough time to take our shoes on and off at the door. I have so wished that we took our shoes off at the door but its never worked. A girl can dream 🙂
Earlene says
We leave shoes on. My husband grew up in a house with white carpet, the plastic slip covers on the couch and chairs. He hated it, so leave them or take the off I don’t care, there’s so much more to worry about than that!
Jeanie says
Exactly how I feel. My parents have a firm no shoes rule and it always bothered my husband who’s parents had no such rule. It created quite a rift and he didn’t ever feel comfortable at their home. He just felt funny taking off his shoes and walking around in socks. He takes his shoes off when he is done for the day but not really when he will be going in and out like on a weekend. I could care less and rarely wear my shoes inside but only because I am either working in the yard and they are muddy/wet or I’m in flip flops.
Jane says
Our rule is that kids have to take their shoes off ALWAYS but grown-ups can leave theirs on if they prefer (we trust most of them know if their shoes are filthy or not). Kids, not so much.
bobbi dougherty says
I take my shoes off outside and I WISH my family would. They do NOT know how to wipe their feet and we live in the woods and have lots of sand around here so it makes its way in also. *sigh* I think the first of the year, I will add this to the household rules, lol. Maybe find a nice little box and line it with those rocks, like on Pinterest. 🙂 Well, hopefully anyway.
Ramona says
I always wipe my feet on the doormats and take my shoes off inside the door of our house. I even have the habit of wiping my feet whenever there is a rug outside any door weather it is someones house or a store. My Dad was always saying wipe your feet, wash your hands so I always do to this day.
On the other hand my husband doesn’t take his shoes off and hardly wipes his feet. I also go barefoot inside the house and when my husband drags goathead seeds in on his shoes and you step on one it makes you wish you had left your shoes on.
Gail says
We wear shoes inside but not our outside work/garden shoes. I have a foot problem and have been told by my doctor to always wear shoes with good support and never go barefoot. I also have very cold feet in the winter. This is only a problem when we visit family for extended visits who have a no-shoes policy. They live several states away so we don’t visit often but when we do I buy a pair of new shoes that I wear only inside their house. After we leave I can convert them to indoor/outdoor.
Lisa Millar says
I lived in Japan for many years and not wearing shoes inside just became a habit I am comfortable with.
We have garden shoes/boots that get left at the back door (I can’t tell you how much I don’t want chook poo in our house!!), while all other shoes come in as far as the sunroom.
I love being barefoot both inside and out, but I have Ugg boots (sheepskin) for winter and knitted slipper socks to wear inside for the not so cold months.
Its not a strict rule – I am not going to unlace my hiking boots to come back into the main part of the house to grab something I forgot and unless people are caked with our beautiful red mud, I don’t require visitors to de-shoe. Whatever makes people comfortable.
I do think mostly not wearing shoes inside helps not track grot inside – which is good as I am not a huge fan of constant housework! 😀
Debi says
We are barefoot people, so we do take our shoes off in the house. We are not so strict with guests, some people just are not comfortable being bare or sock footed in someone else’s home. Above all we want our guests to feel comfortable so it’s up to them whether they take their shoes off.
Sandra says
Shoes on, doctor’s orders, because I have diabetes. An injury to my foot could lead to amputation; I’d prefer to avoid that. I even wear water shoes when I am kayaking or swimming in the lake. (I don’t swim in most pools, as most don’t allow water shoes.) I do take my shoes off in the shower, and have – carefully – gone shoeless in Bhuddist temples.
Kathy says
As a child, I always used to go barefoot as soon as it was warm enough every spring. It was kind of my thing, to be the first one barefoot in our house. Even as a college student, I would often go barefoot to classes when it was warm. About 6 years ago, I developed plantar fasciitis in my foot. Ever since then, I can never go without shoes. In order to keep my foot healthy, I have to wear supportive shoes. In the house, I live in my Birkenstock sandals. BUT I make my boys take their shoes off in the house! They’re boys…dirt is a part of their life! 🙂 I do not make visitors take their shoes off, I guess because I am sensitive to my own need to wear shoes.
Pam says
We always take our shoes off. It’s way more comfortable and keeps the floors cleaner
Lissa says
Always shoes on. Growing up we wore shoes in the house. My husband says it’s his house and he’s wearing his shoes wherever he wants to wear them (he’s not being disrespectful to me– he’s pointing out that he doesn’t care what other people do in their houses). I am happy to take my shoes off in other people’s houses if it is their preference. I never ask people to take their shoes off at my house.
Tracy L. says
SHOES OFF. Shoes come off at the door. We have a bench just inside the front door. I cringe thinking about what we could track into the house. I have bad allergies, and not tracking pollen etc into the house helps. As well as when I clean it’s less pollen & allergens floating around. But having said that, I do have a disabled daughter who also has a leg length discrepancy and a lift on her shoes. So Deborah from FL I totally understand and completely agree with Lisa. We would rather you be comfortable and cleanup after you, then you be uncomfortable. For our daughter she has 2 pairs, inside shoes and outside. But, I’ve taken Clorox wipes to her shoes on many occasions when she hasn’t had 2 pairs. Just a thought.
AlysonRR says
My kids and I all love to be barefoot, but my husband hates it. So we’re a hybrid family, LOL. DH tries to leave inside slippers at the front door, but often forgets so he’ll have to walk through the house to get them before taking off his shoes…
The kids and I, on the other hand, ditch our shoes at the door. I think every pair of shoes we own are there!
Most kids in this area (and many adults) automatically remove their shoes upon entering a home. We don’t fuss either way.
Alex says
We all take our shoes off at the door and so do our guests. There is a bench in our entrance hall where everyone can comfortably sit down and remove their shoes. We all change into our slippers. Consequently our lovely carpets are in pristine condition.
Daniel says
Absolutely a big fan of no shoes in the house!! Pretty much run around in my stocking feet or barefoot. I have outdoor slippers with rubber soles that stop at the threshold where my kitchen lino meets the carpeting that runs throughout the rest of the house. I kick them off right there.
Being the watch dog for others though is another story. Although, everyone knows the house rules. So for that reason, the carpeting is very nice, but not perfect. Some who are not responsible for keeping the place nice, like to bend the rules, or it’s just not on their mind. It’s a tough job being the “take your shoes off” Police. Everyone absolutely benefits from it though, guaranteed.
Daniel
Cheri says
My husband and I grew up before shoes-off became popular. Asking people to remove their shoes was just not done. For those who lived in the house, we just did what we wanted (wiping on the mat when needed, of course). Today we are still a shoes-on-if-you-want-to house, partly because our carpet is so horrible that it doesn’t matter much and partly because we prefer to do what’s comfortable. Most of the time the preference is shoes-off anyway (I always wear slippers).
Visitors often remove their shoes of their own accord when they arrive, but we would never think of asking them to remove their shoes–seems rude to our mind, because of the way we grew up. However, I always obey the shoes-off rule in someone else’s house. Also, if I had a really expensive or white carpet (something I would never choose to install, but if we moved somewhere that already had it) or if someone (anyone) came in with really messy shoes, I would probably request shoe removal at that point.
Dale Ann says
We are a shoes off at the door household.
With the farm and the gardens there are far too many things that stay attached to the bottom of shoes and boots…things I don’t want spread through out the entire house.
Plus…leaving the dirt and grime at the door extends the life of flooring I so carefully selected, which also means money saved over the years by not having to replace nearly as often.
And…I love the feel of letting my feet go free when indoors! When it’s time for extra warmth in winter I break out the wool socks. :0)
Lace Faerie says
I was born and spent my first 7 years in Southern California, I hate wearing shoes. Hate them! I compromise and wear socks inside because my wool rug dry my feet as quite badly, but more often than not, I seem to walk out of them not even realizing I’ve taken them off.
I raised my kids to take their shoes off at the door but HH hates cold feet so as soon as he’s dressed he’s in shoes.
When my in-laws built their new home, they provided a basket of slippers at the door for all the grandkids. I took over an extra pair of my own.
My sister lives in Hawaii where no one would think of wearing your “slippas” inside. My sis has the very boney feet and neuropathy so she must always wear sandals or slippers but always changes shoes at the door and carries an inside pair in the car to use when visiting someone’s home. It’s just respectful.
Cheri R Blomquist says
It’s interesting how differently people think. I don’t think either side is right or wrong ethically-speaking, but I personally don’t think it’s respectful to expect guests to take shoes off in my house and would never make them feel like they should. I just ask them to wipe their feet, if it’s mucky outside. I also don’t like the slippers idea, although it’s better than expecting guests to go around in bare or stocking feet.
In addition, I don’t think it’s respectful to go barefoot in someone else’s house–only in socks. A vacuum/steam cleaner salesman told my husband and I that you should never go barefoot on carpet, because it deposits oils from your skin and harms your carpet. Only wear socks or shoes, he said. I will take my shoes off when it’s clear people want that, out of respect for their views on the matter, and I don’t mind if people automatically take shoes off in my house–but I’ve never thought it a good policy and am always uncomfortable in other people’s homes without my shoes. People are just raised with different ideas, I guess.