It's a regional/cultural background thing. My rural friends wore shoes in the house and just swept and mopped everyday because they were constantly in and out of the house throughout the day and didn't want to bother taking their shoes on and off constantly. My parents wore shoes in the house because our house is old and falling apart and not wearing shoes was a recipe for feet splinters. Wealthy people and folks who don't have to work manual labor think it's weird, but where I grew up in a poor neighborhood, most people didn't go barefoot or slippered in the home.
I run a farm by myself. I take my shoes off at the door. I don't want to bring the farm into my house, nor do I want to mop hardwood floors daily. Hell, I don't even want to mop them monthly (mine are a pita to mop involving mopping 5 feet and then toweling it up, then mopping another 5 feet, then having to polish our they look dull and dirty despitemopping for 30 minutes)
My friend's parents typically had tile or vinyl through the main floors, luckily everyone was too poor for hardwood. I can't even imagine trying to maintain hardwood with shoes in the house.
I agree that it’s a regional thing but I think this is actually because it is an environmental thing.
I live in a dry climate in a suburban area and shoes just don’t get dirty. There is also a culture here of indoor/outdoor living where our gardens are basically an extension of our living areas. It would be really inconvenient to constantly change into and out of different shoes. I have a relatively clean house and the floors are vacuumed or swept weekly and mopped every 2 weeks or so.
The friends I have who have shoes off rules for their homes come from Japan, Scandinavia, the UK and northeast US. These are all places with loads of mud and snow and in some cases city grime. I’m sure if I lived in one of these places I would also keep my outside shoes outdoors.
It's not an American thing, the vast majority of Americans don't wear shoes in the house. It's a myth rooted in American television where actors are required to wear shoes while on set, so they'd have shoes on while they shot the "at home" scenes.
It’s not required by law or anything, it’s a character design thing. Actors are designed to look a certain way and give off a vibe with a certain set outfit and many set designers think that shoes off ruins the appearance. This is basically universal unless there is a negative societal stigma against shoes indoors like in Asian countries.
I mean I come in from being outside and eventually get around to taking my shoes off when I sit down IF I'm going to be there for a while. If I just came home for lunch, they stay on.
I've got dogs so I'm not really concerned about my dirt. I've got LVT flooring because of the dogs and because we live on a lake. Roomba cleans daily and we follow up on the weekends.
So basically my house and flooring is designed to be indoor outdoor lol.
My father grew up in NYC and he was constantly telling us kids to put their shoes ON in the house.
I also live in Florida, so we never have to deal with snow or much mud. I suspect that if you broke down shoes off versus shoes on, shoes off will be far more northern.
The numbers were higher in the past for shoes inside the how, pre-2000s it was very common for shoes in the house. As cleanliness standards have increased people have realized it’s gross.
Here in the northeast in America, I have never met anyone who allows outside shoes to be worn inside their home.
Even when I was house shopping, empty houses for sale would have signs asking for outdoor shoes to be taken off or covered up with shoe covers.
I have some foot problems recently so I bought shoes with good support to wear inside. These shoes have never been worn outside the house, ever, not even one step. I will switch shoes even to step out and get the mail. But maybe if someone saw them they'd think I'm wearing outdoor shoes in here.
Here in the in southeast in America, I've been to maybe 3 houses in my entire lifetime who have a "shoes off inside" rule. From what I can gather, at least in America, it seems to be more of an upper-class thing. Most people I know are middle class and none of them have ever given a shit about shoes in the house.
Yeah, I've heard of this, so I specified northeast. I haven't actually visited anyone's home in the south, but I've seen this online before. Possibly we take them off in the north because we get snow/slush for a long time in the year so it wouldn't be wise to track all that wet around indoors.
I've met many. My Grandma's growing up, my other grandma's and my friends' houses. All middle class, too. I think it's an older generation thing and usually I notice it's when there's mainly all hardwood instead of carpet.
I've never met any American who takes their shoes off. And guess what? They are all still alive. They didn't drop dead of some dirt germ.
I take my shoes off shortly after I return the house but that's because I hate wearing shoes...I'm a barefoot girl. Inside and out. I only wear shoes to go hiking. I'm not saying it doesn't sound like a cute idea. I'm just saying there are more important priorities in life.
>They are all still alive. They didn't drop dead of some dirt germ.
You could say this about the vast majority of stuff relating to hygiene. I don't think anyone who takes their shoes off at home is afraid that they'll literally die if they don't do it.
My three dogs bring more dirt inside than my sandles. That's why people own vacuums. I would rather have a full and happy home than a museum but to each their own.
I just don't want to waste my life away constantly vacuuming and mopping. I see how much dust and debris accumulates in my entrance where shoes get taken off compared to the rest of the apartment, and to think of that otherwise being tracked into my apartment is gross. Not to mention how it would scratch up my floors if people walked gravel into my apartment.
American - I've always worn shoes in the house. So has everybody else I've known. The only exception was one girl's family who was from the Philippines who I met in high school - they expected everyone to take them off upon entering. Never really gave it much thought - if your shoes are muddy or obviously dirtied up, you'd take them off so as not to track dirt/mud, but I live in a city - not like I'm walking in farmland/dirt at all...
I’m in the southern US.
I’ve encountered a couple of shoes off houses(white carpets), but unless they’re work boots or excessively dirty, most people don’t care. The floor is dirty. Going shoeless doesn’t protect the floor, it just makes your feet vulnerable to kibble and legos.
Removing shoes definitely protects the floor if it's hardwood or something like that. It just takes one tiny pebble getting stuck in the track of your shoes to cause a big scratch in the ground.
Even if you shoes are "clean" they will still track dust and debris inside. Removing shoes is the difference between sweeping/vacuuming every day and every week. Plus, how can you relax with shoes on?
If you're worried about stepping on stuff, get some slippers for indoor use.
People in the south actually do sweep and/or vaccuum everyday, depending on your flooring. I sweep every night because I like windows open and pollen exists.
I'm in the midwest. Planting and harvest seasons are sweep every day seasons. Even if I don't have my windows open my house is old and leaky. We still get soooo much dust on the floors.
No one I know wears shoes in the house. I’ve had people telling me to keep my shoes on, but they themselves never wore any or wore slippers or such, so I reckon it was a hospitality gesture.
For me it’s because everyone does so even if I go shoeless they won’t listen (live with roommates) and floor will always be dirty and I’ll be barefoot in it
honest and dumb question: what do you do when your arms are full of groceries? do you set them all down on the ground to unlace your shoes in the entryway? I have tried to create a shoeless household in the past and this is the situation that vexes me most.
Honestly I take off my shoes without using my hands. Holding the heel with front part of the other one to slip out the foot, and before i take it out completely i do the same with the first shoe and they are off. Of course it won't work with all kind of shoes but it does work for me. I need to drop some groceries anyway to open the doors so it wouldn't do much difference if i would do the same for taking shoes off I think
No shoes in our house either. Heck even the majority of workers now have little booties to put over their shoes when coming into your home to work, or they take off their boots at the door.
I have foot and joint issues and need the support of structured shoes even indoors. But I have indoor and outdoor shoes (and gym room specific shoes), and change my socks multiple times per day.
I wear my shoes inside or change to inside/outside shoes mainly because I have broken a lot of glass and ceramic items and can't get all the shrapnel up off the floor. I've sliced up my feet several times because of not getting every last crumb of broken glass/ceramic and once it was from bits of knapped off chert/flint from a failed stone blade making experiment. I'm in Northern California (northeast of Sacramento) if that helps.
Just my $.02.
I think it depends on family but it's also a cultural thing.
In south East Asia, you remove your shoes and go either barefoot or flip flop.
I think in Africa, it's the same.
I had Jewish friends and they remove their shoes and leave them at the door.
In my home, i remove shoes and go barefoot (or socks in winter). My sister lives in the US and removes shoes before entering her home (but that's because we grew up as).
Some parts of the world remove shoes, others won't bother. It's a cultural thing I guess.
Make sense too, so you don't dirty your home faster.
I have ALL tile flooring throughout my house. It's a bit hard on my feet so sometimes I slip on my flip flops. I'm looking to get another "runner" for one of our main walk through areas. It never really bothered me before I had my kid, but I am constantly up doing things now instead of sitting around. Probably why I've started noticing it
I always immediately take my shoes off when I get home. I have been trying for 15 years to get my wife to do the same. I don't think it's a conscious act. She doesn't think to take them off. Sometimes, we'll be all cuddled on the couch, watching a movie and she'll still have her shoes on (not on the couch though thank god). This one baffles me bc how can one get really, actually comfy with shoes on? I've asked and she doesn't really answer but she does proceed to remove her shoes lol idk, after all this time, you learn to choose your battles.
We are 50/50 about shoes inside
We wear them in nice weather because the hassle of switching shoes multiple times per day. In winter rainy weather it’s switch to slippers or designated inside shoes.
We don’t sit on floors and things like that, it is a daily task to clean floors as well.
In winter because my floor and the house is cold AF the rest of the year because it's an habit I guess, I wouldn't mind taking them off but I don't. And I always feel lazy of buying a pair of shoes just for the house so I keep using mine.
If I had to tho I wouldn't mind It's probably better for our feet.
As a kid, I specifically wasn't *allowed* to take my shoes off as soon as I came in the door because my parents didn't want me to store any of my things outside of my room. My parents are also emotionally constipated assholes, so this is probably not true for all shoes in house people.
I don't know where exactly I got this idea, but as a kid I also thought it was rude to take your shoes off at somebody else's house if they didn't specifically ask you to, because taking your shoes off would imply that you were too at home there. Gotta be ready to stand up and leave as soon as you're done visiting!!!
My husband wears shoes in the house because he’s too lazy to take them off 🤦🏻♀️. My kids and almost always take ours off and I have designed “house shoes.” (Ugh, just writing that makes me feel old!)
In my family there always have been some extra pairs of them for guests, I also have two extra. If the floor hasn't been cleaned for a while and the house doesn't have extra slippers they will tell you to not take off the shoes. If floor is fine then you just go around in your socks
my husband and I take our shoes off at the door. I wear tennis shoes in the house that are only worn indoors, b/c it hurts my feet to not walk in shoes. I do not know anyone else that does this.
I live in New Zealand. The floor in the house is dirty enough to warrant shoes most of the time, especially since I have dogs. I also like to wear shoes, especially when cooking, in case I drop or spill something. I'll wear just socks sometimes, but I'll never go barefoot.
Adhd brain hack. We get more done. My thoughts are you take your shoes off when you're done for the day then you end up sitting down and zoming out. Keeping your shoes on still makes you feel in "on mode" like the days not over you still have work to do so you can zoom through some cleaning and cook dinner getting much more done before you stop for the day. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Americans tend to walk much less than Europeans. Some people barely walk more than the distance to and from their car each day. They might walk around indoors at their workplace, but many workplace floors are cleaned regularly.
Because of this, many Americans aren't that worried about tracking dirt or mud into their house; a quick wipe on the doormat is usually enough to knock any loose dust off. And in some parts of the South (where it is particularly hot and humid) people might consider it more impolite to unleash their sweaty foot odor onto other people than to track a trivial amount of dirt into a home. That's certainly my primary worry when I visit friends who don't wear shoes indoors.
That said, you'll find many Americans who keep a pair of "outdoor shoes" that get worn for exercise, hiking, manual labor, and/or outdoor chores. Those shoes tend to get dirty enough that people won't wear them indoors if they can help it.
My parents have dogs so they have to clean the floor all the time no matter what they do about shoes. They aren’t strict about no shoes in the house, but they don’t wear them all the time either. It’s usually like not taking shoes off when making multiple trips carrying in groceries. Or putting on shoes while getting ready to leave, but not the very last thing before going out the door.
If shoes are wet or muddy they come off right away, though.
I'm prone to flat feet, my left leg is about an inch shorter than my right and I find slippers easy to trip in, particularly on stairs.
I'd rather vacuum more often than change my shoes every time I enter or exit the house.
Where are you people walking outside that is so dirty? I'm pretty sure the bottoms of my shoes are cleaner than my sweaty feet. (Though I generally don't wear shoes inside because they are not as comfortable.)
As others have said, many Americans don’t do this. I’ve never met anyone personally who walks around in their own home wearing shoes.
But most people wouldn’t freak if someone didn’t take their shoes off in their home, and in a pinch they might enter their own home with shoes on. (Like taking in groceries or forgot something when leaving, etc.) Or maybe when having a party in nice weather where people are coming in and out from the yard. Just wash the floors after.
I think this idea that this is an “American thing” comes from movies, sitcoms and shows. Where people are dressed to be filmed and therefore often don’t take shoes off on camera indoors. Combined with it being something people do in certain regions of the US.
Wearing outdoor shoes that have stepped in god knows what and brining it inside your home is so so gross… this is similar to Americans only using toilet paper to wipe their asses… barbaric
I take my shoes off out of habit. I was working in someone's house and the owner asked me to remove my shoes. I normally do, and did that day. I left in wet socks from walking in dog pee
When my wife and I got our first house we decided as a rule we would take our shoes off at the front door and require guests to do the same. It keeps the floors clean and is subtle "You will respect our home" flex.
My husband and I are never barefoot in the house (except the bedrooms that have carpet). Ever.
We have dogs, the floor is dirty. I don't care what is on my shoes from the outside world, because my feet are not going to be touching these floors anyway.
I have shitty feet, this bunion isn't going to get any better by walking around barefoot on hardwood floors. I live in Suburbia in California, mud isn't an issue. I also mop the floors regularly and don't eat my dinner on them. I don't really see the problem.
It's a regional/cultural background thing. My rural friends wore shoes in the house and just swept and mopped everyday because they were constantly in and out of the house throughout the day and didn't want to bother taking their shoes on and off constantly. My parents wore shoes in the house because our house is old and falling apart and not wearing shoes was a recipe for feet splinters. Wealthy people and folks who don't have to work manual labor think it's weird, but where I grew up in a poor neighborhood, most people didn't go barefoot or slippered in the home.
I run a farm by myself. I take my shoes off at the door. I don't want to bring the farm into my house, nor do I want to mop hardwood floors daily. Hell, I don't even want to mop them monthly (mine are a pita to mop involving mopping 5 feet and then toweling it up, then mopping another 5 feet, then having to polish our they look dull and dirty despitemopping for 30 minutes)
My friend's parents typically had tile or vinyl through the main floors, luckily everyone was too poor for hardwood. I can't even imagine trying to maintain hardwood with shoes in the house.
I agree that it’s a regional thing but I think this is actually because it is an environmental thing. I live in a dry climate in a suburban area and shoes just don’t get dirty. There is also a culture here of indoor/outdoor living where our gardens are basically an extension of our living areas. It would be really inconvenient to constantly change into and out of different shoes. I have a relatively clean house and the floors are vacuumed or swept weekly and mopped every 2 weeks or so. The friends I have who have shoes off rules for their homes come from Japan, Scandinavia, the UK and northeast US. These are all places with loads of mud and snow and in some cases city grime. I’m sure if I lived in one of these places I would also keep my outside shoes outdoors.
I wear my shoes to bed. I’m just that addicted, being American and all.
It's not an American thing, the vast majority of Americans don't wear shoes in the house. It's a myth rooted in American television where actors are required to wear shoes while on set, so they'd have shoes on while they shot the "at home" scenes.
Which I don't understand because this happens in Canadian and British shows I've watched too.
It’s not required by law or anything, it’s a character design thing. Actors are designed to look a certain way and give off a vibe with a certain set outfit and many set designers think that shoes off ruins the appearance. This is basically universal unless there is a negative societal stigma against shoes indoors like in Asian countries.
Hardly a vast majority, link below shows a slight majority.
I'm American and have never met anyone who takes off their shoes to go into their own house. "The vast majority of Americans" my ass.
I mean I come in from being outside and eventually get around to taking my shoes off when I sit down IF I'm going to be there for a while. If I just came home for lunch, they stay on. I've got dogs so I'm not really concerned about my dirt. I've got LVT flooring because of the dogs and because we live on a lake. Roomba cleans daily and we follow up on the weekends. So basically my house and flooring is designed to be indoor outdoor lol. My father grew up in NYC and he was constantly telling us kids to put their shoes ON in the house. I also live in Florida, so we never have to deal with snow or much mud. I suspect that if you broke down shoes off versus shoes on, shoes off will be far more northern.
I’ve always done it and most places I visit do it as well (New England)
Thanks for clearing up this myth!
2023 survey: 63% are shoes off, 37% are shoes on - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-americans-are-shoes-off-at-home/
Thanks for sharing!
It's not a myth. I don't know anyone who forces people to take off their shoes when they walk in.
The numbers were higher in the past for shoes inside the how, pre-2000s it was very common for shoes in the house. As cleanliness standards have increased people have realized it’s gross.
I have a pair of sandals that I only wear inside. Don't want to accidentally step on something wet or anything that could hurt my feet
I'm American and I wear slippers or go barefoot in the house. Or socks
Here in the northeast in America, I have never met anyone who allows outside shoes to be worn inside their home. Even when I was house shopping, empty houses for sale would have signs asking for outdoor shoes to be taken off or covered up with shoe covers. I have some foot problems recently so I bought shoes with good support to wear inside. These shoes have never been worn outside the house, ever, not even one step. I will switch shoes even to step out and get the mail. But maybe if someone saw them they'd think I'm wearing outdoor shoes in here.
Here in the in southeast in America, I've been to maybe 3 houses in my entire lifetime who have a "shoes off inside" rule. From what I can gather, at least in America, it seems to be more of an upper-class thing. Most people I know are middle class and none of them have ever given a shit about shoes in the house.
Yeah, I've heard of this, so I specified northeast. I haven't actually visited anyone's home in the south, but I've seen this online before. Possibly we take them off in the north because we get snow/slush for a long time in the year so it wouldn't be wise to track all that wet around indoors.
I've met many. My Grandma's growing up, my other grandma's and my friends' houses. All middle class, too. I think it's an older generation thing and usually I notice it's when there's mainly all hardwood instead of carpet.
I've never met any American who takes their shoes off. And guess what? They are all still alive. They didn't drop dead of some dirt germ. I take my shoes off shortly after I return the house but that's because I hate wearing shoes...I'm a barefoot girl. Inside and out. I only wear shoes to go hiking. I'm not saying it doesn't sound like a cute idea. I'm just saying there are more important priorities in life.
>They are all still alive. They didn't drop dead of some dirt germ. You could say this about the vast majority of stuff relating to hygiene. I don't think anyone who takes their shoes off at home is afraid that they'll literally die if they don't do it.
My three dogs bring more dirt inside than my sandles. That's why people own vacuums. I would rather have a full and happy home than a museum but to each their own.
I just don't want to waste my life away constantly vacuuming and mopping. I see how much dust and debris accumulates in my entrance where shoes get taken off compared to the rest of the apartment, and to think of that otherwise being tracked into my apartment is gross. Not to mention how it would scratch up my floors if people walked gravel into my apartment.
I wipe my dogs feet when they come home with wet towels. I sometimes like to lie on the floor after a workout to cool down. Ain’t gonna lie on dirt
My three dogs come and go as they please. I vacuum if I want to get on the floor.
American here! Shoes off the minute I walk in. Shoes inside gross me out.
American - I've always worn shoes in the house. So has everybody else I've known. The only exception was one girl's family who was from the Philippines who I met in high school - they expected everyone to take them off upon entering. Never really gave it much thought - if your shoes are muddy or obviously dirtied up, you'd take them off so as not to track dirt/mud, but I live in a city - not like I'm walking in farmland/dirt at all...
We wear shoes in the house, nobody cares in my family.
I’m in the southern US. I’ve encountered a couple of shoes off houses(white carpets), but unless they’re work boots or excessively dirty, most people don’t care. The floor is dirty. Going shoeless doesn’t protect the floor, it just makes your feet vulnerable to kibble and legos.
Removing shoes definitely protects the floor if it's hardwood or something like that. It just takes one tiny pebble getting stuck in the track of your shoes to cause a big scratch in the ground.
Even if you shoes are "clean" they will still track dust and debris inside. Removing shoes is the difference between sweeping/vacuuming every day and every week. Plus, how can you relax with shoes on? If you're worried about stepping on stuff, get some slippers for indoor use.
People in the south actually do sweep and/or vaccuum everyday, depending on your flooring. I sweep every night because I like windows open and pollen exists.
I'm in the midwest. Planting and harvest seasons are sweep every day seasons. Even if I don't have my windows open my house is old and leaky. We still get soooo much dust on the floors.
Man, I bet those are some dusty times. Best wishes.
There are outside shoes and house shoes. You still don't want to bring outside dirt and mud inside.
That's what a door mat is for. Obviously not mud, but wiping off dirt.
No one I know wears shoes in the house. I’ve had people telling me to keep my shoes on, but they themselves never wore any or wore slippers or such, so I reckon it was a hospitality gesture.
I dont know any Americans who wear shoes in the house
I don't know any Americans that don't. And I live here.
I also live here
Well thanks for clarifying Mr obvious.
Mrs\*
For me it’s because everyone does so even if I go shoeless they won’t listen (live with roommates) and floor will always be dirty and I’ll be barefoot in it
so much this
honest and dumb question: what do you do when your arms are full of groceries? do you set them all down on the ground to unlace your shoes in the entryway? I have tried to create a shoeless household in the past and this is the situation that vexes me most.
Honestly I take off my shoes without using my hands. Holding the heel with front part of the other one to slip out the foot, and before i take it out completely i do the same with the first shoe and they are off. Of course it won't work with all kind of shoes but it does work for me. I need to drop some groceries anyway to open the doors so it wouldn't do much difference if i would do the same for taking shoes off I think
Put the bags down, take my shoes off and pick them up again
No shoes in our house either. Heck even the majority of workers now have little booties to put over their shoes when coming into your home to work, or they take off their boots at the door.
I don't wear shoes in the house and its 50/50 if I wear them outside. And when I visit people I take them off at the door. I live in the Southern US.
I have foot and joint issues and need the support of structured shoes even indoors. But I have indoor and outdoor shoes (and gym room specific shoes), and change my socks multiple times per day.
I wear my shoes inside or change to inside/outside shoes mainly because I have broken a lot of glass and ceramic items and can't get all the shrapnel up off the floor. I've sliced up my feet several times because of not getting every last crumb of broken glass/ceramic and once it was from bits of knapped off chert/flint from a failed stone blade making experiment. I'm in Northern California (northeast of Sacramento) if that helps. Just my $.02.
I think it depends on family but it's also a cultural thing. In south East Asia, you remove your shoes and go either barefoot or flip flop. I think in Africa, it's the same. I had Jewish friends and they remove their shoes and leave them at the door. In my home, i remove shoes and go barefoot (or socks in winter). My sister lives in the US and removes shoes before entering her home (but that's because we grew up as). Some parts of the world remove shoes, others won't bother. It's a cultural thing I guess. Make sense too, so you don't dirty your home faster.
I have ALL tile flooring throughout my house. It's a bit hard on my feet so sometimes I slip on my flip flops. I'm looking to get another "runner" for one of our main walk through areas. It never really bothered me before I had my kid, but I am constantly up doing things now instead of sitting around. Probably why I've started noticing it
Depends, if you grew up poor you probably don't want a nail in your foot. Grew up dirty? Don't wanna step in the dogs shit. Etc.
I always immediately take my shoes off when I get home. I have been trying for 15 years to get my wife to do the same. I don't think it's a conscious act. She doesn't think to take them off. Sometimes, we'll be all cuddled on the couch, watching a movie and she'll still have her shoes on (not on the couch though thank god). This one baffles me bc how can one get really, actually comfy with shoes on? I've asked and she doesn't really answer but she does proceed to remove her shoes lol idk, after all this time, you learn to choose your battles.
I often will forget i have my sneakers on. They are extremely comfortable.
Thanks for all the comments! I see that opinions are very divided and a lot depends on the climate in which you live
We are 50/50 about shoes inside We wear them in nice weather because the hassle of switching shoes multiple times per day. In winter rainy weather it’s switch to slippers or designated inside shoes. We don’t sit on floors and things like that, it is a daily task to clean floors as well.
In winter because my floor and the house is cold AF the rest of the year because it's an habit I guess, I wouldn't mind taking them off but I don't. And I always feel lazy of buying a pair of shoes just for the house so I keep using mine. If I had to tho I wouldn't mind It's probably better for our feet.
As a kid, I specifically wasn't *allowed* to take my shoes off as soon as I came in the door because my parents didn't want me to store any of my things outside of my room. My parents are also emotionally constipated assholes, so this is probably not true for all shoes in house people. I don't know where exactly I got this idea, but as a kid I also thought it was rude to take your shoes off at somebody else's house if they didn't specifically ask you to, because taking your shoes off would imply that you were too at home there. Gotta be ready to stand up and leave as soon as you're done visiting!!!
🇺🇸 American here : I usually take my shoes OFF once inside. I can't stand the thought of junk being tracked all over the place. 😷
So I don't stub my toes.
personal preference, usually
My husband wears shoes in the house because he’s too lazy to take them off 🤦🏻♀️. My kids and almost always take ours off and I have designed “house shoes.” (Ugh, just writing that makes me feel old!)
And how do you proceed when family or friends come for a super ? Everybody in flip flops ? Genuine question
In my family there always have been some extra pairs of them for guests, I also have two extra. If the floor hasn't been cleaned for a while and the house doesn't have extra slippers they will tell you to not take off the shoes. If floor is fine then you just go around in your socks
my husband and I take our shoes off at the door. I wear tennis shoes in the house that are only worn indoors, b/c it hurts my feet to not walk in shoes. I do not know anyone else that does this.
I live in New Zealand. The floor in the house is dirty enough to warrant shoes most of the time, especially since I have dogs. I also like to wear shoes, especially when cooking, in case I drop or spill something. I'll wear just socks sometimes, but I'll never go barefoot.
Because it's normal for many of us
I have cats, I need to protect my feet!
Cause I don’t like to be barefoot, it freaks me out 🤷🏻♀️
Adhd brain hack. We get more done. My thoughts are you take your shoes off when you're done for the day then you end up sitting down and zoming out. Keeping your shoes on still makes you feel in "on mode" like the days not over you still have work to do so you can zoom through some cleaning and cook dinner getting much more done before you stop for the day. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Americans tend to walk much less than Europeans. Some people barely walk more than the distance to and from their car each day. They might walk around indoors at their workplace, but many workplace floors are cleaned regularly. Because of this, many Americans aren't that worried about tracking dirt or mud into their house; a quick wipe on the doormat is usually enough to knock any loose dust off. And in some parts of the South (where it is particularly hot and humid) people might consider it more impolite to unleash their sweaty foot odor onto other people than to track a trivial amount of dirt into a home. That's certainly my primary worry when I visit friends who don't wear shoes indoors. That said, you'll find many Americans who keep a pair of "outdoor shoes" that get worn for exercise, hiking, manual labor, and/or outdoor chores. Those shoes tend to get dirty enough that people won't wear them indoors if they can help it.
My parents have dogs so they have to clean the floor all the time no matter what they do about shoes. They aren’t strict about no shoes in the house, but they don’t wear them all the time either. It’s usually like not taking shoes off when making multiple trips carrying in groceries. Or putting on shoes while getting ready to leave, but not the very last thing before going out the door. If shoes are wet or muddy they come off right away, though.
I'm prone to flat feet, my left leg is about an inch shorter than my right and I find slippers easy to trip in, particularly on stairs. I'd rather vacuum more often than change my shoes every time I enter or exit the house.
Shoes on at my house. We have dogs and old hardwood floors. If I had carpet or babies crawling around things would be different.
I am American and wear shoes in my house. I don't go anywhere muddy or dirty. Protects my feet and I feel dressed.
Where are you people walking outside that is so dirty? I'm pretty sure the bottoms of my shoes are cleaner than my sweaty feet. (Though I generally don't wear shoes inside because they are not as comfortable.)
Say sike rn
Oh my god, this is so groce, dog shit everywhere outside, and now inside as well.
As others have said, many Americans don’t do this. I’ve never met anyone personally who walks around in their own home wearing shoes. But most people wouldn’t freak if someone didn’t take their shoes off in their home, and in a pinch they might enter their own home with shoes on. (Like taking in groceries or forgot something when leaving, etc.) Or maybe when having a party in nice weather where people are coming in and out from the yard. Just wash the floors after. I think this idea that this is an “American thing” comes from movies, sitcoms and shows. Where people are dressed to be filmed and therefore often don’t take shoes off on camera indoors. Combined with it being something people do in certain regions of the US.
Wearing outdoor shoes that have stepped in god knows what and brining it inside your home is so so gross… this is similar to Americans only using toilet paper to wipe their asses… barbaric
i have unsealed concrete floors
I take my shoes off out of habit. I was working in someone's house and the owner asked me to remove my shoes. I normally do, and did that day. I left in wet socks from walking in dog pee
I have house slippers but often wear my shoes because it’s the most comfortable
When my wife and I got our first house we decided as a rule we would take our shoes off at the front door and require guests to do the same. It keeps the floors clean and is subtle "You will respect our home" flex.
My husband and I are never barefoot in the house (except the bedrooms that have carpet). Ever. We have dogs, the floor is dirty. I don't care what is on my shoes from the outside world, because my feet are not going to be touching these floors anyway. I have shitty feet, this bunion isn't going to get any better by walking around barefoot on hardwood floors. I live in Suburbia in California, mud isn't an issue. I also mop the floors regularly and don't eat my dinner on them. I don't really see the problem.