I pretty much wear my shoes all the time unless I am in bed, in the shower, just got out of bed and haven’t showered yet, or having sex.
I’m a shoes on kind of person. I’m more comfortable being ‘ready’ to go outside or leave at a moments notice. None of this “Hold on, let me get my shoes” business.
If I am dressed, then I am wearing shoes is the simplest way to put it.
I also find it extremely annoying when I have to take off my shoes when going over to another person’s house. Especially for parties. That’s what floor mats are for. There have been occasions where I have passed on an invitation if I have known that it was a shoes off kind of affair.
I’m uncomfortable without shoes on. Sandals are also not doable. I wear shoes from the time I get dressed until I crawl into bed, usually.
I couldn’t care less about carpet. It’s there to walk on, you know.
I, too, remember how nasty the previous thread got. I believe someone (Lynn Bodoni?) had said that she wears shoes on doctor’s orders due to diabetes, and someone said that she wouldn’t be welcome in their house with shoes on… it pretty much devolved into name calling from there. Bad stuff.
In my own home - sometimes on, sometimes off. I have children the right age tot run through the house from outside yelling “I have to go potty” while wearing shoes they can’t tie themselves or get off easily themselves - nothing I can do to my carpet that a five year old fresh from the sandbox hasn’t done.
I agree that its rude to ask someone to take their shoes off when they come into your house. Its also rude to walk in the door and not take a moment to consider if you should or shouldn’t remove shoes.
Urban legend–at least where I live. Talk to your local law enforcement people for confirmation.
On to the main topic: The most common reason I hear for requiring shoes to be removed at the door is to keep the carpets clean. So what do I do with my kids? They go out barefoot all the time. I’ve even seen my son on the trampoline barefoot in the snow! Their feet are often dirtier than my shoes!
We use common sense in our house. There’s a mat and a shoe cleaner outside the door. Wipe your feet. If the shoes are clean enough, wear 'em inside. If they’re not, take 'em off. It’s up to you.
I don’t follow any particular rule in my home. Often times I take off my shoes upon entering. Sometimes I leave them on. This is especially true when going out again right away.
I am of the opinion that, providing you haven’t just been out walking in the mud, floors will stay clean longer if footwear is worn (even if it is outdoor footwear). I figure that the oils excreted by the skin will tend to get onto the floor and into the carpet, thereby helping to trap airborne dust and dirt. It’s my completely unsubstantiated, untested, and unproven opinion that walking with bare feet will lead to dirtier floors than walking in outdoor footwear.
I never used to wear shoes in the house. But then I got old and my feet went wrong and now I can’t go barefoot anymore. Visitors can either take their shoes off or not as they please. I do ask them to wipe their feet on the mat first though.
Absolutely. And I will hate every second that I am required to be shoeless, and I won’t be back to visit. I am only comfortable being shoeless in my own home, very few other places. I wear shoes as part of my outfits, and I am very put off by the expectation that my heels should be removed if I walk on someone’s precious carpet.
And I would be offended if someone took their shoes off upon entering my home. It’s one thing if they’re invited in to watch a movie, or have a girl’s night or something, but for normal visits, I am very uncomfortable with people taking their shoes off.
Feet stink and they’re ugly. I don’t show mine unless their pedicured and pretty (and I show them by wearing sandals or heels), and I don’t care to see anyone else’s unless they are just as taken care of.
I will never visit Japan because of this. I just don’t think I could deal with that part of the culture. One visit to a Japanese restaurant that required shoe removal was horrifying enough for me. The only reason I complied was because I was with a large group, had it been just my fiance and I, we would have gone elsewhere.
For the record, I’m a shoes-on kind of person. And I just had a kabillion dollars (OK, not really - in actuality, $10,836.00) worth of new hardwood flooring installed in my home. Guests are free to do as they see fit, but I will admit that I am mildly squicked out by those who shed their shoes - there’s a teeny part of me that automatically equates it with walking around in one’s underwear.
I have really grungy feet (toenail fungus . . . YECCH!), so I never go barefoot. I am comfortable in shoes, but often go about in socks in the house. I even wear socks to bed.
I’m no footie doctor, but I don’t think the soles of our feet give off much in the way of oils. Maybe that’s why the skin down there gets dry and cracked so often. But feet will get damp if you leave shoes on - sweaty and prone to fungal growths. Maybe we need a doc to chime in on which is recommended for optimal foot health. I wonder if foot fungus is as rampant in the Asian cultures as it seems to be here.
Well I guess I am the opposite. I’d equate it with wearing a bicycle helmet indoors. To me, shoes are things that protect your feet against the ruggedness of the outside world - rough pavement, little bits of broken glass, wads of gum, etc. Since I am not likely to run into those things in my home, I see no need to wear shoes. Also my feet feel healthier when they’re not cooped-up inside a pair of dank shoes.
Seems like a few people have, shall I say, “issues” with bare feet. I’ll just leave that alone. Some need shoes for medical reasons - understandable.
For those who are really militant about indoor shoe wearing, I wonder if you slip into a pair of hightop keds when you get up on a lazy Sunday morning to start the coffee. Or, if you have overnight guests, do you still feel funny when they walk out of the guest room in their sock feet? If not, then it seems like inertia is the determining factor.
Wearing shoes inside the house drives me bonkers. We were never allowed to wear shoes in the house when I was little, and I guess it’s just habit for me and my family to take shoes off when we enter a house. At my parents house we cannot wear shoes past the landing. Drives my sisters fiance nuts as he hates not wearing shoes inside.
The only person who is exempt from the shoe rule is my dad, who is disabled. One leg is considerably shorter than the other. He’s at the point where he has a difficult time walking without his shoes, so we give him a pass.
I’m also not a sock person. Yes, you feet phobic people, once I enter my home both my shoes and socks come off. So does LilMiss. I, however, manage to put my socks in the laundry hamper. She tosses them helter skelter.
