# Footwear at home **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037 "2012-01-19T18:08:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/41 "2012-01-20T01:33:14Z")
I used to have nice sheepskin slippers and lived in them in the house, but they wore out and I discovered Crocs. I love them and wear them all the time at home. I have a mix of hardwood and linoleum in my house, and I don’t mind if guests keep their shoes on in the house, I just prefer to take my shoes off as soon as I get home and slip into my crocs. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/42 "2012-01-20T01:51:14Z")
No outdoor shoes in my house! Then it is a combo of socks, slippers or bare feet. Next time you are taking a piss in a public restroom, look at the floor. You are tracking all that stuff through your house if you wear your shoes there. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/43 "2012-01-20T02:54:03Z")
Depends on the season. Winter is generally socks and hard-soled slippers. Spring and fall it’s barefoot or socks. Summer, when the air is on, it’s usually socks. If I’m cooking or cleaning or it’s raining, it’s back to the hard-soled slippers for support or going out on the deck to smoke. I have carpet in the living room, bedroom and studio and vinyl in the bath and kitchen. Guests usually take their shoes off at the door, where the shoe crate is, but aren’t required to. If they do, an offer of socks or slippers is made. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/44 "2012-01-20T03:04:24Z")
I checked barefoot, because I prefer it. But I’ll add socks and/or slippers when it gets cold as we have bare floors and no insulation under the floors that aren’t cement slabs (ie: our floors are freezing in the winter!) Come to think of it, I’m barefoot now 🙂 I don’t care if people wear shoes in the house (theirs or mine) I just hate wearing stuff on my feet if I don’t have to. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/45 "2012-01-20T03:30:10Z")
Socks. Shoes are not allowed inside my house. I have all hardwood floors in the main areas and tile in the kitchen/bathroom/laundry room. Carpet is disgusting. Also, I wash my hands a lot. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/46 "2012-01-20T03:42:29Z")
I voted socks, though it’s more barefoot in the summer. I always take my shoes off indoors, and it’s the general practice of most of my family and friends. If there’s a fancy dinner/party then I’ll switch to nice shoes (winter/poor weather) or keep them on (summer/nice weather). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/47 "2012-01-20T03:45:30Z")
Barefoot as a rule. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/48 "2012-01-20T03:54:04Z")
I put other. When we had carpet I used to go barefoot all the time. it was nice. Then we put in hardwood floors. I don’t like 'em and I have some nifty sandals with special orthopedic soles because I can’t walk barefoot anymore. I wear them all the time. I don’t like taking my shoes off in other people’s houses. Since I wear sandals I threaten getting my foot funk on their clean floor, so I can leave my sandals on. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/49 "2012-01-20T03:58:31Z")
In Thailand, so definitely no shoes or sandals in the home. Either barefoot or socks. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/50 "2012-01-20T04:50:06Z")
Socks unless it’s summertime and then I might go barefoot. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/51 "2012-01-20T06:32:15Z")
Something else. Because of my peripheral vascular disease, I have to wear knee-high support stockings, except when I’m sleeping. I’ve always hated having anything on my feet at home, and I will always hate having to wear them. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/52 "2012-01-20T06:50:24Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](#): > > I don’t like taking my shoes off in other people’s houses. Seriously. When house shopping I would go to some Open Houses with a sign on the door saying “please remove shoes.” Sorry, you just lost a $500,000 sale. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/53 "2012-01-20T15:07:28Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > Seriously. When house shopping I would go to some Open Houses with a sign on the door saying “please remove shoes.” > > Sorry, you just lost a $500,000 sale. Yeah sadly same here. I can _understand_ it when I enter the home of someone whose culture or religion requires it, and I will honor each homeowner’s request (without remark), but I have enough leg & foot issues where I have created a certain level of comfort & protection of my feet wearing my shoes, and I am uncomfortable giving it up. For work I wander between a pair of well worn high tops, winter boots, or often equestrian riding boots since I broke my left heel last May. At home it’s a minimum of socks and quite often shoes in the house. I just moved to a very old, cold, drafty home, so it’s a must. My soon to be ex-wife bought me a pair of Dansko clogs a couple years ago so I default to those at home, and sometimes outside the home as well. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/54 "2012-01-20T15:19:51Z")
No rules. It’s all about temperature for me. I’m usually barefoot in the summer, but in the winter I’ll wear socks, shoes, or slippers. ---
**Author:** ![RoniaBorkason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RoniaBorkason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoniaBorkason)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/55 "2012-01-20T15:31:01Z")
I hate wearing shoes or socks, but have no rules about wearing them in the house. I’ll normally take off my slip-on shoes as soon as I get home, but if I’ve gone all-out and worn socks and lace-up shoes, I leave them on until bedtime. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/56 "2012-01-20T15:35:15Z")
We have tile downstairs, hardwood in the loft upstairs and carpet in the bedrooms. No rules for footwear, guests can do whatever they want. I change out of my work clothes as soon as I get home, so I take off my shoes. Barefoot in summer, socks/slippers in winter. Husband usually kicks off his shoes when he gets home. If I were a guest in someone’s house, I would grudgingly follow the rules to take off my shoes. But there is absolutely NO WAY I’d ever wear communal slippers - GROSS. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/57 "2012-01-20T16:36:16Z")
Footwear rules at my house: 1. The cat has a leather/vinyl/rubber fetish. If you are wearing shoes containing any of those materials, expect to have a cat sprawled across your feet the second you stop moving. If you take them off, you will find the cat’s head in them as he makes love to your stank. Just snatch 'em away from him when you want to put them back on. He won’t bite. He may be a bit aroused, however, so this could be a tad icky for you. I have designated certain flip flops as belonging to the cat for this reason. 2. The dog thinks shoes are delicious. Remove at your own risk. Should you so choose, you might consider storing them at a level higher than a pitbull can jump. Good luck with that. We can also lock them in a room where neither critter can get at them. The floors are all either hardwood or tile. If it’s cold, I wear slippers. It’s a 70-year-old drafty house. By “cold,” I mean anything 75 degrees or lower. My floors seem to be about ten degrees cooler than the ambient air temp outside. Other than November-February, I’m pretty much barefoot all the time. I don’t care what guests do one way or the other, as long as they make themselves comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/58 "2012-01-20T20:18:42Z")
I will not say anything to a person who wears shoes in my home, but I will be silently fuming over having to clean up whatever you track in. Shoes should go off at the door, on the rug provided. Doesn’t matter what you wear after that. Every household I know works like that. Personally, I do socks or barefeet depending on temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/59 "2012-01-20T20:19:54Z")
I wear house shoes around the house. They’re not slippers! ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037/60 "2012-01-20T20:21:24Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > It really bugs me to have to take my shoes off in a stranger’s house, and frankly, I find it rude to ask of a guest. Guests are told they can leave their shoes on if they prefer in my house. > [@Cunctator](#): > > I don’t expect anyone to remove their shoes on entering the house. That seems very weird to me. > [@voguevixen](#): > > Seriously. When house shopping I would go to some Open Houses with a sign on the door saying “please remove shoes.” > > Sorry, you just lost a $500,000 sale. I’ve gotta agree with these. Asking someone to remove clothing upon entering is just jaw-droppingly rude. I wear shoes nearly all the time for a number of reasons. No, I don’t need to tell you what my reasons are, because they aren’t subject to your approval. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footwear-at-home/610037.md?page=4)