Since we can’t seem to stop hijacking other threads about this, let’s go around on this one…more…time.
We take our shoes off in the house in Western Canada. Mostly in winter, but it wouldn’t be out of place in summer, either.
Discuss.
Yes, everyone is expected to take their shoes off when visiting someone else’s house in winter. If you’re foolish enough to be wearing high-heeled shoes in winter slush, you will still be expected to take them off.
No, no one thinks anything of it, except you would be thought to be very weird if you didn’t take your shoes off when everyone else does.
Yes, it is a cultural thing.
No, people with prosthetic legs or wheelchairs are not expected to take their feet or wheels off, but a Canadian in these conditions will probably make some kind of arrangement to not track mud all over everyone’s carpets while visiting.
At my house and the houses of most people I visit with any frequency, we take off our shoes, no matter what the season. This is in Louisiana. It just keeps things tidier, if you ask me. I’m so using to taking off my shoes in the house that I feel weird if I’m in a house where people don’t do this.
I’d never heard of this being a cultural thing, just a divide between those weird people who do it and those weird people who don’t. 
When in Iceland, take off your shoes. It’s just how things are done there.
In my family, you can take off your shoes if you’d like, but we’re going to default to barefoot in our house, regardless of season.
In British Columbia (Western Canada) everyone I know takes off their shoes at home and when they visit people.
My question is, with summer fast approaching, what do you all do when you’re wearing sandals? I feel it’s rude to walk around with bare feet in someone’s home, but I’m not always prepared with a pair of socks or something to slip on.
Well I live in the same place as you do Featherlou so shoes off, of course. I was astounded when I a) found out that some people don’t take them off automatically, and b) visited a B&B in the US where the woman indicated “We take our shoes off in the house” as if they were freaks or something. I was like “?!?!?!of course you do!!” FWIW, they were a Dutch couple.
I get the impression that the “shoes on in the house” thing is predominantly American, but I may be totally wrong.
Also, before someone comes in here saying “But I have a peg leg!” or “I need special shoes!” or “My feet are really stinky!”, assuming your shoes are clean, you can leave them on in my place as long as you don’t stomp around (I have hardwood and my downstairs neighbour is a nice lady who I don’t want to torture). If they are mucky, I have a variety of nice slippers at my door that are for guests. I’ve never had a guest for whom these options were not satisfactory. I suppose if I do wind up with a guest with a artificial leg with the shoe perminantly attached, and it’s muddy and if they take it off they’ll die, I’ll worry about that then.
Like I said, summer’s a little different - sandals may stay on or come off. We mostly take shoes off because of the ubiquitous mud and slush of winter; if you didn’t step on dog crap on the way up the walk, sandals wouldn’t be scandalous worn inside.
I have a mat by the front and back doors. I take off my shoes when I come into the house, because I am “home” and wanna relax. In the summer, I also shed my shirt sometimes. What anyone else does is up to them.
I grew up in a wear-your-shoes-inside house (in a Kansas City suburb, for any future geographic analysis), and I always thought it was weird to visit a house where shoes came off. “Oh, aren’t YOU fancy!” I thought.
As an adult, though (first in NYC, now in DC), I can’t stand wearing shoes inside the house. Life is more comfortable without shoes. Also, floors are cleaner. And everything is quieter. However, we do not insist (or even expect) that guests remove their shoes. (Of course, we’re anti-social and never have guests.) When I visit someone else’s house, I prefer to take my shoes off, but will ascertain and defer to what appears to be the consensus among others present.
And yes, we do have arrangements for taking your shoes off at the door. I have a very nice bench that I sit on to take shoes on or off. Most houses have areas at the front (or back, depending on which door is commonly used) where all the boots and shoes and coats and scarves and toques are kept, usually complete with mats for people to put their drippy shoes on.
heh. If they stink that badly, I don’t want you in my home, shoes or no shoes!
I’m in my mid 40s and have never taken my shoes off going into anybody’s house unless my shoes were muddy. I had a friend growing up, his mom had a formal dining room with white carpet and you had to take your shoes off to go in there (strange formal dinner with bare feet I bet). Just day to day visiting, never do it. Never been asked to, nobody that comes to my house (or my parent’s house when I was growing up) takes their shoes off unless they are muddy.
Hell no I am not taking my shoes off especially in my own house. My house is a 250 year old true colonial. I often need to go down to the basement which is unfinished and I go back and forth outside freely. Even inside the house. There is always the off chance that an ancient nail or a sliver of wood will present a danger to bare feet. I have small children and stepping on a toy or stubbing a toe hurts.
The only person that I personally know that does this is a nasty little wench named Carmela. She was raised in Sicily and has that whole Mafia vibe going on. She got herself a McMansion and covered every room she could in white carpet. Where that wasn’t suitable in bright white tiles. Did I mention she has two young sons.
Why are pristine floors considered such a worthy goal? My floors serve me not the other way around and yet they are almost always clean because we splurged on a vacumn cleaner and a mop. Are some people under the impression that if you ever let it get dirty, that is the end of it? What other rituals in futility and stupidty am I suppose to observe as an offering to house materials?
Let’s see, people have decorative towels, soap, and dishes. Are there people that have guest toilet bowls that are off-limits?
In my house, you take your shoes off. The big pile of shoes at the door makes it obvious.
Generally, you should follow the lead of your host or other guests. If there is no example to follow, ask.
I’m always taken aback at how excited people get over this topic. I roll my eyes when the questions about wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs and athletes foot and foot fetishists start popping up. It’s like people can’t separate how they’re used to something being from how it’s different elsewhere, and they need a generalization of which is “right” in order to feel the universe is properly oriented.
My Wife and I life in a VERY snowy and often muddy area (right now it’s not spring, it’s mud season).
Still I leave my shoes on in the house. A little moisture won’t hurt anything, and when you have dogs that have their own door you can’t exactly ask them to take their shoes off.
For me, not having my shoes on would be like wearing PJ’s all day, and I don’t feel right unless I’m dressed (NOT dressed up, I’m talking what I wear everyday - blue jeans). Even if I’m home alone.
If I know I am absolutely done for the day, and am just going to veg in front of the television before going to bed, I may take off my shoes.
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this before as, to some, it apparently is commonplace. Still, you take your shoes off at some else’s house? Heh, wow!
It’s cultural but probably driven by a logic and necessity that’s endemic to an area or, better yet, a latitude. No, I’ve never done it and have never seen it done but given the snow and cold and wet and such I can certainly understand the rationale.
I take my shoes off in my own home unless we have company over, then everyone (hopefully) leaves 'em on.
Around here I’ve never been asked to remove my shoes when visiting someone. Nor have I expected others to remove theirs when visiting me.
Nope. would never occur to me, except in an Asian household. Anybody expecting that a big pile of shoes near the front door or dirty looks will clue me in had better take warning: before this thread, I was completely unaware that this is a cause for concern for some people. Nobody I know has ever done this, and I’ve pretty much been all over North America and much of Europe.
So if you want my shoes off, you’d better say so in so many words before I cross the threshold.
For starters, I think people that buy white carpet need to be smacked on principle.
Wear whatever you want in my house. I’ve got a dog, and I don’t make her take her paws off when coming inside. There are times I wish she could be trained to wash her feet off before coming inside, but we were practical when picking the flooring, so the family room (which is where the door to the back yard is) is done in wood laminate, and the living/dining rooms are carpeted in a medium green. (sort of olive, rather than dark hunter or bright acid green)
Of course many Asians will be too polite to mention that you take off your shoes, even though they are bothered by it.