Another Canuck shoe-remover here.
It would never occur to me to automatically take my shoes off on entering a home other than my own, even if my hosts were barefoot. Of course they’re barefoot; they’re at home, and I’m not. Taking off your shoes is like putting your feet on the furniture, or going to raid the fridge–your right in your own home, but rather presumptuous at somebody else’s home. As such, I never remove my shoes in someone else’s house unless I’ve been specifically invited to do so (or unless I’m visiting family, in which case practically at home anyway).
Out of curiosity, how does this whole thing work anyway? Is there some place to sit down while you take your shoes on and off, or are you hopping around like a stork and risking a nasty fall onto wet, dirty shoes? Is there a provision for not getting your socks wet walking past the slushy boots into the rest of the house? If you’ve walked through the dirty part of the hall where the shoes are (you’d pretty much have to, near as I can tell) in your socks, don’t your socks get dirty and track dirt into the rest of the house? Are there provisions for people who can’t or don’t want to remove their shoes to clean them?
Easiest way to achieve your goal is a shoe rack inside the door with a cute sign politely requesting to please remove your shoes.
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Yes, there is some place to sit down. At my house, there is the sofa or a nearby chair; my mom has a cute stool just for that purpose in the front entrance.
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There’s nothing to walk past. You walk in with your boots on; you sit down with your boots on the shoe tray; you take off your boots; you move your dry feet onto the dry floor away from the shoe tray.
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No provisions for people who don’t want to remove their boots. Shoes are okay as long as they are moderately clean, in my house, but not my mom’s as far as I can tell. Doctor’s notes are accepted.
Exception to the above: clean shoes. Sometimes, if you are attending a more formal event during the winter, you will bring your shoes with you, remove your boots, and put on your clean shoes.
I don’t tend to wear shoes in my house because I prefer to walk around in socks. More comfortable (my shoes usually at best only kind of fit.) So, not an issue.
I can’t think of a single situation where someone’s feet belong on a coffee table - shod or not, either way seems gross. If it was a very, very, very, very, very close friend and an incredibly informal visit, I might rest my feet on a couch. But it would have to be a very close friend.
I live in the PacNW, and most people wear shoes inside. (The same has been true when I’ve been in Canada)
Canadian here, and shoe-off is the default where I live. In fact, I thought the shoe-on thing in sitcoms was just a bizarre tradition, I had no idea real people (and so many of them!) not only wear shoes inside the house, but are so vehemently opposed and offended at the thought of removing them.
It’s pretty obvious this is a Canadian thing. Who knew?
I wonder how my sister would do up in Canada. It’s almost impossible for her to remove her shoes without pulling off (at least partially) her fake leg as well. And she cannot walk on her fake leg without the shoe, I don’t think. Throws her balance all off. (She walks with a cane.) I also don’t think she’d be able to use slippers on her fake leg and keep her balance.
What provisions, do you think, would be made for someone like her?
Hmm. If your feet really smell that bad, you probably aren’t the most popular guest even with your shoes on, unless you wear hermetically sealed wellies…
I’m in rural AZ and no matter how I try, I cannot sweep/vacuum well enough to get rid of all the cactus spines that blow into the house. Shoes off = painful plant detrius in the footpads. Add to that a cranky old cat who think toes look like baby mice and a young dog who thinks that all feet need to be licked lovingly clean, it’s just less traumatic to just keep the shoes on.
Suzene
Australian here. Most houses in my area seem to be shoe-on houses. I’d probably say 90 - 95%.
When I build my home, I plan on having an alcove where guests can sit and remove shoes. My house will be gloriously, annoyingly and adamantly shoeless. The only people who will wear shoes inside my future home are those with medical reasons.
Another Australian here - a Sydneysider. Shoes off.
It’s not just us, most of our friends do it too. The exception is when I know it is an outdoors party, and I’m just walking through the house to the back yard.
I’ve never asked anyone to remove their shoes, but I’ve noticed a lot of tradespeople take their shoes off, even when I’ve said not to trouble themselves. Or if they are going in and out a lot, laying a runner from the door to wherever they are working. And it isn’t the pristine white carpet - ours is an unappealing grey with pink flecks, and desperately needs to be replaced. (It’s on “The List”[sup]TM[/sup]).
I’ve also noticed that parents usually remind their children to remove their shoes in the house.
Wonder if it is the Japanese influence in Sydney? It sure ain’t the snow and slush!
This was a classic and I guess I’m the only one who noticed…
LOL
My naughty bits? Hysterical…
My Japanese/British children are hilarious when they go to visit relatives in England. Every single time we walk in the front door, we all trip over two little bodies removing their shoes!
And they are not tactful in the least about telling everyone else how dirty they are for leaving their shoes on… (Well, the older one is getting better but there’s no hope for the three year old yet.)
In England my parents walk through their entire house to the coat cupboard and take off their shoes and change into slippers there. There is no way round it in their house short of building on a porch in which to change and store shoes and coats.
In our house in Japan we have a huge built in shoe cupboard in our large entrance hall, then a step up into the house which is a physical reminder that this is now “inside” and a shoe-free zone.
Incidentally the lower foyer is not considered completely part of your private space, and if you don’t lock your door, delivery men and visitors will step right into your house and yell for you - eek!
Minnesotan here.
Most people around here remove shoes (especially in winter) in their own homes. Its divided on entering a home to visit, but many people do year round all the time.
But, I don’t make my guests take off their shoes. Whatever makes my guests comfortable. I have two children and the carpets have had pretty much everything done to them humanly possible. Besides, I was taught that guests are more important then carpets (or if they aren’t, don’t have guests over) and that you dress up to go see people (and jeans look fine with stocking feet, running around in nylons and a skirt leaves something to be desired).
Went to a party in college once in expensive shoes that were new and I loved them and they went so well with the outfit. I’m not really a shoe person, and this incident may be the reason I never became one. They made me take my shoes off at the door (I asked them if I could keep them on) - apparently to protect the hardwood floors in their rathole apartment (really, we were all in college, rathole is a descriptor, not a slam). At the end of the night, after everyone had dropped their boots and tennis shoes on top of my little bone leather pumps, they were ruined. As were my nylons. And I had cold feet all night. Had I come alone, I would have turned around and left, but I was at the mercy of my date.
I find it weird and extremely uncomfortable to wear shoes in the house–anyone’s house. I also think that given what my shoes have walked on, it’s a bit rude to track it around someone’s house. I always remove my shoes.
Wow! I would think that expecting your guests to keep their shoes on was not caring about their comfort! It really just weirds me out to realize that some people are actually more comfortable wearing shoes than not. It’s a bizarre world out there.
(oh, and to elaborate on my previous post–the first time I’m at someone’s house I do try to remember to ask if it’s ok before taking my shoes off. I don’t think anyone has every said ‘oh no! keep them on!’ though)
My shoes are on. If someone invites me to visit, I would consider it rude to tell me that I must take my shoes off. I would do it the first time to be polite, but I probably wouldn’t be in a hurry to visit again.