Just a question, I live in Canada and have casually observed a few people say that some people in the states do not take their shoes off when inside their house.
I don’t know one family in Canada that does this, and it’s considered common courtesy to take your shoes off when entering a household in Canada.
So do Americans practice this whacky custom?
MtM
No matter what season it is, everyone takes their shoes off when entering a home in Alaska.
I don’t wear my shoes at home (California), but it is not generally required that guests remove their shoes. I haven’t seen it done typically anywhere else I’ve lived in the U.S. either (Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts.) No one would think you were excessively weird if you did remove your shoes on entering their house, however–just unusually conscientious. If your shoes were visibly dirty or muddy, yes, but not otherwise.
I’m inside a house in the USA, and I’m wearing shoes right now!
I was out running errands earlier, and I just never took them off.
You haven’t seen my flat have you? I wear shoes to track the dirt out of the house…
It would be rather unusual for someone around here to take their shoes off upon entering a house.
Unless they were Chinese, in which case it seems to be the hard rule to take them off.
I’m not comfortable taking my shoes off in the presence of strangers.
I usually have shoes on when in the house. The kids and Mr. Lyllyan, however, usually do not, preferring instead to wear out socks faster than I can purchase them. :rolleyes:
With three messy kids and 2 dogs, plus the assorted menagerie we have had over the years, it is just more practical to wear shoes.
As a general rule, 'mericans do not remove their shoes upon entering someone’s house, unless, for instance, the person just had white carpet installed.
Houston Texas here, we (and about 80% of our friends) remove our shoes in the house.
Growing up in Philadelphia, I usually didn’t take my shoes off inside except in my own house. And before I was married in my fiance’s house. But my future mother-in-law grew up in Louisville and considered it totally uncouth to take one’s shoes off in the house and considered me totally uncouth for that (and other) reasons. My wife told me that she once apologized to her mother for having her shoes off in her own bedroom! (Although they both recognized the absurdity of that apology.) Since we moved to Canada it has just seemed like common courtesy to remove shoes or boots most of the year, although in nice weather I might not always. And that only makes sense to me. Even this time of year, I usually take my shoes off when I come in.
What proportion of Americans wear slippers about the house?
As a general rule, I’ve not seen it done except in wet snowy environs (removing snowy shoes in a mud room and donning regular shoes or just socks or slippers).
However, since becoming a homeowner, I’ve found it saves incredible wear and tear and provide a space for guests to do so if they so choose. If we are to have guests that likely wouldn’t be comfortable, we wear shoes.
Next house, we’ll provide the space for guest storage and socks, if they desire.
Canuck here. Footware is optional in my house. Myself, I remove shoes unless I’m running in and out.
As a guest, I will start taking them off. About half the time, I’m told not to bother (and see that they’re wearing shoes). Winter’s different, of course.
I wonder if this is more a regional phenomenon than national.
There are shoe people and no-shoe people. In my circle of friends, we are almost exclusively shoe people. We wear our shoes in the house most of the time. Taking my shoes off seems a bit pretentious to me.
I’ve often wondered how those no-shoe people handle getting a drink of water in the middle of mowing the lawn?
Around these parts it’s uncommon to remove shoes in a house - I rarely take my shoes off - it’s just not the done thing…
In Baltimore it is distinctly unusual to remove one’s shoes when entering a home, unless they are very dirty or muddy. I always take my shoes off before entering my own home, but no one else in the family does.
The whole of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East are traditionally no-shoe-in-the-house zones. I don’t know what you mean by “pretentious”; frankly, the idea of wearing shoes inside the house strikes me as bizarre. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable with them off? Why wear shoes unless you really have to?
I still have unpleasant memories of living in an apartment where the guy upstairs always wore hard-soled shoes on an uncarpeted wood floor. And he was from Turkey and should have known better.
As for yard work and going in and out of the house, I keep a pair of untied sneakers just inside the back door; easily slipped on and off during the liminal transition.
In addition to being more comfortable, as Jomo Mojo, has pointed out, it’s also a matter of cleanliness. I mean, just think of all the stuff you step on, and in, throughout the day. That same stuff is tracked into your home.
One thing in particular that comes to mind is public restrooms. You know, that cesspool of urine and other various gunk that accumulates in front of toilets and urinals (this is probably more common in men’s restrooms). Well, sometimes it can’t be avoided, and you just have to step in it.
I certainly don’t want that stuff on my carpet, so off the shoes go.
We wear shoes in our house, (it’s a rental) as do most of our friends. Once we own a home, it will be a no-shoe home. Just my preference, though shoes-on is the norm around here.
Socks wear out when shoes are not worn around the house as socks are softer than most floor materials. Rubber soled shoes with particles of dirt on them, or on the floor, grind off the surface with every step. So over time, a wood floor will lose its finish, marble will lose its shine.
I believe it is a family tradition, if your parents wore shoes around the house, then it is more likely that you will wear shoes around the house. I came from a shoe family and always wore shoes around the house, from Boston to Missouri to California. When I moved in with a woman from a non-shoe family I switched to a non-shoes in the house person.
Previous to this post I believed that American’s wore shoes in their homes, and only people of Asian descent did not wear shoes in their homes.
Other thoughts on in door shoes. Mr. Rogers switched to sneakers when he came home. Shoes are more expensive now, save wear and tear by only wearing them outside the home. Lower income housing has durable flooring, linoliem (sp), cheap carpet, etc. wearing shoes does not damage the floor. Lower income people rent more often than own, no reason to preserve the flooring long term, wear the shoes.
I hated going to a friends house as they didn’t wear shoes in the house and it was expected that any visitor would take their shoes off, or be forced to stand in the hallway.
The stupidification of the world continues as shoe laces give way to velcro and sandles. No reason to learn to tie a knot with slipons. Stupidification started with the digital clock verse analog clocks, no more clockwise, counter clockwise.