Do you take your shoes off

[Cristy 4]

Well I know a few people who are not getting invited for Christmas

I feel the same way you do about shoes in the home, but don't you think you're being unnecessarily crabby about this?

LOL The wink meant it was a joke. No I don't like shoes in my house but I am not fighting with anyone or flaming anyone. Take it easy.

[Garfield fan 0]

Well, my house is visibly clean and smells good too, and it takes hard work for me to keep it that way. So unless you want to help me clean it, you better take your shoes off. Of course it's not a hard and fast rule, I allow some exceptions... If the host of the house that I visit demands shoes on, I will respect that too.

[eclowjpd 0]

I should have mentioned, when I go to someone elses house, I always ask, or take my cue from who I am visiting. If they are in socks or bare feet, I definitely take my shoes off at someone elses place.

Having been in a relationship with a Japanese person and exposure to that culture, it has become mandatory in my house. Shoes are filthy. If the ladies spent some time in mens room they would probably make it mandatory as well!

[jordanianprincess 0]

I didn't answer the poll, there weren't enough choices. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo.

I never wear shoes in my house, but I don't have a problem with people wearing shoes in my house. I usually walk inside and take my shoes off in the house and put them away.

I never take my shoes off at peoples homes and I never ask. I think its rather weird too. I think people that are going to insist that their guests take their shoes off because that is what they do should have a gift bag at the front door with brand new house slippers for guest. Upon leaving the guest can write his/her name on the bag and use them again next time.

[laurenbahia 0]

I never took my shoes off in the house until I came to Japan. Now you have to do it everywhere, even public places like the school I work in and the dentist's office. These places usually provide you with slippers or you bring your own indoor shoes (like at my work). Now, the thought of someone wearing their shoes in my house disgusts me, especially because I sleep on a futon on the floor and often sit on the floor. I hate the idea that their shoes could have walked through ANYTHING on the street (gum, dog poo, cut grass, mud, etc).

I went to England recently with my fiance and when we came home after a night of drinking, we both took our shoes off at the door completely instinctively, though we'd spent the week before that getting used to wearing shoes inside again! I plan to ask people to take off their shoes before they come in my house when I move back to the US.

[pj1959us 0]

Who'da thunk it? I guess it certainly is how one is raised! I have never been to anyone's home that required shoes left at the door. As has been said, it would give the presumption of familiarity and I was raised it is considered rude.

I always wear shoes in my own home (I have hardwood floors and am always in my Birkenstocks because they help the high arch in my foot and alleviate leg pain) and when I visit others' homes. I have never been to a home that didn't have a mat to properly wipe one's shoes (which I do, of course) before entering their home. I don't know anyone that would just traipse in someone's home without doing so, especially if it's been raining, etc.

To me, socks are to protect your feet from your shoes rubbing them raw, not to walk around the house in. I would be scared someone would slip on my floors if they wore their socks! What if they stub their toes on a coffee leg table? Splinter in their foot? Slight protuding nail caught on their sock? The concerns abound!

My advice is for those that expect the "normal" American to take their shoes off that they put a sign on the door or instruct them otherwise upon entering your home. If it's your family, then good luck changing them. I honestly don't think that anyone is going to do so without being told to in another person's home, because we don't want to be rude. I would of course do so if asked, but it would never occur to me otherwise.

This is reminding me of episodes of Keeping Up Appearances

[Karen_L 1]

At home, I'm usually either wearing only socks or barefoot or in those cheap cheap cheap slippers you can buy for like $2 on the street. When I go to someone else's house, unless I'm REALLY close to that person, I usually keep my shoes on because I feel funny running around barefoot in someone else's house. It happened that my husband and I went to his aunt's house and I had kind of a shoe situation. He had on some kind of shoes and socks and the minute we entered the apartment he took his shoes off. *I* on the other hand was wearing these dressy shoes and since it was still warm out, I wasn't wearing socks. There was NO WAY I was going to walk completely barefoot all day in their house, so I kept them on. No one said anything to me about it though, so I guess it was fine. If I had socks on, I might have considered taking the shoes off, but I thought it would be weird to be completely barefoot and eating dinner with people I don't know all that well, except my husband, of course. Plus, what if I stepped on something? They had hard-wood floors -- I had some splinter concerns too.

[Nessa 23]

I take them off because is more comfortable that way, nothing to do with my beliefs

[Fandango 1,439]

For those who like the shoes off at their homes: do you not know that the oils in someone's feet have more chance of mucking up your carpet than a pair of shoes? People can wipe their shoes off at the door and that's that...but oils are always being secreted thru the pores on feet

[Lou Lou 1]

When I lived in the UK I only took shoes off if the person was freaked about their carpet. Mostly, it was a shoes on affair. I didn't get offended if asked to take them off though. I would rarely be in bare feet so it would only be my socks getting the germies everyone is freaked by.

Here in Vermont is a whole different game. Everyone takes their shoes off. When it's winter there is no way you wanna track snow boots full of salt, grit and oil through the house. Most people have mud rooms to remove these things. The mud room gets filthy so there is no way I want my floors looking like that. We wear uggs around the house in the winter. And we have a basket of regularly cleaned slippers and flip flops (we chuck them in the machine after someone has worn them) for anyone who is not comfortable walking around in their socks or bare feet. We mop our hardwood floors 3 times a week and shampoo the carpets 3 times a year. I'd rather people didn't bring road snow sludge into my house thank you

[Yodrak 7]

LisaD,

Socks or slippers?

Yodrak

For those who like the shoes off at their homes: do you not know that the oils in someone's feet have more chance of mucking up your carpet than a pair of shoes? People can wipe their shoes off at the door and that's that...but oils are always being secreted thru the pores on feet

[Cristy 4]

So nobody wears socks?

[Nessa 23]

So nobody wears socks?

I wear socks, slippers or walk barefoot.

[mawilson 2,133]

do you not know that the oils in someone's feet have more chance of mucking up your carpet than a pair of shoes?

I seriously doubt that.

[Sheriff Uling 3]

...do you not know that the oils in someone's feet have more chance of mucking up your carpet than a pair of shoes?...

If a person has that much oil on their feet, I'm figuring that they need to wash their a%# cuz that's gross! LOL!