leave your shoes at the door, thank you

[Tyler]

north end of the valley = older homes, south end of the valley = newer homes = newer carpets

That'd be my guess too (if there were a better guess than a religion based on kitchen slapstick )

[TelegramSam]

I always pull my shoes off when I'm at home, but that's mostly due to the fact that I really rather despise having anything on my feet. I wouldn't wear shoes at all, period, if I could get away with it.


That said I do get rather sick of having to vacuum, mop and sweep floors from one end of the house to the other every week because my dad insists on tracking dirt, mud and small bits of gravel across the entire flippin' house (and you can't really just sweep up what gravel does to hardwood floors anyway). He wears these horrible work boots with deep tread that pick up everything and refuses to sit down and take them off in the kitchen instead of stomping all the way across the house in them first. Believe me, I've asked him nicely to do so, and my mother has gotten on to him a billion times, but he always conveniently "forgets".

So, I can totally understand why some people get frustrated with shoes in the house. Because depending on the shoes and the shoe-wearer, it can really be a mess.

[dwinterfield]

For years, my brother, in suburban Chicago, asked folks to remove there shoes when entering his house. I don't remember asking why. It stuck me as odd since neither he nor his wife, the three kids or the dog seem particularly fussy about houseskeeping.

I don't have as negative a reaction as some others on this thread, but it's always struck me as an affectation and a little silly. It is not the general cultural norm in this country so one shouldn't expect most people to do it routinely unless one asks them. it is reasonable to expect people to wipe their shoes and to remove them is they're covered with snow, mud or obvious debris.

One other issue that some folks have touched on is that for some people it's risky and/or embarasssing. I'm not as limber as I once was, nor as thin. Bending over to tie or untie my shoes is sometimes awkward. It's much easier from a sitting position. Recently I've added inserts in my shoes to help with a bit of tendonitis in my achilles tendon. The podiatrist tells me barefoot isn't such a good idea these days. If you ask to remove my shoes, I will smile and comply. These are not things I want to share with you. You'll also be forcing my to display my lack of suppleness and I'll be embarrassed. I'll also avoid returning. It's no way to treat a guest in your home.

[djm]

The dirt bothers me, particularly the dirty rugs. For me it isn't about preserving anything, but just keeping some of the dirt out. It just sort of disgusts me to think about how dirty the rugs are even though they don't look dirty.

I guess this is the part of the fallacy that bothers me, as if sweaty socks or bare feet don't leave skin oil all over everything everwhere, as if this doesn't collect more dust and dirt, as if this doesn't stink up the place. (Sorry, Cynth, I don't mean to pick on you particularly.)

I knew a woman who had a real neurosis about dirt on her floors. When she moved into a new place she couldn't sleep until every carpet was removed and cleaned, and every inch of floor scrubbed. She would tuck herslf up onto any chair to avoid being in contact with the floor in case there was any dirt.

While I don't encourage walking in and out shedding piles of earth and gravel, or dripping water and snow or slush, I can't see any problem with wearing clean shoes in doors.

djm

[jsluder]

at home, I wear mine all the time though, because I have a foot problem which generates loads of misery if I don't wear the one pair of shoes that eliminates, or at least minimizes it.

My wife has a similar problem. She has plantar fasciitis in one foot and is under doctor's orders to wear supportive shoes (in her case, Birkenstock sandals) any time she is on her feet, even in the house. Asking her to remove her shoes in your house is asking her to unnecessarily endure pain.

[Cynth]

The dirt bothers me, particularly the dirty rugs. For me it isn't about preserving anything, but just keeping some of the dirt out. It just sort of disgusts me to think about how dirty the rugs are even though they don't look dirty.

I guess this is the part of the fallacy that bothers me, as if sweaty socks or bare feet don't leave skin oil all over everything everwhere, as if this doesn't collect more dust and dirt, as if this doesn't stink up the place. (Sorry, Cynth, I don't mean to pick on you particularly.)

I knew a woman who had a real neurosis about dirt on her floors. When she moved into a new place she couldn't sleep until every carpet was removed and cleaned, and every inch of floor scrubbed. She would tuck herslf up onto any chair to avoid being in contact with the floor in case there was any dirt.

While I don't encourage walking in and out shedding piles of earth and gravel, or dripping water and snow or slush, I can't see any problem with wearing clean shoes in doors.

djm

Don't worry, I don't feel picked on. Except that my socks and feet aren't stinky!!!!

I know things would still get somewhat dirty, but surely you notice more dirt at the entrance ways in your house? And think of what you are stepping in out there---like stuff on the sidewalk. Worse stuff than skin cells from the bottom of your feet.

I am not as troubled as that poor woman is. That is a truly serious situation. Although I do find that if I have to get down on the rug I feel like I have gotten dirty and I certainly wash my hands if they've touched it----I think it would be nice not to feel that way about the inside of one's house. Or if I take a shower I hate the feeling of walking barefoot on the floors and rugs and getting my feet dirtier than they were before I took my shower when my feet had been encased in clean socks all day. I am able to put these thoughts in the back of my mind though and accept that some surfaces are cleaner than others. Probably because I am far too lazy to scrub the heck out of everything well enough and often enough to keep things really clean. It would take most of your time to do that I believe. But I believe changing your shoes would help .

[avanutria]

When I was little, in NY, one of the kids in the neighbourhood lived in a house where they had to take shoes off. I remember the carpet was very white, but we didn't go there often so I don't remember much else. I don't remember it bothering me.

In college, also NY, a friend of mine lived in a flat with three other girls. They decided on a rule that shoes had to be taken off at the door (a tiled area) before coming into the rest of the flat (nice, relatively new carpeting). I don't know if this was to save cleaning or due to upbringing. They were always very nice about it and I never minded.

Now, I have a Japanese sister-in-law and at their house visitors are required to take their shoes off. it caught me off guard the first time but I didn't mind, and now am used to it. They've got underfloor heating in the kitchen, which is nice!

I think it's all a matter of what you're used to - if you were never asked to do it before it might seem more of a personal 'attack' than if you encountered it before. I think I'd rather know before I arrive that shoes-off is preferred, that way I can make sure my socks haven't got holes, and ask about bringing slippers if it's cold.

[Innocent Bystander]

Here in the UK we're urban with smaller houses. I mean me and mine.
Our house has a back door which we don't use, a front door which opens outwards (and therefore, which we don't use) and a side door through the kitchen. Which has become the main entrance.
While the kitchen is large for this size of house, there is not enough room for a rack of dirty footwear. So our shoes stay on. Guests are not requred to remove their shoes.

My friend Josie has a smaller house, but preserves the illusion of grandeur by requiring guests to remove their footwear. The floors are not any cleaner than ours...

Living in the country, and those with larger houses - if you have a lobby with a boot rack, great! But urbanites - depends on the house, your own paranoia, your guests' paranoia, the phase of the moon, probably...

[gallant_murray]

The wife and I just got a puppy. He's not house-broken. We wear our shoes indoors on purpose.

[cowtime]

The wife and I just got a puppy. He's not house-broken. We wear our shoes indoors on purpose.

Very wise. And in my case, old dogs, same danger on the odd occasion, thankfully.

We use our front door almost exclusively. That's one of the things I like about this house- everyone in through the front, since those rooms are usually presentable. Like most old Craftsman houses, the front door opens directly into the living room, and like some old houses, there's not enough clearance to keep a rug there. I do have one in the den- to the right of the entry door. But, we've gotta go through there to get to the laundry to leave the messy shoes and put on "cleaner" shoes. So, we do track in all kinds of stuff.

I use to mop and vaccum every day- but that's when I did not work the hours I do now. Now, it's at least once a week, sometimes twice. (for the downstairs, depending on the weather.)

[dubhlinn]

I've come across this phenomena here and there.

Usually there is a new carpet involved so everybody takes off their shoes and creeps around on tippy toes..a bottle or two of vodka later, not to mention a few spliffs, everybody, myself included, are singing the praises of the carpet.

Now then...

When everybody goes and finds their shoes, not to mention their feet, the first thing they do is to storm back into the room and make sure they have everything they had on the way in..give or take a few bits and pieces.

Never fails, always amazes.

Funny old world...


Slan,
D.

[anniemcu]

What struck me about annie's post is that for some people, taking your shoes off in their house is likely rude. In other's, it's leavin' em on.

Well, like the bumper sticker blares (most likely insincerely) "Celebrate Diversity"

I don't find that bumper-sticker's message insincere at all... sorry you do.... but wait... this isn't ... the ... right ... forum... arrgghh!!

[anniemcu]

at home, I wear mine all the time though, because I have a foot problem which generates loads of misery if I don't wear the one pair of shoes that eliminates, or at least minimizes it.

My wife has a similar problem. She has plantar fasciitis in one foot and is under doctor's orders to wear supportive shoes (in her case, Birkenstock sandals) any time she is on her feet, even in the house. Asking her to remove her shoes in your house is asking her to unnecessarily endure pain.

Yup, I actually have that on the right foot (about 18 years!!) and something the doc called 'hammer toe' on the left... both very painful when aggravated, and barefoot aggravates. Tell your wife that since I started doing yoga, well... more like 4 or 5 months into it ... my plantar fascitis all but disappeared. Unfortunately, the other problem started about that same time (I do know the cause, and it wasn't the yoga).

[Nanohedron]

The wife and I just got a puppy. He's not house-broken. We wear our shoes indoors on purpose.

Ha. Reminds me of the time I got up in the middle of the night and stepped barefoot on this wet mass that was weirdly crunchy. Turned on the light, and saw that apparently the junebugs hadn't sat well with the cat.

[jsluder]

Ha. Reminds me of the time I got up in the middle of the night and stepped barefoot on this wet mass that was weirdly crunchy. Turned on the light, and saw that apparently the junebugs hadn't sat well with the cat.

Thanks Nano! I literally laughed out loud at that. Good thing I'm not at work...