apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Our rule is that anyone bigger than me must remove his/her shoes.

I'm a little person (5'4") with little feet (size 6.5), and I don't need to take the risk of being stepped on by bigger people with heavy shoes in my own home.

I'm not too bothered by other people keeping their shoes on in my house, but I hate wearing them, so they're the last thing on when I leave and the first thing off when I get home.

Growing up no one was ever made to take their shoes off when they entered the house, and so now at my house I do not make anyone take their shoes off when they enter my house. I don't know, to me its not a big deal. especially since I don't think shoes are tracking much more "toxins" and allergens than say when I have my window open. *shrugs*

For cultural reasons, in our home, everyone is required to surrender footware at the door.wa

Exceptions only for people doing work in the home who must go between front and back doors.

Here in Canada it's rude to wear shoes in someone's house.
Don't they have mud and snow in the States?

I've never understood how Americans can wear their dirty shoes on carpet floors. Are you constantly cleaning up after the mess?

Echoing what Mod Mischief said. I don't think I've ever been in a home where it's been acceptable to leave your shoes on, mine included. It's considered incredibly rude. Ironically, a few of my American friends were completely insulted when they visited and I asked them to remove their snowy shoes at the door. They tell me it's considered completely rude to take your shoes OFF in a home, down there. Weird!

Mod Mischief,
Most people I know have mats or rugs inside or right outside their doors, to wipe your boots on. Obviously, if your shoes are so muddy/snowy/whatever that wiping won't clean them, then you'd take them off. Wearing dirty shoes into someone's home would be bad manners, but most people's shoes aren't going to be particularly dirty.

I agree with ShellyIN. If you can get your shoes reasonably clean, as a guest leave them on. Padding around in stockings seems a little too personal/informal for all but the closest friends.

As a person who has an annoying neighbor upstairs who wears stilettos at all hours of the day and night, I ABSOLUTELY take off my shoes everytime I'm in the house, and I remind others to do the same when they forget.

Living in different parts of the US, I think that there are regional differences due to weather.

Growing up in Ohio, shoes came off for everyone. It was snowy, rainy, muddy, etc. for much of the year. Snow and mud aren't going to come off just by wiping your shoes on a rug. I don't remember having to tell my guests that much because it was just a given.

In Dallas, Texas, people thought I was weird for taking off my shoes when I walked into mine or anyone else's house. After a while, I realized that my shoes were rarely dirty (that is, dirtier than shoes would always be) because I walked almost exclusively on concrete and spent most of my time either inside or in the car.

In DC, it seems that people have different opinions that are likely influenced based on where they grew up. I take my shoes off still, especially if they are dirty or I'm in an apartment with downstairs neighbors (bfootnovellista, I have upstairs neighbors like yours). I don't care what people do in my apartment as much and that probably is because I have tile floors that are easy to clean.

The shoe rack by my apartment door (which doubles as secondary and convenient shoe storage) confuses guests into taking their shoes off most of the time. I guess it works out, since it keeps the carpet cleaner!

I'm with ShellyIN, I don't like wearing them, so I don't. My guests can do as they please. I generally assume if my host took their shoes off at the door that I'm supposed to do the same and that's dandy for me but then again, I'm rarely at the homes of people who aren't close friends. Not sure I'd do the same at, say, my sister's fiance's mother's house.

When this topic came up last week on Ohdeedoh, I said that I would probably never go back to a home where the owner insisted that I take off my shoes. My apologies. This is clearly a cultural issue that depends on where and how you were raised.

I am in my late 50s, and have lived my entire life in Texas, and all over Texas. In my whole life, I never knew any family that deliberately, routinely went shoe-less in their home.

The men in my family were farmers and ranchers, and worked in the oil fields. Yes, they took off their boots on the porch or just inside the door, and there was always a boot jack for their use. But it would have been an egregious breach of hospitality to ask an ordinary guest to take off their shoes in our house. I can't imagine it.

However, in the future, I pledge to be extremely observant in others' homes, to see if they are shoe-less and I will do likewise.

Shoes in the house are pretty disgusting... Walking on the sidewalk in most cities is pretty much walking through a constant stream of dog urine... No way is that coming into my house.

I have to say that i can appreciate both sides of the agruement. Both the cultural and the ettiquette positions are equally valid. I live in the UK, i am from BC Canada. Here the whole shoes off debate is also very topical.The rule previously was that shoes come off at the door for the family only. But we recently moved to a new house and now I insist on shoes off for everyone. There are five in our family and we all wear slippers.Guests are asked in advance to bring their slippers (as it is very cold here.)We do not provide "guest slippers," simply because in my experience of the UK it would not be acceptable.

My shoe policy changed once I got pets (mostly the dog.) With a constant supply of cat hair and dirt getting tracked in, I've boycotted the shoes-at-the-door thing. More vacuuming now, but it's nice to have clean feet/socks at the end of the day.

I agree with 'Erica in DC' that it's a cultural thing. In WI, it's assumed you take off your shoes. In Tennessee I don't think I've ever seen a shoes-area or been asked to take off my shoes.