Why do some people not use their front doors?

[FlowersAndShit]

Why do some people only ever use their back doors? I just don't see the point in having a front door and walking all the way round the back to use the back door. Is there some sort of logic to this?

[cardboardboxx]

Our back door is straight into he kitchen so its better for muddy shoes/pushcchair/the dog. Its easier to clean up.

[MidnightVelvetthe5th]

My nana does this, apparently the front door is only used for deaths & marriages :) No idea why, the front door is also closer to the street so it takes longer having to walk to the back.

I suppose if you are infirm or elderly its a good idea for people to let themselves in through the back rather than you having to answer the front door....?

[Notthecarwashagain]

My front door leads into dining room (back to front house!) so always use back. I park round there too so no walking around.

[NattyTile]

Front door on main road, back door up a ginnel from a side road. Much safer and easier to park.

[IamtheZombie]

Because the only vehicular access is to the rear of the house.

[ChilliMum]

Ours leads to the kitchen like others have said we also have what can very loosely be described as a back porch so better if wet and or muddy. Plus I can park at the back of the house.

[ditavonteesed]

no one round here uses there front doors, the back door leads into the kitchen so you don't trail muck all over the lounge and make the lounge cold. Also I have a massive sofa up to it so couldn't use it anyway. Also it would feel really intrusive if people knocked for deliveries and things into the lounge.

[GunShotResidue]

Our next house (moving next week) has the garage and driveway connected to the back garden, so I imagine we'll use the back door whenever going out in the car.

An elderly neighbour of my parents used to use the back door as there were steps to the front and she found it easier to walk round.

I would think most people just use the closest door though.

[Wardrobespierre]

Because...

The front door leads directly into the street and people are tring to get past

The front door leads into the carpeted front room whereas the back door leads to the hallway which is tiled and has shoe storage

There's a busy road at the front and we keep the door locked to keep the dc safe

The car is parked at the back

The garden is at the back


Good enough reasons?

[NeedACleverNN]

Some houses round here, the front door leads straight into a small living room.

They use the back door so they can utilise what space they have in the living room and usually have a sofa up against the front door

[BarbarianMum]

Where I live lots of front doors give straight into the front room - use them and you invite a lot of dirt and cold in. Instead people use the ginnel to get to the back door - seems sensible to me.

[lessthanBeau]

Think it depends on your house, and ease of access, we use front door at dads house, back door at mums and back door at mine. It's easier for shoes off otherwise you tramp through the whole house and our front door hallway is too small for loads of shoes to pile up.

[OohMrDarcy]

My back door leads to garage / drive (at the end of the garden) so often used for this, especially if lots to unload from the car!

[VertigoNun]

I have never seen this happen. Those posting give practical reasons. I guess they live in muddy areas.

[MaxPepsi]

I have used the front door at my parents house once!

The day I left it to get married!

The 'back' door is actually at the side and leads straight into the kitchen. Where everything happens, and which is also a stable door so we didn't have to open the door fully and let the dog out!

The front door leads into the hallway, but you'd have to go all the way through the house then to get to the kitchen, which is pointless!

[wonkylegs]

We use the back door when coming in by car because the drive and parking comes round the back of the house. If we are walking we come in the front door except if we have muddy boots on as the back door goes straight into the utility.

[Katedotness1963]

The back door was more convenient. You had to round the building to get to the front. The only person who used the front door was the postie, everyone else, every other delivery came to the back door.

[DonttouchthatLarry]

If you have dogs and horses, it's nice to welcome visitors into a hall that isn't full of muddy boots, smelly coats and a carpet covered in pawprints and hay

But for 'normal' people with clean feet - I don't know!

[ooerrmissus]

Because they live in Yorkshire, of course.

No idea why, but it was something my parents noticed when they moved North. Used to drive my mum batty.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

My family subscribes to the Terry Pratchett theory about front doors. You use it three times and are carried every one.

Guests are allowed to use it. I actually told my Mum and Dad off because it is like Fort Knox and they can never find the keys. In a fire, they'd never get out.

[MaxPepsi]

But in our house, we use the front door, because that is where the alarm is. I would however prefer to use the back door but I can't be arsed to get DH to move the alarm!

[TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams]

It was a house rule growing up that we had to use the back door. Presumably to keep an eye on who was coming and going and who they had in tow, as Mum would usually be in the kitchen.

Now I live in the middle of a terrace. Back door gets opened about twice weekly in the winter.

[FullMoonDiva]

The only vehicle access is at the back of the house, garage and garden also at the back. Door leads into a small hallway then into the kitchen so makes more sense to use this door-most people around here do because of the layout of the streets.
Front door gets used for door to door salespeople or if I'm popping across to the shop as its at that side of the house.

[whatevva]

I think in the old days of two-up two-downs, people kept the front room tidy for visitors and lived in the back room. Therefore, everyone used the back door, because there is no use tramping through the front room if you are trying to keep it posh. Old habits die hard.

We had an extension on the front and could make the hall big enough to hang coats and put shoes and it is tiled. Can't stand dirty feet tramping through my kitchen .