Shoes on around the house

[ByGentleFatball]

So another poster said that shoes on vs shoes off in the house isn't an issue that people feel strongly about. Not my experience at all!

When my partner took me to his parent's house, he told me at the door to take off my shoes and he did the same. I'd never been in a shoes off home before that.

One day, much later on, his mum was talking about how disrespectful someone was for just walking in her house with shoes on and how it was her looking down on them.

I explained that I never would have done it either if partner didn't say so as I wasn't raised doing it. Her other kids piped up and said they reminded all their friends to do it if they knew they didn't at their own house or wasn't sure.

Since then, I've seen that some people do feel really strongly about it for respect and/or hygiene reasons. Some equally defend not doing it, and not visiting homes who have that rule.

Are you a shoes on or shoes off home? Have you experienced it as a divisive subject?

Not unreasonable: I know people feel strongly either way

Unreasonable: This isn't an issue anyone really cares about.

The only place I've ever known this issue to be divisive is Mumsnet. I've never met anyone else in real life who cares.

I hate shoes in the house and I have wooden floors that can be mopped daily.

Do you wash your dogs feet every time then?

I genuinely don't get people that are shoes off but have pets.

I am 100% shoes off and I would never wear my shoes In someone else's house. Just preference I guess

We keep shoes on in the hallway and kitchen. We let guests keep their shoes on despite them insisting to take theirs off. We just tell them we have tiles so keep shoes on. However, upstairs and the lounge we remove shoes. Since having a dog I've realised things like dog poo etc that can get stuck to your shoes.

She has a chronic illness so appreciates the help sometimes. Plus we were obsessed with our Sharks and wanted to try them out everywhere! She has different carpets and rugs and things to me.

Well people often have one or two pets but there might be 5 people living in the house. Plus visitors. It ends up being a lot more people who can feasibly take off their shoes than pets who can't.

We are a shoes off house. I don't feel comfortable inside with shoes on and the kids have just copied me I guess. I don't care if guests leave their shoes on or take them off. It's not a hygiene thing or anything else to me, it's just my personal preference to not where shoes when I don't need to.

I was judged for taking my shoes off the first time I met the future in laws in their home, as I'd been brought up to take shoes off when you enter a house. "All fur coat and no knickers" was what they said to DP behind my back. As a 19 year old, I was baffled. They would use "fuck" in every other sentence and thought nothing of calling their 15 year old son down to dinner with "get down here you fat fucking cunt".
God forbid (they were Roman Catholic) you would "take the lords name in vain" while they themselves spouted "Jesus fucking Christ you little shit!" People can be impossible.

We're a shoes off household but I never ask anyone visiting to take their shoes off

I just hope that they do when I do if they're coming inside with me or if they see I'm not wearing shoes when I open the door to them

I only did when the DC were younger and their friends were over

Always shoes off here. We've got carpet in our living room and we live rurally, so often there is a bit of mud. But if people don't offer we never ask. If mud gets in I'll get the carpet cleaner out when they leave. we only have carpet in one room and we're probably putting oak floor down soon anyway to match the rest.

If you live in a country cottage, it makes more sense to wear shoes as you are more likely to be in and out of your cellar, pantry, garage, garden, shed etc.

We all have crocs on the shoe rack in the hall for nipping out to the garden/outbuildings.

I'm not a shoes of person, but my SIL is and it irritates me, because she's not a tidy person in any other way. She leaves junk around their house, but is obsessed with shoes off from the doorstep.

The thought of shoes in the house really grosses me out! Shoes off at the front door!

I know people feel strongly about it. Personally, I don’t give a shit. On, off, couldn’t care less. The dogs are all over the house and don’t clean their feet…

Shoes off for the whole of my country back home, the very thought of wearing outside shoes inside is utterly bizarre and disgusting.having moved to the UK several decades I’ve found any house guests don’t even ask what to do, they just see the shoes in the entrance and take them off politely.

My parents have a shoes on house and it's so not relaxing. It's less about hygiene etc and more about differentiating between outdoor activity and relaxed at home for me. Indoors is slippers and cosy socks, outdoors is walking shoes and protecting feet from elements.

I can honestly say in all my years on this earth I have thankfully never been asked to remove my shoes in any house I have been in. Ever.

Shoes off house here, with the exception of tradespeople. I immediately clean the floors when someone leaves after coming inside with shoes.

If a tv show character has their shoes on when they're lying on a bed or couch, that's all I can focus on.

I take my shoes off out of comfort, and often bring slippers with me when visiting others.
But I'm very relaxed about people in my house and let guests keep their shoes on. I'd much rather not have to feel everything needs to be spotless and not have to provide slippers of all shapes and sizes as we have a small house with enough shoes spilling out as it is.

It tend to find that these are first world problems and people who get worked up about it should just be grateful they don't have any real problems in their lives.

I have a couple neighbors who are like that. When I told them no one wears shoes in my house, you would have thought I said that I force people to strip naked.

Shoes off here. If people don't like it, they stay outside.

Everybody else's house, I go with the host's preference.

I'm like your SIL. I'm not tidy and my house is not super clean, but I do the best I can to keep the dirt out. I'm old, I have chronic health issues and I don't have the energy to constantly clean all the floors, so I do what I can to decrease filth and taking off shoes is an easy thing to do.

Surely not? You would refuse entrance to your home to, for example, an elderly person who struggles to remove their shoes?

That can’t be true.

OP yes people have strong feelings and MN is full of people whose loved ones are for some reason routinely dragging dog shit through their homes.

We have floorboards, usually don’t wear shoes at home, have zero rules about it and would never dream of being so staggeringly rude as to deny a guest entrance to our home over their preference for footwear.

I grew up in a house where everyone kept their shoes on indoors; in fact, it never occurred to me to do otherwise until I was much older and had a place of my own.

I have changed my views completely over time. I keep a very clean house and have brand new carpets. There's only me these days and certainly no dogs. I can't think of anything worse than walking around indoors with all the grit, germs and crap residue from outdoors on my shoes. Urgh! It's shoes off at the door, and my friends, family and neighbours know that when they come over. They usually bring slippers with them.

During the time I lived in Scandinavia, shoes off was very much the norm. In Iceland it's shoes off even for school children in school (they take slippers with them) and in public buildings such as a visit to the swimming baths or library etc. Shoes are left in pigeon holes by the entrance and if you haven't brought your own slippers/indoor footwear, you use a set of indoor "clogs" which are provided.

If you go as far north as Svalbard (unlikely for most people, I know!) EVERYONE takes footwear off at every building. So even in a coffee bar or small pub (a few do exist in Longyearbyen) all the boots are left at the door, everyone is sitting around in thick socks while chatting over a pint.

In my experience, it's the more northern, colder countries where this becomes the norm because leaving shoes on would bring in too much snow, ice and outdoor grit. However, if you live with it for long enough and then come back to the UK, it seems odd that anyone would want to bring outdoor dirt inside a house.