No shoes indoors rule?

Question

For all of you that have a shoes off house. Where do you take off your shoes? Why do you do it there? Do your guests have to remove their shoes?

Answer 1

We have a "shoes off" house.

Everyone, both residents and guests, take off their shoes near the front door or garage door. The exception is when we are throwing a party, in which case guests don't have to take off their shoes.

Why we do it there goes hand-in-hand with why we do it at all. There's two main reasons. First is to keep the dirt out of the house. Second is to make it more cozy in the house. Shedding your shoes as you enter allows you leave behind the outside world and enter the safety of your home. (OK - it makes us feel that way, at least.)

Answer 2

I used to live in Canada, where the custom is that people usually take their shoes off right when they go inside the door. People often have a little mat or something that you can put your shoes on just inside the door. I didn't know why they had that custom, but when the winter came, I was able to make a pretty good guess: my shoes were continually covered with dirty, wet snow. I think taking the shoes off keeps the house clean and dry.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, we bought a carpet that is waaay lighter than it looked in the store, and we've had to resort to keeping our shoes off in the house. We have a small ornamental carpet near the door with several pairs of shoes. This sends a clear message that most guests respond to. Most people don't even miss a beat, even those who've never visited before -- they see the shoes and the (friggin') white carpet and do it automatically. Ocassionally, someone has walked into the house with shoes on -- if it's a temporary visitor, we tend to grin and bear it. If it's someone who will be there for a few hours, we ask politely. Without this policy, our carpet would be totally disgusting by now. Even with it, we have to use a steam-cleaner on it at least once a month. Here's a bit of advice on a tangent for you readers: DON'T EVER BUY A WHITE OR OFF-WHITE CARPET!!! YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO IT, AND IT IS NOT WORTH THE LOOK. my next carpet will be black. sorry for the tirade.

Answer 4

I'd like to have that 'rule' but I don't feel I can tell my roommate what to do. I don't force guests to do it either. My floors just aren't clean enough to try to use that excuse.

If my shoes are wet/muddy, I take my shoes off by the front door so I don't make my apartment any dirtier than it already is. On a normal day, I walk into my bedroom and take them right off. I have flip flops that I wear around the house. Wool slippers with a rubber tread if my feet are cold.

I live in NYC and the streets can be pretty nasty. I just don't like to think that that crap is all over my apartment. I try my best.

Answer 5

The shoes come off once you step into the house.

Because I don't want to take my shoes off outside where it is cold and snowing.

Yes guests have to as well unless they are just standing at the door talking.

Answer 6

By the front door unless your have a special place for them. The reason why some peolpe want you to take of your shoes is because of where you have been. Just think of all the places you have walked in those shoes, public bathrooms, YUCK!, sidewalks, stepped in something (know what I mean)? So after you have walked in those shoes and you go to somebody elses house, who may have kids, and they play on the floor they are picking up all of those cherms.

Answer 7

Yea, we have that rule in our house.
Right by our door we have this inverted area in the wall where there's a shoe rack. It just easy for us to do so.
My parents are indian so they have the mentality since they grew up in india. So its a sign of politeness.
Yes, we do have guests take off they're shoes and they understand why we have them do so.

Answer 8

ok generally I only make people take off their shoes when I have just vaccuumed and washed the floor. I would be happy to have people take off the shoes at all times if I could as its more relaxing. I have seen some places make people take off sheos and put on slippers which I am fine with. In thailand you always have to take off your shoes to visit temples and some houses so I guess they are used to taking off their shoes often.

Answer 9

I use the laundry room in the back. I would not ask guests to remove shoes and you should wear them when having guests.

Answer 10

In our house, shoes are removed inside any door that leads to outside.

They are removed because I do not want the girt getting littered around the house and acting like fine sandpaper when walked on and scuffing and scratching my floors.

Everyone removes their shoes; unless there is an emergency in place.