Do you remove your shoes?

[nickle730]

Ok, just read someone else's vent and it got me wondering...

If you visit someone's home, do you take your shoes off at the front door?

I don't and I don't expect people to take their shoes off in my home. To be honest I don't even consider it unless there is a pile of shoes at the front door and then I will ask 'would you like me to take my shoes off?'. I don't think anyone has ever said 'yes, please!'.

But maybe they're just being polite and I am being really rude??!! What do you do?

[Trillian]

I'm like you, if there are shoes outside the door then I take them off, but if not then I wear them in.

[~*Niadalla*~]

I always do. We don't wear shoes in our house, so it's just habit. I don't ask people to take their shoes off here though. I don't really notice.

[~TT40~]

I do. But I only ever wear thongs, so i can do it when i'm walking, doesnt even slow me down at all.

[Charlotte91]

I nearly always do.
Mainly because of where we live there's a weed called bindi-eye (or jacks, whatever you want to call them) and they are nasty nasty little buggers. If you stand on them they're so sharp they can make you bleed and they hurt soooo bad.
No-one wants them in the house.

[human bean]

I always ask at the door of their house if they want me to take my shoes off, whether there's a pile or not. We don't expect it at our house but I think alot of folks think we do as DH always leaves his just inside the front door. I usually let people know they don't have to if they go to remove their shoes.

[raffy]

I always do. We don't wear shoes in our house, so it's just habit. I don't ask people to take their shoes off here though. I don't really notice.

I'm exactly the same

[Artechim]

I always take my shoes off at other peoples houses, even if they say it is alright to leave them on. My children also remove their shoes. Every visitor we have ever had has offered or already has their shoes off by the time I get to the door. I don't usually wear shoes inside at home, but have been lately because Miss almost 2 thinks it is her duty to deliver my shoes to me if she finds them not on my feet (hers too).

I wonder if the high rate of shoe removal in NZ is to do with the removal of shoes when you enter the wharenui on a Marae? Perhaps the custom has seeped into our everyday culture.

[Cherished]

I take my shoes off and I also want people to take their shoes off, if they don't then I ask them to as they are about to walk in the door. We built this house and i want the carpet to stay clean and the floor need mopping enough without dirty shoes making them dirty right after it's been mopped.

[Sopdet]

New place, I either take my shoes off or ask. If I know the place well, then I go with what they want.

I need to start carrying socks/slipper type shoes with me now that it is frelling freezing and I'd rather not wander around with no shoes on.

[hj1981]

i always take my shoes off!

I know how much time and energy goes into cleaning and keeping my floors clean so i would hate wear shoes inside someone elses house on their clean floors!
and i dare say alot of people wouldn't say anything as i know i don't so i kinda do what i would like people to do for me!

[Floweryfields]

I'm like you, if there are shoes outside the door then I take them off, but if not then I wear them in.

Yeah that's what I do to. I wear my shoes inside at home - I do have dirty outside shoes that don't come in and viceversa. I personally get embarassed if I forget I will have to take my shoes off and wear ones that give me stinky feet and then I have to go inside with stinky feet!!

[RhiChiChi]

Yes, I do. If they tell me not to I will usually still do it b/c I actually don't like wearing shoes inside (my feet get hot & uncomfortable). I posted in that other thread that I usually take a pair of socks or slippers to wear.

[RhiChiChi]

I was just about to post the same as Cherished - we rarely use our front door & even if we did there could be no shoes there - I can't stand piles & piles of shoes at the front entrance of a house!

[trishalishous]

We always remove shoes, especially if the host opens the door barefoot!
Its cultural for DH to always remove shoes, and Im more comfortable barefoot

[peanutter]

I basically always leave shoes on, but I try to remember to look and see if my host is wearing shoes - and if they're not, I ask if it's a shoes-off house.

But I grew up in a shoes on house, as did DH, so we have to think about it intentionally.

And I'm never offended if people don't think to ask us!

But I don't like it when people walk with shoes on over DS's play mat, or rest shoes on our counch, coffee table, etc.

[Mother Goose]

My DH has a strict no shoes policy. I'm more relaxed about it we rent and have polished floor boards so we try to protect them by not wearing shoes. Our last house had boards and we always wore shoes, the boards got trashed. So we are conscious of the floors and politely ask people to remove shoes. Weson have a pike of shoes at the front door... Although on any given day you will find multiple pairs of dd's shoes strewn across the lounge room! DH and I take shoes off downstairs next to the garage but we insist on DD wearing hers on the stairs so she doesn't slip.

I couldn't care less about ring marks on my table etc because it is MY/OUR stuff. Nor am I a neat freak. But I try to care for our landlords!

[HotI]

We have stupid white carpet (who puts white carpet in when you live on a dirt road??) and don't wear shoes inside. Depending on what time of the year it is we are more consistent with asking people to remove their shoes. We get the carpets steam cleaned once a year, and if it just after then we are more consistent- just before, the carpets are no longer white anyway so we are more lax.

Not a neat freak about ring marks etc, just try to keep the carpets looking reasonable for as much of the year as poss.