I'm curious: Do you and your family wear shoes inside?
I'm German. No idea if that has anything to do with it. We never wore shoes in the house. For us, jackets and shoes are for outside, we take them off on the doorstep. If we go to someone we know well (friends, family), we take our shoes off there, too. If it is a more formal occasion or a party, we leave them on.
My in-laws never take their shoes off inside. I actually had to have a talk to them as when DD started rolling around on the floor, I really didn't want people walking around with shoes on. FIL actually kept walking right over her playrug with his shoes (eeek) when she was only a tiny baby. I said to him: You wouldn't want her to lick the soles of your shoes, would you?
They always used to drag dirt inside (he didn't even take them off after mowing the lawn one time. I had grass clippings through the whole living area.
They treat me as if I've lost my marbles. I always take my shoes off at their place, too. I just don't feel comfortable with my shoes on. DD does the same and they actually said: "she's already copying your habit" well, i want her to. I hate housework. I do it, but I don't enjoy it. So I am trying to minimise it.
Shoes are dirty. You walk on the road, maybe through remnants of dog poo and pee, you might walk where someone spat on the street, you walk into public toilets,...
gee, I sound like a germaphobe. I am not.
The funny thing is, FIL used to travel to Japan a lot for work and I am sure he used to take his shoes off there...
Anyway, let's have a vote. Who takes their shoes off inside? I wanna know whether i really am that curious...
ETA: I don't know how to add a poll. so just send me your answer via a reply.
Sasa
xx
Last edited by sunshine_sieben; January 22nd, 2010 at 09:00 AM.
I don't unless I'm running in to grab something quickly. Got into the habit of taking them off out west coz you didn't want to walk a cat head into the house! (Nasty nasty burr!)
I feel rude going into someone elses house with shoes on & never do if I can help it. But I'm not too fussed on it.
We wear our shoes inside our house because it's all wood flooring and no matter how many times I mop our socks always get dirty. Growing up we always took our shoes off inside. I always ask when I go to someones house whether they want me to take my shoes off.
I don't wear shoes inside, either. Except for my thongs when I'm cleaning and don't want my feet getting all slippery on the wet floors.
And yes, it bugs me that nobody else takes their shoes off when they come inside, even DH tromps around in his Chuck Taylors or *eeek!* work boots all day and it's like, 'Umm, the baby is crawling through that big pile of dried mud you just tracked indoors... thanks!'.
i ALWAYS wear shoes inside . then again i always wear thongs in other peoples showers too lol !!
i wear them as walking on hard floors hurts my back nad makes the back pain worse . I have 3 pairs of shoes called fit flops . they are great for my back pain , so i wear them inside all day . I never wear them on carpet though . i take them off before i enter one of the bedrooms .
my mum does it too , so i guess i copied her . i also hate dirty feet , i have shiny tiles but DS spilt a silicone ceramic stove top protecter on the tiles and now they get grubby really quickly as i cant get rid of the waxy film , i hate seeing the soles of my feet dirty from the tiles so i wear the thongs inside . very rarely do i wear my inside thongs out side or to the shops , so i know my fit flops are clean . no one else wears shoes inside . but i hate the feeling of particles of food or dirt on bare skin. DH thinks its strange . but then he has strange habits too , so i guess were even .
I don't wear shoes inside - my feet like to be free! Dh says its 'cause I'm a Queenslander, he's been up here 10 years, he should adapt to the custom if that's the case.
Ammaki, I don't usually ask people either. Most people do it automatically. Maybe because they see us do it or because they do it themselves. I did ask my in-laws as they come over regularly and we're family. I would not ask someone I didn't know too well. Even with my in-laws it took me 8 years. Basically, walking over the baby playrug with outside shoes was the last straw. I mean, why do you reckon I bother with the rug, not to protect the carpet, but to give my baby a clean surface.
Charmalea, house-shoes (slippers) are different. So if you have a pair for indoors, I would not classify that as wearing your shoes indoors iykwim. I have carpet in the loungeroom (one of these days I will have enough money to get floorboards).
I also don't like the feeling of thigs sticking to my bare feet. hence why I don't like people dragging in dirt from outside. I vaccum the loungeroom and kitchen and around the dining table at least every 2 days, the rest of the house a little bit less. This way I keep crumbs and other bits to a minimum.
Snowylove, it has nothing to do with being a queenslander. As I said, I'm German and still don't feel like I'm at home until I have kicked off my shoes.
For me there is an added thing: My dermatologist actually ordered me to go barefoot as much as possible as I have pustular psoriasis on the soles of my feet. During a flare-up and when it's cold she wants me to wear socks to keep my feet clean, but not shoes.
I was doing the flylady thing for a very short time a while ago and the shoe mantra really bugged me.
We don't mind if people wear shoes in our uncarpeted areas of the house as we mop the floors every evening, but we don't wear our shoes in the house at all. They're taken off in either the garage or laundry.
I barely wear shoes outside But if I am at someone elses house I take my shoes off.. If I am wearing mine and have to duck back inside then yes I wear them..
we dont wear shoes in side no.
The kids even take their kids off when they walk in the door and DD is only 2 and she knows by herself!
I dont wear them at other peoples houses either, even if they say dont worry you can wear them, i dont even notice i am taking them off! lol
My BIL has this argument all the time with his INlaws. THey refuse to take off their shoes in his house no matter how many times he asks them too - to me that is just being purposefully rude.
oh and i dont ask people in my house to take them off. NOt even my own parents.
If people see i remove mine and they choose not to that is fine (i just clean up after they go home lol!).
Sunshine I am a non shoes in the house wearer too...
I agree with all your reasons & I certainly find it rude when people don't take off their shoes.
To me it's also about the energy of what is collected on shoes. As you say: dog poo, cat wee, spit, etc etc. You are walking that "crap" into a home & it's actually not a good energy as well as not clean. A home is a santurary and a haven - to bring inside it this type of energy isn't a good thing IMO... I might sound wierd to some...
I have spent a lot of time studying Buddhism & shoes are routinely removed before entering a home or a Gompa. This is because largely of the pathogens that shoes collect - but also out of respect. Respect for the "cleanness" of a home or a place of worship (which a home is).
My (ex) parents in law refused to remove their shoes and I found this confronting... I find it amazing that people can just disrespect a moray in someone's home! If people ask me I say we don't wear our shoes inside. If not I don't say anything unless they are a close friend - and of course they don't wear them inside anyway as they know it's not my thing.
I never wear shoes in the house, it is discusting, all the dirt that people bring in from their shoes is just grose. We have wooden floors throughout the house, and when people walk inside with their shoes on, they seem to make a trail of dirt that I can see! Most people know that we dont like people to have their shoes on when they are in our house, but it does not stop them. I think it is also my FIL that is the worst, he is a council worker and wears bloodstones all the time, he will never take them off and they leave scuff marks all over the floor. arg!! he just doesnt care, but when he is at his home, he will always have them off. I dont get that. Our sign out the front is quite clear, people are just rude imo when they leave them on.
We also don't wear our shoes inside. It really does annoy me and DH if people come here and wear shoes inside especially since we had DS and you can clearly see a pile of shoes near our front and back door.
My mum is a perfect example of someone who disrespects this rule in our home. She walked in just after we moved here and I politely told her we don't wear our shoes inside so would she be able to leave hers at the front door too. She gave me the worst look and took them off but has NEVER taken them off since She even had the hide to tell me that its better for the carpet if you wear shoes inside than going barefoot due to the oil that comes out of your feet. Um hello who told you this information?? A carpet cleaning company lol. Obviously they want you to wear shoes inside so they have people calling all the time cos their carpet needs cleaning after all the dirt that comes in off the soles of your shoes
Ok I'm finished my rant lol...so NO we don't wear shoes in our home
I don't wear shoes inside the house for no particular reason.
DH puts his shoes on as soon as he gets dressed.
I'm thinking about enforcing a no shoes rule though seeing as we now have DS & new carpet. I too hate people stepping on his blankies with their shoes on, but have no idea how to "tell them off"!!
Registered User
Do you wear shoes inside
most people take their shoes off at the door too, we dont ask them to they just do it..
She even had the hide to tell me that its better for the carpet if you wear shoes inside than going barefoot due to the oil that comes out of your feet. Um hello who told you this information?? A carpet cleaning company lol. Obviously they want you to wear shoes inside so they have people calling all the time cos their carpet needs cleaning after all the dirt that comes in off the soles of your shoes
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