I work in a cubical, and I take my shoes off before putting my feet under the desk. If it was more accepted I'd take them off outside my cube, but, I live in a country that likes shoes on.
Worst desks I crawled under were for people who would wear their winter boots. Desks where people change into seperate shoes just in socks or slippers were much preferred.
Fun fact, I'm the IT guy lol I dont have to go around the office much, most my day is at my desk also as an IT guy I'd rather crawl under someone's desk that never put their shoes under there. After walking around the office, in the bathroom, outside on the side walk in your shoes, your socked feet are cleaner.
Here in FL USA, they don't wear socks, they wear flip-flops. They claim their toes need to breathe. It smells like onions under there, but i see you point if they are socked. Guess it's a regional issue.
I don't mind prioritizing the guest over the host. So, that is how I operate in my home and no one is being rude. Not that either approach is wrong. But, given the rudeness I've encountered here it dosen't feel like avoiding rudeness is the driving factor.
Was recently discussing with someone that it's really weird that, on the internet, Britain is repeatedly labelled a "shoes on indoors" society, because nobody we know has shoes on indoors (in their own home). Britain is a wet and muddy country.
Does anyone here do shoes on indoors? Where are you all from?
UK too, shoes off too, have never lived anywhere where shoes on indoors was a common thing
The only reason I can think is that underfloor heating is relatively rare here and if you've got hard floors it'll be cold to walk on, but then slippers exist so idk really
It might be in including having slippers or "indoor shoes". Nigeria is there as a shoes on, but from my understanding, its only slippers/flip flops specificly for indoors, that are normal.
Edit: Talked to my Nigerian friend, shoes off is expected, and slippers are just a personal preference. The map is just wrong.
No, in "shoes off" countries it is very normal to wear slippers or other kinds of indoor footwear, so it wouldn't make any sense to count those as "shoes on". I just think the data used for this map was very faulty.
Same for Japan. No chance they're wearing full hiking boots or sneakers inside the house in Japan - the shoe cabinet is built in right next to the front door of houses, tiny apartments, temples, many restaurants, etc. I assume the schools still do too.
Canada is labelled as shoes off but we also have slippers.
Although not sure about Nigeria, are slippers and flip flops like expected to be worn or just available?
For me I have slippers which are worn often but it's not expected that anyone inside wear them. Most people just wear socks if they come to visit. And myself I go barefoot unless my feet get cold then I grab the slippers.
Although not sure about Nigeria, are slippers and flip flops like expected to be worn or just available?
In my (limitted) experience, its expected. When I visited a friend who was Nigerian, they offered me slippers to wear in the house, and they felt uncomfortable going barefoot in my (Canadian) house.
Edit: Talked to my Nigerian friend, shoes off is expected, and slippers are just a personal preference. The map is just wrong.
Yeah that's probably why it's labelled as shoes on then I imagine and why Canada is labelled shoes off since any sort of foot covering is expected / not expected.
I reckon it depends on how warm someone's home is and how good their circulation is. If I don't have shoes on indoors, then for half the year it feels like my feet have been stabbed because they get so cold (slippers are not enough), but I don't wear the same shoes indoors as outdoors. I suspect that if we set the heating higher and the house wasn't constructed in a way that makes the floor always much colder than a few inches above the floor, this wouldn't be a problem.
That's interesting, I hqve a different experience - i used to have horrible foot circulation as a kid but i got into the habit of never wearing socks in my house (don't like the texture, enjoy feeling air on feet and them being cooler) and i haven't had the bad foot circulation since then.... as far as i can tell. I have been wearing them for this winter though.
To me, the big decider is plush carpets. The first level of my house is mostly hardwood and tile. The second floor, and living rooms have plush carpets. So if someone is unloading a car, getting ready to leave, or just general in/out stuff, sure leave the shoes on. Once you’ve decided to stay, get those shoes off and be welcome in the cozy areas of the house.
Which, coincidentally, is also the areas where other warm stuff is.
Weird. I also grew up in the UK, and I'm in my 50s now, it's always been shoes off in my and my family's houses. Unless it was a quick visit.
Same goes for my friend's houses.
I've worked in the other people's houses for well over 30 years in different capacities, from 'clean' jobs such as surveying to the more physical jobs of handyman, plastering etc. And a high percentage of the time it was shoes off as well.
Or separate clean shoes for inside.
Basically it's easier to change my shoes than it is to clean a carpet or floor after I have trampled dirt around.
Ok, yeah, you'd get people say "don't bother about your shoes" if I was only doing a survey, but I took them off anyways.
The only time I wouldn't remove my shoes is if the houses were cleaner outside than inside, but that hardly ever happened.
If I had to guess I would say that in all the thousands and thousands of houses I've visited in the UK that 90% were shoes off.
The same in NZ. Is this that you never ever wear shoes on inside?
Is it acceptable to walk into your own house and walk around with shoes on? Sure.
Do most people do that most of the time? In my experience, people will be shoes off in their own home most of the time, but it's not some big taboo to keep them on if you're popping in to grab something.
US here. Depends really. If I'm working around the house I like my shoes on but when it's time to shutdown. They off, maybe some flip flops if I head out to the pool
In/out doors doesn't really make a difference. If I need shoes outside, I'm probably wearing them inside. And vice versa.
It would be different if I had carpet. Carpet is impossible to thoroughly clean in situ. I would never want outside shoes on non-rental carpet. But I've got 100+ year old hardwood floors that have seen way worse than I'm tracking in.
So when I visited my friend that moved there, the rule was if you aren't muddy shoes on in the first floor is fine but no shoes on the second floor.
They also have guests slippers for the first floor. I think this kinda makes sense since they like having parties then they don't allow anyone upstairs.
Everyone cleans their floors 🤷♀️ the common living spaces don’t have to be pristine and most people don’t wear their shoes upstairs to their bedrooms where you would more reasonably expect an immaculate room
Everyone cleans their floors but obviously the floors get a lot dirtier a lot quicker if you just waltz in with your shoes you've walked around in outdoors.
Maybe it's a level of cleanliness thing but I wouldn't want my floors to be as dirty as they get when walking around with shoes on tbh. If it doesn't bother someone then it doesn't bother them ofc.
Could be a level of cleanliness thing in part but I also think you’re overestimating just how dirty things get
Very few people take muddy boots inside lol but there’s also little reason to care about mild dust and dirt you can just sweep.
I mean kids can actually develop asthma if your house is too clean so I’m highly skeptical what is almost always an unnoticeable amount of dust and dirt actually matters with regards to a healthy standard of cleanliness
I wear shoes. I know from my front hall (whatever is the correct word for room where people leave shoes, coats etc.) how much dirt shoes carry to the house. And from visiting people in the same building who don't take their shoes off. I just can't imagine why someone would choose to carry that dirt further into the house.
I just couldn't get used to that. I like things neat.
almost always an unnoticeable amount of dust and dirt
I guess you're used to that dirt and whatnot but for someone who leaves shoes in the front hall, it's definitely not unnoticeable lol.
I got in and out of my house about 50 times per day, and my feet are size 13.5s, so all my shoes are tight (they don't make most shoes in anything larger than 13s). Plus my back isn't what it once was. If I had to bend over and take my shoes off 50 times a day, I'd actually lose it, "it" being my L3-4 disc.
Whereas, litereally nothing bad has ever happened to me because I wear shoes in the house. It's all some hypothetical ... I don't know what exactly. Grossness? Is grossness hurting me?
Tell you what's 'gross,' as a thought exercise tho - walking around barefooted where my dogs and cats walk barefooted, they're not exactly wearing shoes outside, or in the litterbox, nor are they putting a handkerchief down under their assholes when they sit down.
But a pair of flip-flops for in the house plus floor cleaning regularly... I don't really worry about it either way. IDK why anyone does.
I'm sick less than most of my friends on average and I wear shoes indoors when it's more convenient than taking them off. Germaphobes can hate it but I hardly think it's really that bad for anyone's health
Well that's fair then. I do clean my floors once a week. Maybe they're dirtier than others' on average, but I think I'd clean them once a week no matter how much dirt there is. So I guess to me it doesn't make a noticeable difference, but I would agree that wearing shoes indoors objectively brings more dirt into the house.
My floors are dirty enough without wearing shoes inside. Shoes would make it ten times worse. Shoes are uncomfortable. And I don't want to turn my socks black because my floors are so dirty.
I got in and out of my house about 50 times per day
I mean I just wouldn't wear enclosed shoes at that point. Flip-flops outside and barefoot/socks indoors. Proper shoes go on when going farther away from house.
I can get it for some environments. For example in central Asia, coming from a nomadic lifestyle and living in yurts (big tents) it's totally understandable to keep your shoes on. Maybe the building style is a continuation of the yurt and lends to similar choices.
I was once in Paraguay and their buildings typically don't have a hallway, every room is accessible from the outside. Most of their life is also spent outside, like cooking and eating. It's nice weather for most of the year, why not.
But for European style weather and houses, I will always take my shoes off.
I mean, if you're doing yard work or something understandable to leave your shoes on in your own home if you're coming inside for a snack or to grab something etc I do that all the time.
But like, if I invite someone over to hang out for a few hours I expect them to take their shoes off tying the laces isn't that complicated.
And if I am taking the day off and don't really need to leave the house for any reason I won't even touch my shoes I'm going to be barefoot or in slippers all God damn day.
My friend told me he felt the same way about jeans which is why he wears sweatpants everywhere. I didn't understand it with those and I don't get it with shoes. Both are super comfortable to me. Only times I'm not comfortable in shoes is when I'm forced to wear anything besides tennis shoes (mainly work boots and dress shoes).
Actually I absolutely agree with your friend and I don't even stop at jeans.
If I get home after work and I have zero plans to leave the house again or have anyone over I am in my Pajamas as soon as I can get my pants off, even if it's only 5pm lol
That's not me. It's not uncommon for me to sleep in my regular clothes as soon as I get home cause I'm too exhausted to bother changing. My pajamas only see use early in the morning unless I'm jumping immediately into the shower after waking up (which is usually what I do on weekdays).
I just find regular clothes so uncomfortable in a relaxing setting like lying on the couch and watching tv.
Perfectly fine with them If I'm at work or going about my day outside but pajamas and loose clothing are just so much nicer to me than jeans or collared shirts at home
Collared shirts aren't even as bad a jeans for me. I can unbutton a little and be just fine, the jeans are pretty thick and have seams though. They can get uncomfortable quick.
The map is wildly simplistic, as usual for these Internet takes lol.
In Portugal, for example (where I come from), I don't know anyone that keeps their shoes in-doors 95% the time. If you're doing some quick work or holding an event, people might be a bit more lack about taking off your shoes, but I (and many my friends) always make an effort to take some kind of home footware when visiting other people's homes. As a general rule? Everyone puts some socks/sleepers/flipflops on.
Insanity! I go so far as pants, too—I have Outside Pants for leaving the house, and as soon as I get home, I swap into my comfy Inside PJs. I’m not sitting on my nice chairs or bed wearing dirty ass Outside Pants!
I'm not judging you but this just seems so uncomfortable to be.
I sleep in these cool long john pant things. when I wake up I put a shirt on and potter around for a few hours in that outfit doing my own thing before the kids wake up. Only then do I get dressed for the day.
yeah, last time i visited the statesian interior (utah), the floors inside were cleaner than the floors outside until you got to my buddy's home who used to live someplace civilized. so i get your point.
I'm kind of poking fun as a Missouri friend of mine who had dogs who came and went outside freely. Obviously when you've got animals coming and going, the floor gets really dusty and dirty.
What does it mean the US is shoes on? In my entire life the only family I know of that did that was a hoarding family with layers of filth on their floor.
How can Canada be a shoes off country if Britain and America are shoes-on?
Weather.
In Canada (except near Vancouver) you have to wear winter boots whenever you're outside for many months.
In most of the UK, and part of the US, you never get snow.
People wearing winter boots change them when they get home. If you're just wearing sneakers or something, it's more reasonable to keep wearing them around the house.
I think there are probably a fair number of homes in Canada (especially on the west coast) where people wear shoes around the house. There are probably even places where people switch from winter boots to "house shoes" or something. But, I'd imagine that there are many more "shoes off" houses in Canada just because of winter, and many more "shoes on" houses in say Miami or Phoenix or Los Angeles where it never gets cold.
Similarly, I would be that even though Argentina and Chile are listed as "shoes on" countries, my guess is that in the deep south where it can get wintery, they at a minimum change their footwear after coming inside in the winter.
It’s regional in the US. I’m from Colorado, and it’s strictly shoes off here. I have family in California and those animals wear their shoes inside and it drives me crazy.
Yeah, I'm from Jersey, and I guess the majority of people I know are just transplants to other states, but it's shoes off everywhere to me. Home is comfort and comfort is shoes off.
The Netherlands look red but it's definitely a shoes on country. People find me weird for asking them to take off their shoes. Any idea how nasty the roads are? Any idea how easier it is to clean your floors when you don't bring all the nastiness from outside under your shoes? Plus it's much better not to wear shoes in general, for your feet. That's why I wear barefoot shoes outside and nothing inside. Because outside is naaaasty. Otherwise I would be barefoot everywhere.
I don't wear shoes in my own home. If I'm visiting your home, I'll follow your rules -- but tell me before I head over so I know if I need to wear my good socks.
Sometimes my feet can be really smelly. I hate it when I go to someone's house where they expect me to pull my shoes off. Yes, odor eater powder helps, but I never know if removing my shoes is going to knock them out. Especially in the summer. It is better to just never go to other people's houses.
Guests take precedence. That's my cultural position. Otherwise, I do whatever I want in my home and clean up after as habit, regardless. Sometimes I wear shoes.
In The Netherlands, within my social circles, it's mostly seen as overly informal and quite intimate to take off your shoes.
You can do it at friends, but certainly not by default at acquaintances (unless they ask), as it might even be a little disrespectful considering taking off your shoes could smell a bit after some hours. Like you force your bodily odours or sweaty feet on to someone's house.
I totally get the opposite and am noticing a slow shift (also in my own house) to dropping the shoes. But it's interesting to see that both stances are based on some form of respect, and perhaps also some pragmatism on our side.
They’re bright white Allbirds that would get too dirty too quickly if ever I wore them outside, so it’s a bit of a mental nudge for me to take them off and put on my outdoor shoes in case I forget to do so.
…sidebar: how do I clean bright white fabric shoes? it’s bleach, right? I don’t know why I’m intimidated by the task.
I would try dish soap and a toothbrush first. If that doesn’t work, a weak bleach/water mixture might work, but make sure to rinse it well. Too much bleach can discolor it. I’m sure there are some howto videos out there.
See that's definitely shoes on. The existence of house shoes - sliders and crocs - demonstrates that some people in that country are shoes indoor people. Those types of shoes exist purely to facilitate a shoe on lifestyle.
For me, I have a tendon issue in a couple of toes that refuses to heal. I can’t walk around barefooted without aggravating it. So I have a couple pair of slides that are only house shoes.
Japan is a shoes-off country, but they often have slippers that they wear indoors. They just change their shoes like Mr. Rogers, but with less singing.
She's quite judgemental and inflexible about this. I'm not condoning her views but they might provide some cultural insights.
Shoes on inside is perceived as rude. It's particularly awkward when you go to someone elses house and they ask you to leave your shoes on. Taking your shoes off is tied up with hygiene and reverence and respect and being asked to disregard that is being asked to... diminish yourself in some way.
People in our orbit tend to wear footwear you can just slip on and off. That doesn't mean sandals or flip flops. You just tie off your laces at the "right" length and you can slip them off without untying, and slip them on by, at worst, putting your finger in behind your heel to pull them into place. Some shoes just don't work in this way, and these are reserved for longer outings like work et cetera.
We do have several communal pairs of slippers for use exclusively in the tiled area of our living room. They're just really cheap practically disposable open toed slippers. The kind you get in hotels.
We have toddlers and, thankfully they seem to be excluded from the shoe-rules.
Shoes off is both nicer and keeps the house cleaner. My family has always been on this side of things, except the folk in the Midwest, so I don’t care if this gets me on a list somewhere. What? Are gonna send ice to deport me?
Where I live it's very rare and unusual to be asked to remove your shoes when going into someone's house. Normally you just brush your shoes on the front door mat and enter.
Where I live it is also unusual to be asked to take your shoes off because it's just expected that you will since it's disrespectful to just walk inside with your shoes on.
It's more usual to be told to keep your shoes on if it's something like a contractor coming inside to do some work.
That there might probably the difference in the shoes on vs shoes off culture.
People who think it's disrespectful to treat someone's home as less important or people who think it's disrespectful to treat the guest as less important.
To me someone's home takes priority over the guest, as it's just what I was raised by. A house is someone's home and extremely important to them, whereas a guest is not required to be there it's a privilege to be invited inside and not having shoes really isn't a big deal to ask for us.
Right, but I don't wear shoes in my own home. I'm not asking them to do anything I'm not doing. I'd also like them to not piss in my plants, despite them being a guest.
Boomer from Hamilton , Ontario, Canada, and growing up it was probably 70% shoes ON in my parts...lots of kids, in and out constantly. Obviously, snow and mud were exceptions.
The 30% shoes OFF homes were the outliers...
It wasn't until my late teens that I started to notice a shift, personally and societally, to shoes OFF.
Nowadays, even if the host *insists* that I keep my shoes ON, it doesn't feel right, so I tend not to.
I must ask the shoes on people: at what point in the house do the shoes get removed?
I’d expect that you wouldn’t want them in the bedroom or bathroom, getting gravel or dirt in bed. Is it that the main living room for entertaining guests is shoes on, and shoes off is for personal rooms? Or do you have a specific set of indoor shoes? Or do your outdoor shoes go everywhere?
As an American, I don't believe I've ever been in someone's home that allows me to wear my shoes indoors unless I am only on non-carpeted floor, and/or not staying long.
People don't like other people dragging shit on the bottom of their shoes into their living spaces.
I'm not the person you asked but this whole thread is wild to me. I've lived in 9 different states including CA and I can only remember like 2 homes that wore shoes inside and they were super Asian that had house slippers/shoes they would put on. Aside from special occasions I have literally never seen anyone just walk inside with shoes on and not take them off. Y'all people are dirty lol
I'm really not sure about Australia. If you live up north you barely ever even wear shoes.if you live on a farm you better kick off those filthy gummies before you step in the house. If you're a tradie, you'd better kick off those filthy Blundstones before you walk in. If you live in the suburbs, it's a coin flip either way.
Here in Hawai'i, we shoes off. I grew up in Florida where wearing shoes inside was normal. Now, after living in a shoes off culture, I'm sensitive to it. Like I get bothered when I see people on TV with shoes on and putting their feet up on things. Outside is nasty and you're putting that nastiness on your coffee table?!
Uk definitely isn't a "wearing shoes inside the house" country unless their house has floors so genuinely dirty that you're better off not collecting detritus
American here. My childhood home was completely covered in thick carpet, except the entryway and the kitchen, which was laminate tile. Yes, even the bathroom was carpeted. My bedroom literally had shag carpet.
My family always wore shoes indoors. And then wondered why the carpet was discolored, worn, and tearing in places.
I spent 20 years traveling the world after becoming an adult and learned about many other cultures who took off shoes before entering homes. Now I feel weird wearing shoes even in the entryway.
By the way, I'm retired now and living back in my childhood home, which I inherited when my father passed away. The whole place has been re-carpeted, the bathroom and dining room floors have been swapped out for laminate/wood paneling, and when I get around to remodeling the living rooms, I'll probably switch them to wood floors as well.
I always dreamed of getting my childhood home back but it's just not in the cards. It was a beautiful acreage - the house sucked, but the property was what made it great. We had about 15 40 ft spruce trees in our yard, a dogwood hedge that would grow from 5 ft to 8 ft if you turned your back on it for more than 3 days (lol), tons of Aspen for a young Shovel to stomp around in, and a slough in the back for said Shovel to catch woodfrogs.
We sold to move into town a few years after my parents split.
Some dickhead moved in, built a big barn thing on one side of the property and cut the bottom branches of a lot of the spruce trees which ruined a lot of the privacy the place had.
I always wanted to move back, rip the house down and build my own house on it. Instead, I moved my young family to a small town about 15 minutes from where I grew up. I still get the country feel and the connection with the landscape I longed for, even though it's not exactly the same, and we have a new-build house.
I could get behind sandals. I had back issues for years and sometimes the only thing that helped when I was in the kitchen were slippers with a good rubber sole. Even then it kind of felt like kissing your sister - kinda good, but the good didn't out weigh the moral shame
Our house is not as clean as I want it, but, if we wore shoes in the house it would be way worse. We have a family member that lives next door and is constantly walking around our house with shoes and it drives me nuts. If they weren't so helpful I'd say something.
Living in Ohio (midwest U.S) its not entirely a yes or no and more of a "it depends". Ive noticed older people assume shoes on but anyone under 40 will either ask or assume shoes off at the door. Theres also a layer of midwest nice to the whole exchange of not wanting to inconvenience the other person, so you get situations where a party will start with everyone wearing shoes, but end with everyone shoeless.
Most people in the states can barely reach their feet. They have a special bench in their house for putting their shoes on, but they have to make sure they do a proper warmup routine, chair yoga, before else they'll pull something. Putting their shoes on is like the most exercise they'll ever get in a day. Too stubborn to admit they need their own handicap parking permit after they stole the one they use from their aging mothers. They take an ultralight backpacking camp chair for the two story elevator ride at work. They can't be expected to take off their shoes until they have to take their once weekly shower.
How the hell did Canada become a shoes off country when it's not only surrounded by shoes on but also both of its major contributing cultural influences (UK and France) are supposedly shoes on?
Our outdoors can be very mucky and wet and very dry and dusty depending in the season. Polite northern folk are clean, and we like to keep our hosts houses clean too. Shoes on is considered quite rude.
During the summer we allow for short walk throughs with dry shoes on, but you ask first if its ok.
House slippers are common but not everyone wears them, up here it's a "socks or slippers" debate.
Shoes ok downstairs, but usually off except for if I'm about to go out and roaming about finding things. Guests do what they prefer and I usually mention it's fine to leave them if they prefer. I think the fact that I have dogs is important. My floor normally has paw prints and hair so I wouldn't expect a person to take off their shoes downstairs, it's pretty much like the dogs leave their shoes on spoiling it for everyone.
I have shoes I wear specifically in the house I broke my ankle a couple years ago and ever since, walking without shoes has been uncomfortable and even painful. So I have inside shoes and outside shoes.
Yeah this shocked me coming to the Netherlands. Thing is, when everybody else is wearing shoes, you don't wanna walk around in socks or barefoot cuz the floor gets nasty. It's a vicious cycle
im not trying to be negative, im happy for anyone enjoying this post. but i do feel compelled to comment that i find it hilarious that we are out here discussing, and dare i say "arguing" about this topic in particular. thank you all, good day.
I mean, if you live in the north it's pretty much a given that you want the snowy, soon to be water dripping, winter boots off when you come in from the freezing blizzard.
In my society people usually don't get their shoes off at home. We did this thing of using specific shoes at home as a compromise. Works pretty well, it's not that I wouldn't like a shoes off policy, but it can get too cold to stand on uncarpeted floors.
We wear shoes/slippers in the house. For 2 reasons
I have never been able to teach any of the dogs I've had to take their shoes off when they come in the house. So the floor is getting dirty anyway even as we speak. Sweeping and vacuuming happens more than once a week.
When you live in a place where the temperatures are below freezing for 6 months out of the year, your house cold soaks. So the floor is most likely going to feel uncomfortably cooler than people who live in a more temperate climate experience. And it doesn't matter how well insulated or sealed your house is, it will cold soak. Slippers/shoes for the win.
Coming from shoes off culture I'm considering giving shoes on a shot. But I still don't quite understand how it's supposed to work. I assume you're not that savage to get in beds in shoes, so are you supposed to keep them near the bed? And lace them every morning when you get up? Or use simpler footwear that doesn't require lacing like crocs or something? Isn't that then technically wearing slippers outside rather than wearing shoes inside?
I work from home and only really leave the house to go to the grocery store once every week or two. I wear shoes probably about fifty percent of the time, my feet will start to hurt if I don’t. I have two pairs of sneakers that are over five years old and a pair of boots that are almost twenty years old that I rotate. I think I must just live a lot different lifestyle than most folks.
My dad came to visit once. He's a shoes off kind of guy. Pretty diligent about it too. Problem is, he just doesn't like wearing them anywhere. Sure go stand in my half mud yard and smoke a cigar and then walk right back into my kitchen.
We decided to show him around the area. Drive out to the coast. Leaving the car, "Dad you might want your shoes." Get to the beach, as we're strong into the sand, he stops, "I think I should put my shoes on."
I fucking died.
All this to say, if you're shoes off, make sure everyone is shoes on outside.
That last line, I'm going to leave it, but it doesn't make sense.
Not true. Over 44% of you guys like boots inside on so you can continue to lick them. Hence the map accuracy. The remaining percentage didn't care to vote or had too strict a purity test to rally enough consensus to kick out the boot lovers.
Hello shoes off gang, do you enjoy spreading your filthy mold spore colonies from other people's feet to your floor where it can spread to everyone else? Because that's how you spread athlete's foot. Indoor slippers gang rise up
I work in a cubical, and I take my shoes off before putting my feet under the desk. If it was more accepted I'd take them off outside my cube, but, I live in a country that likes shoes on.
SAME HERE
I often take my shoes off as soon as I can be where nobody will notice them. Under my desk is a no shoes zone.
Same. I have this balance board in my office and it doesn't even work with shoes on.
--Edit--
Removed the brand name from the comment.
Nubby balance board for anyone else who was curious
That link shows them using it with shoes on for what it’s worth.
Whoops, sorry about advertising. Didn't think about that before posting.
The IT guys putting you pc equipment together hate you.
Worst desks I crawled under were for people who would wear their winter boots. Desks where people change into seperate shoes just in socks or slippers were much preferred.
Fun fact, I'm the IT guy lol I dont have to go around the office much, most my day is at my desk also as an IT guy I'd rather crawl under someone's desk that never put their shoes under there. After walking around the office, in the bathroom, outside on the side walk in your shoes, your socked feet are cleaner.
Here in FL USA, they don't wear socks, they wear flip-flops. They claim their toes need to breathe. It smells like onions under there, but i see you point if they are socked. Guess it's a regional issue.
I once had dedicated office slippers under my desk
I'm also team office slippers. They're so snuggly!
shoes off in the office??
Sounds comfy...
Back when I went to an office every day, I usually wore loafers. Easy to slip off and on under your desk without drawing lots of attention.
Ain't no way I'm taking my shoes off in the office unless I know for a fact that the floor is clean AF.
I would never make such a demand of a guest in my home. They are my guest and I will feed them and clean up after.
You obviously choose your guests wisely, and surely they are as witty as you.
I don't mind prioritizing the guest over the host. So, that is how I operate in my home and no one is being rude. Not that either approach is wrong. But, given the rudeness I've encountered here it dosen't feel like avoiding rudeness is the driving factor.
Naw, just replying to pompousness and scrubbing my floors furiously.
Was recently discussing with someone that it's really weird that, on the internet, Britain is repeatedly labelled a "shoes on indoors" society, because nobody we know has shoes on indoors (in their own home). Britain is a wet and muddy country.
Does anyone here do shoes on indoors? Where are you all from?
I've seen both in the UK. Personally, I'm a shoes off guy. Means less cleaning needed.
For me, in Italy it's both, in 90% of the cases the situation is like:
You get in, remove the shoes and go barefoot/with slippers, if it's like a party, festivity etc etc, usually no one cares to get off the shoes
There's obviously no need for durable footwear when your whole country is a boot.
Living in Italy, both Rome and North, the floors are cold in the winter. We wear slippers at home and tell guests to keep their shoes on until spring.
UK too, shoes off too, have never lived anywhere where shoes on indoors was a common thing
The only reason I can think is that underfloor heating is relatively rare here and if you've got hard floors it'll be cold to walk on, but then slippers exist so idk really
It might be in including having slippers or "indoor shoes". Nigeria is there as a shoes on, but from my understanding, its only slippers/flip flops specificly for indoors, that are normal.
Edit: Talked to my Nigerian friend, shoes off is expected, and slippers are just a personal preference. The map is just wrong.
No, in "shoes off" countries it is very normal to wear slippers or other kinds of indoor footwear, so it wouldn't make any sense to count those as "shoes on". I just think the data used for this map was very faulty.
Same for Japan. No chance they're wearing full hiking boots or sneakers inside the house in Japan - the shoe cabinet is built in right next to the front door of houses, tiny apartments, temples, many restaurants, etc. I assume the schools still do too.
Canada is labelled as shoes off but we also have slippers.
Although not sure about Nigeria, are slippers and flip flops like expected to be worn or just available?
For me I have slippers which are worn often but it's not expected that anyone inside wear them. Most people just wear socks if they come to visit. And myself I go barefoot unless my feet get cold then I grab the slippers.
In my (limitted) experience, its expected. When I visited a friend who was Nigerian, they offered me slippers to wear in the house, and they felt uncomfortable going barefoot in my (Canadian) house.
Edit: Talked to my Nigerian friend, shoes off is expected, and slippers are just a personal preference. The map is just wrong.
Yeah that's probably why it's labelled as shoes on then I imagine and why Canada is labelled shoes off since any sort of foot covering is expected / not expected.
Correction: asked my friend, and shoes off is the normal expectation in Nigeria. Slippers are just a personal preference, so the chart is just wrong.
I reckon it depends on how warm someone's home is and how good their circulation is. If I don't have shoes on indoors, then for half the year it feels like my feet have been stabbed because they get so cold (slippers are not enough), but I don't wear the same shoes indoors as outdoors. I suspect that if we set the heating higher and the house wasn't constructed in a way that makes the floor always much colder than a few inches above the floor, this wouldn't be a problem.
That's interesting, I hqve a different experience - i used to have horrible foot circulation as a kid but i got into the habit of never wearing socks in my house (don't like the texture, enjoy feeling air on feet and them being cooler) and i haven't had the bad foot circulation since then.... as far as i can tell. I have been wearing them for this winter though.
Get some down booties. It's like your feet are cocooned in a loving embrace of warmth and comfort.
To me, the big decider is plush carpets. The first level of my house is mostly hardwood and tile. The second floor, and living rooms have plush carpets. So if someone is unloading a car, getting ready to leave, or just general in/out stuff, sure leave the shoes on. Once you’ve decided to stay, get those shoes off and be welcome in the cozy areas of the house.
Which, coincidentally, is also the areas where other warm stuff is.
Grew up in the UK, in a "shoes on" household. We just gave them a good scrape on the doormat when coming inside.
Since then, I've lived in a few different countries and am 100% converted to the shoes off way of being. I agree it's much better.
Weird. I also grew up in the UK, and I'm in my 50s now, it's always been shoes off in my and my family's houses. Unless it was a quick visit.
Same goes for my friend's houses.
I've worked in the other people's houses for well over 30 years in different capacities, from 'clean' jobs such as surveying to the more physical jobs of handyman, plastering etc. And a high percentage of the time it was shoes off as well.
Or separate clean shoes for inside.
Basically it's easier to change my shoes than it is to clean a carpet or floor after I have trampled dirt around.
Ok, yeah, you'd get people say "don't bother about your shoes" if I was only doing a survey, but I took them off anyways.
The only time I wouldn't remove my shoes is if the houses were cleaner outside than inside, but that hardly ever happened.
If I had to guess I would say that in all the thousands and thousands of houses I've visited in the UK that 90% were shoes off.
That's funny because, thinking back on it, I'd say about 90% of my friends and family were shoes on.
Perhaps it's regional. I grew up in the South East, for reference. Not London, but in one of the surrounding counties.
The same in NZ. Is this that you never ever wear shoes on inside?
Is it acceptable to walk into your own house and walk around with shoes on? Sure.
Do most people do that most of the time? In my experience, people will be shoes off in their own home most of the time, but it's not some big taboo to keep them on if you're popping in to grab something.
Yeah as a kiwi this resonates. But it’s weird to see us labelled as a “shoes on” country when even shoes outside are optional lol.
Same for the U.S. Sometimes downstairs or in common areas for guests.
US here. Depends really. If I'm working around the house I like my shoes on but when it's time to shutdown. They off, maybe some flip flops if I head out to the pool
Yeah I'm US and my parents were always at least annoyed if we wore our shoes further into the house than right by the door.
In/out doors doesn't really make a difference. If I need shoes outside, I'm probably wearing them inside. And vice versa.
It would be different if I had carpet. Carpet is impossible to thoroughly clean in situ. I would never want outside shoes on non-rental carpet. But I've got 100+ year old hardwood floors that have seen way worse than I'm tracking in.
Same with France, many if not most no longer wear shoes inside of their homes.
My parents keep their shoes on, I take mine off.
the opposite for me, my floors are dirty, i can handle it
wouldn't be dirty if your shoes were off!
yeah but then i have to take my shoes off and put them on multiple times a day which is annoying
also i can live with a dirty floor, does not bother me, full of essential dirt to help keep my immune system on edge 😁
You must not have pets, or children.
So when I visited my friend that moved there, the rule was if you aren't muddy shoes on in the first floor is fine but no shoes on the second floor.
They also have guests slippers for the first floor. I think this kinda makes sense since they like having parties then they don't allow anyone upstairs.
I have no idea why anyone would want to wear shoes in the house.
It's so constricting and unnecessary. Do y'all not clean your floors? Do you feel like your floors are gross and shouldn't be touching your bare feet?
When you lay on the couch do you need to take your shoes off and then put them back on when you get up to go make a snack in the kitchen?
Makes zero sense to me
What if you have to quickly go inside and grab something? Do you take your shoes off for that or just walk inside?
Shoes are ok inside they’re not mandatory
Moved to a shoes off country over a decade ago.
That's EXACTLY what I do.
Yes I take my shoes off? I don't want to dirty up my floors
Everyone cleans their floors 🤷♀️ the common living spaces don’t have to be pristine and most people don’t wear their shoes upstairs to their bedrooms where you would more reasonably expect an immaculate room
Everyone cleans their floors but obviously the floors get a lot dirtier a lot quicker if you just waltz in with your shoes you've walked around in outdoors.
Maybe it's a level of cleanliness thing but I wouldn't want my floors to be as dirty as they get when walking around with shoes on tbh. If it doesn't bother someone then it doesn't bother them ofc.
Could be a level of cleanliness thing in part but I also think you’re overestimating just how dirty things get
Very few people take muddy boots inside lol but there’s also little reason to care about mild dust and dirt you can just sweep.
I mean kids can actually develop asthma if your house is too clean so I’m highly skeptical what is almost always an unnoticeable amount of dust and dirt actually matters with regards to a healthy standard of cleanliness
I wear shoes. I know from my front hall (whatever is the correct word for room where people leave shoes, coats etc.) how much dirt shoes carry to the house. And from visiting people in the same building who don't take their shoes off. I just can't imagine why someone would choose to carry that dirt further into the house.
I just couldn't get used to that. I like things neat.
I guess you're used to that dirt and whatnot but for someone who leaves shoes in the front hall, it's definitely not unnoticeable lol.
Yeah shoes off. It's a pain in the butt.
However, you often wear shoes that are easier to take off / put on.
Also, you just learn to really check that you've got everything before you put your shoes on.
I have a pair of slip-ons I'll throw on when i need a quick trip outside
I take one off and hop. Or throw a rug on the floor and shuffle.
I got in and out of my house about 50 times per day, and my feet are size 13.5s, so all my shoes are tight (they don't make most shoes in anything larger than 13s). Plus my back isn't what it once was. If I had to bend over and take my shoes off 50 times a day, I'd actually lose it, "it" being my L3-4 disc.
Whereas, litereally nothing bad has ever happened to me because I wear shoes in the house. It's all some hypothetical ... I don't know what exactly. Grossness? Is grossness hurting me?
Tell you what's 'gross,' as a thought exercise tho - walking around barefooted where my dogs and cats walk barefooted, they're not exactly wearing shoes outside, or in the litterbox, nor are they putting a handkerchief down under their assholes when they sit down.
But a pair of flip-flops for in the house plus floor cleaning regularly... I don't really worry about it either way. IDK why anyone does.
You dragging in shit from outside is not a "hypothetical" lol
I'm sick less than most of my friends on average and I wear shoes indoors when it's more convenient than taking them off. Germaphobes can hate it but I hardly think it's really that bad for anyone's health
I was thinking about just keeping to floors cleaner lol
Well that's fair then. I do clean my floors once a week. Maybe they're dirtier than others' on average, but I think I'd clean them once a week no matter how much dirt there is. So I guess to me it doesn't make a noticeable difference, but I would agree that wearing shoes indoors objectively brings more dirt into the house.
My floors are dirty enough without wearing shoes inside. Shoes would make it ten times worse. Shoes are uncomfortable. And I don't want to turn my socks black because my floors are so dirty.
You need a cobbler, then.
For what? Sounds like they've found a solution that works for them.
For shoes that fit properly. Wearing too tight shoes all the time is not great for the feet.
I mean I just wouldn't wear enclosed shoes at that point. Flip-flops outside and barefoot/socks indoors. Proper shoes go on when going farther away from house.
I can get it for some environments. For example in central Asia, coming from a nomadic lifestyle and living in yurts (big tents) it's totally understandable to keep your shoes on. Maybe the building style is a continuation of the yurt and lends to similar choices.
I was once in Paraguay and their buildings typically don't have a hallway, every room is accessible from the outside. Most of their life is also spent outside, like cooking and eating. It's nice weather for most of the year, why not.
But for European style weather and houses, I will always take my shoes off.
Laced shoes are a pita to flip on and off. If you're in a dry area there's no reason to take off your shoes.
If you can wear sandals, or it's a wet sloppy environment, then yeah it makes sense to take them off at the door.
Even in dry areas you will be dragging in dirt from outside
I mean, if you're doing yard work or something understandable to leave your shoes on in your own home if you're coming inside for a snack or to grab something etc I do that all the time.
But like, if I invite someone over to hang out for a few hours I expect them to take their shoes off tying the laces isn't that complicated.
And if I am taking the day off and don't really need to leave the house for any reason I won't even touch my shoes I'm going to be barefoot or in slippers all God damn day.
?! You wear your yard work shoes in the house? Those usually come off before I go inside even if it is a quick grab n go.
Only if it's a quick trip <3 minutes after using a boot scraper and brush. Unless I know I've stepped in something particularly sticky like mud.
Edit: and only if it's my own home, not someone else's
Being barefoot is a luxury not everyone has. Combine that with not being able to wear slip on shoes and it's a bit of a bigger problem.
My friend told me he felt the same way about jeans which is why he wears sweatpants everywhere. I didn't understand it with those and I don't get it with shoes. Both are super comfortable to me. Only times I'm not comfortable in shoes is when I'm forced to wear anything besides tennis shoes (mainly work boots and dress shoes).
Actually I absolutely agree with your friend and I don't even stop at jeans.
If I get home after work and I have zero plans to leave the house again or have anyone over I am in my Pajamas as soon as I can get my pants off, even if it's only 5pm lol
That's not me. It's not uncommon for me to sleep in my regular clothes as soon as I get home cause I'm too exhausted to bother changing. My pajamas only see use early in the morning unless I'm jumping immediately into the shower after waking up (which is usually what I do on weekdays).
You sleep in your clothes, wear shoes in the house, and prefer jeans to softer pants..? 😳
Yes I am the weirdest man alive.
I feel like I'm probably older than you.
Most likely. I'm a young boy of 30.
I just find regular clothes so uncomfortable in a relaxing setting like lying on the couch and watching tv.
Perfectly fine with them If I'm at work or going about my day outside but pajamas and loose clothing are just so much nicer to me than jeans or collared shirts at home
Collared shirts aren't even as bad a jeans for me. I can unbutton a little and be just fine, the jeans are pretty thick and have seams though. They can get uncomfortable quick.
Buncha weirdoes ITT. As soon as I get in the door, my house or yours, you can bet I'm stripping down to just my shoes and nothing else.
In what backwards and uncultured shithole do you have shoes on in the house? That's filthy.
See map
I'm weirdly conflict conflicted, I mean we are on the map, but it is incorrect.
But most kiwis are shoes off in the house.
Be glad you're on the map for once
I am surprised to see some continental Europe here. I know it is different in Ireland and their floors look it.
The map is wildly simplistic, as usual for these Internet takes lol.
In Portugal, for example (where I come from), I don't know anyone that keeps their shoes in-doors 95% the time. If you're doing some quick work or holding an event, people might be a bit more lack about taking off your shoes, but I (and many my friends) always make an effort to take some kind of home footware when visiting other people's homes. As a general rule? Everyone puts some socks/sleepers/flipflops on.
I prefer shoes off, but I have dogs that track so much dirt and filth in so what's the point 😭
what kind of monster wears shoes in the house
Insanity! I go so far as pants, too—I have Outside Pants for leaving the house, and as soon as I get home, I swap into my comfy Inside PJs. I’m not sitting on my nice chairs or bed wearing dirty ass Outside Pants!
I live in America.
If you don't take your shoes off in my house my wife will scatter your dismembered body across the hillside for the animals to feed on.
Do shoes on people immediately put on shoes as soon as they wake up or something? I don't even put on socks!
Rookie mistake. You sleep with your shoes on.
Somebody ban this guy
I get triggered when in American movies people jump on the bed with shoes on
Pro-tip. Sleep with nothing on!
I put them on when I'm leaving, generally
I used to be shoes on.
You just wake up, put on underwear, pants, shirt, socks and shoes, in that order.
So You keep Your shoes in the bedroom?
I used to. Yes
I'm not judging you but this just seems so uncomfortable to be.
I sleep in these cool long john pant things. when I wake up I put a shirt on and potter around for a few hours in that outfit doing my own thing before the kids wake up. Only then do I get dressed for the day.
Everyone has their own routine I guess.
Shoes on is fine... if you live in a barn.
I am Australian and we are a shoes off household - don't care if you wanna have shoes on in the house but why would you wanna wear shoes in the house?
We barely wear shoes in public let alone in the house - shoes are just foot prisons, barefoot is best
I'm an American and you take your shoes off at the door, bub.
I'm in the US and shoes off inside.
Yeah maybe the dude is in the interior? Anywhere near the coast is shoes off
Places with diversity, basically. You visit a Japanese friend and realize how much better that is, lol.
That, and have you seen interior people's floors? The shoes are sometimes cleaner, oof.
yeah, last time i visited the statesian interior (utah), the floors inside were cleaner than the floors outside until you got to my buddy's home who used to live someplace civilized. so i get your point.
I'm kind of poking fun as a Missouri friend of mine who had dogs who came and went outside freely. Obviously when you've got animals coming and going, the floor gets really dusty and dirty.
California is shoes on in my experience.
Heres the thing tho, do slippers count as shoes?
House shoes are not shoes
As with most things. If America does it one way, then it's probably the wrong way.
Whoever says Greece is shoes on, I'll spit in their coffee.
What does it mean the US is shoes on? In my entire life the only family I know of that did that was a hoarding family with layers of filth on their floor.
Exactly! I think either this is SO innacurate, or :
How can Canada be a shoes off country if Britain and America are shoes-on? It just couldn't be.
Maybe more pride in home ownership?
Also, Canada has been far more left leaning than the other two, imo Canada is closer to New Zealand just harder to leave out of a world map.
Weather.
In Canada (except near Vancouver) you have to wear winter boots whenever you're outside for many months.
In most of the UK, and part of the US, you never get snow.
People wearing winter boots change them when they get home. If you're just wearing sneakers or something, it's more reasonable to keep wearing them around the house.
I think there are probably a fair number of homes in Canada (especially on the west coast) where people wear shoes around the house. There are probably even places where people switch from winter boots to "house shoes" or something. But, I'd imagine that there are many more "shoes off" houses in Canada just because of winter, and many more "shoes on" houses in say Miami or Phoenix or Los Angeles where it never gets cold.
Similarly, I would be that even though Argentina and Chile are listed as "shoes on" countries, my guess is that in the deep south where it can get wintery, they at a minimum change their footwear after coming inside in the winter.
Having moved from the shoes off Midwest to Los Angeles I’ve found that basically anyone non-Asian is wearing shoes indoors.
It’s regional in the US. I’m from Colorado, and it’s strictly shoes off here. I have family in California and those animals wear their shoes inside and it drives me crazy.
Yeah, I'm from Jersey, and I guess the majority of people I know are just transplants to other states, but it's shoes off everywhere to me. Home is comfort and comfort is shoes off.
UK is shoes ON. Canada definitely shoes OFF. US is shoes ON, drives me nuts seeing tv show characters hop on the BED with shoes on. 😡😡😡
The US one should be stripped, it varies state to state
The Netherlands look red but it's definitely a shoes on country. People find me weird for asking them to take off their shoes. Any idea how nasty the roads are? Any idea how easier it is to clean your floors when you don't bring all the nastiness from outside under your shoes? Plus it's much better not to wear shoes in general, for your feet. That's why I wear barefoot shoes outside and nothing inside. Because outside is naaaasty. Otherwise I would be barefoot everywhere.
Map is just bullshit. Wrong for france
I don't wear shoes in my own home. If I'm visiting your home, I'll follow your rules -- but tell me before I head over so I know if I need to wear my good socks.
Shoes off, you filthy animal
40% of the world weard shoes INSIDE??!
How could anyone feel more comfortable with shoes on than shoes off?
The only thing this map tells me is "Fuck the Colorblind"
What a shit map
I switch to slippers when inside.
What does that count as?
Greetings from Australia; this is wrong. It's likely off or mixed, based on heritage and cultural factors.
Shoes on is just gross and disgusting.
How is it ok to lie on a white coach with your muddy shoes is completely beyond me.
Wearing shoes in the house is psychopath behavior
This chart is a hate crime against colorblind people.
It's as if by living in a nordic country I didn't want to bring the dirt and snow inside my home. Curious.
Sometimes my feet can be really smelly. I hate it when I go to someone's house where they expect me to pull my shoes off. Yes, odor eater powder helps, but I never know if removing my shoes is going to knock them out. Especially in the summer. It is better to just never go to other people's houses.
It is better to have a few pairs so you can let one air out between uses. Better for the nose and feet, that is.
And feet. Athlete's foot is a thing, wearing the same kind of shoes all the time doesn't help with moisture.
Edit: just read the last three words... Well at least now there's an explanation why it's bad for feet.
You might want to get that checked out.
Guests take precedence. That's my cultural position. Otherwise, I do whatever I want in my home and clean up after as habit, regardless. Sometimes I wear shoes.
Shouldn't it be the other way round? If I'm a guest at someones house, IMO I should go out of my way to do as the host does.
Not in my home. But of course one should respect whatever is asked of them.
Came here to day both are good but your laissez faire attitude is clutch!
In The Netherlands, within my social circles, it's mostly seen as overly informal and quite intimate to take off your shoes.
You can do it at friends, but certainly not by default at acquaintances (unless they ask), as it might even be a little disrespectful considering taking off your shoes could smell a bit after some hours. Like you force your bodily odours or sweaty feet on to someone's house.
I totally get the opposite and am noticing a slow shift (also in my own house) to dropping the shoes. But it's interesting to see that both stances are based on some form of respect, and perhaps also some pragmatism on our side.
Why is the US shoes on? So not the norm anywhere I've lived.
I wear house shoes in the house. What does that make me?
Look at this one, owning 2 pairs of shoes!
I'm imagining you got bird houses on your feet.
I don’t do that.
Yet.
Full on shoes? That’s very odd.
Why not sandals? That’s very normal and imo way more convenient
I do that too.
They’re bright white Allbirds that would get too dirty too quickly if ever I wore them outside, so it’s a bit of a mental nudge for me to take them off and put on my outdoor shoes in case I forget to do so.
…sidebar: how do I clean bright white fabric shoes? it’s bleach, right? I don’t know why I’m intimidated by the task.
I would try dish soap and a toothbrush first. If that doesn’t work, a weak bleach/water mixture might work, but make sure to rinse it well. Too much bleach can discolor it. I’m sure there are some howto videos out there.
See that's definitely shoes on. The existence of house shoes - sliders and crocs - demonstrates that some people in that country are shoes indoor people. Those types of shoes exist purely to facilitate a shoe on lifestyle.
For me, I have a tendon issue in a couple of toes that refuses to heal. I can’t walk around barefooted without aggravating it. So I have a couple pair of slides that are only house shoes.
Walk around barefoot outside - nothing left to discuss.
I do not understand shoes on in the house. Like when youre sitting on the couch? Shoes on? Why? Also doesn’t your shit get all dirty?
Yeah it baffles me, even in the summer the vile shit I have to walk on downtown, or on the LRT, then to bring that into my house? 🤢
I've heard them think it doesn't dirty up their stuff and also just say that "what, you don't clean your floors often??"
Well I don't need to as often because I'm not dragging in shit from outside lol
Japan is a shoes-off country, but they often have slippers that they wear indoors. They just change their shoes like Mr. Rogers, but with less singing.
This is objectively the correct answer to the problem.
I'm not an expert but my partner is from SE Asia.
She's quite judgemental and inflexible about this. I'm not condoning her views but they might provide some cultural insights.
Shoes on inside is perceived as rude. It's particularly awkward when you go to someone elses house and they ask you to leave your shoes on. Taking your shoes off is tied up with hygiene and reverence and respect and being asked to disregard that is being asked to... diminish yourself in some way.
People in our orbit tend to wear footwear you can just slip on and off. That doesn't mean sandals or flip flops. You just tie off your laces at the "right" length and you can slip them off without untying, and slip them on by, at worst, putting your finger in behind your heel to pull them into place. Some shoes just don't work in this way, and these are reserved for longer outings like work et cetera.
We do have several communal pairs of slippers for use exclusively in the tiled area of our living room. They're just really cheap practically disposable open toed slippers. The kind you get in hotels.
We have toddlers and, thankfully they seem to be excluded from the shoe-rules.
Shoes off is both nicer and keeps the house cleaner. My family has always been on this side of things, except the folk in the Midwest, so I don’t care if this gets me on a list somewhere. What? Are gonna send ice to deport me?
Where I live it's very rare and unusual to be asked to remove your shoes when going into someone's house. Normally you just brush your shoes on the front door mat and enter.
Where I live it is also unusual to be asked to take your shoes off because it's just expected that you will since it's disrespectful to just walk inside with your shoes on.
It's more usual to be told to keep your shoes on if it's something like a contractor coming inside to do some work.
Idrgaf, but generally I see it as disrespectful to demand a guest remove their shoes. They are a guest in my home.
That there might probably the difference in the shoes on vs shoes off culture.
People who think it's disrespectful to treat someone's home as less important or people who think it's disrespectful to treat the guest as less important.
To me someone's home takes priority over the guest, as it's just what I was raised by. A house is someone's home and extremely important to them, whereas a guest is not required to be there it's a privilege to be invited inside and not having shoes really isn't a big deal to ask for us.
Agreed. I just think the guest takes precedence. It is a privilege to have them, and not taking off shoes isn't really a big deal to us.
Right, but I don't wear shoes in my own home. I'm not asking them to do anything I'm not doing. I'd also like them to not piss in my plants, despite them being a guest.
My guests would not piss in my plants anymore than they would participate in exaggerated hyperbole.
😛
🧟♀️
My guests wouldn't come in with their shoes on though
Sweet. I wouldn't demand that they did. Lol.
Put you shoes back on in my house!
I don't see why then being a guest would mean you should invite them to track dog shit and greasy dirt all over your house, though
I take in guests as they are and don't demand anything more of them than what would deny them as guests to begin with.
It's not a demand at all from me and no need to be rude, but yes, some do.
Also, I have actual dogs and they don't take off their shoes either.
I feel like Australia is more of a shoes whatever place ..
UK shoes on? Not a chance! I've never met a person who is a shoes on person. Unless you count indoor slippers as shoes...
France should be "shoes off". Never seen a French person who kept their shoes on in the house.
This is bullshit every house I go to for all my friends in USA is shoes off..lol what?
Boomer from Hamilton , Ontario, Canada, and growing up it was probably 70% shoes ON in my parts...lots of kids, in and out constantly. Obviously, snow and mud were exceptions. The 30% shoes OFF homes were the outliers...
It wasn't until my late teens that I started to notice a shift, personally and societally, to shoes OFF.
Nowadays, even if the host *insists* that I keep my shoes ON, it doesn't feel right, so I tend not to.
This. Shoes on was the default, not so anymore.
Shoes on in the house is gross. So is bare feet. Wear socks or slippers.
A man of culture
Pakistan as shoes on? That seems wrong.
Midwest EU when visiting someone’s house.
X: you guys take your shoes off in the house?
Y: yeah but it’s ok, I’m cleaning later on anyway.
Or
Y: Yes please, I just cleaned.
UK is generally shoes off from everything I've seen but ok then
I must ask the shoes on people: at what point in the house do the shoes get removed?
I’d expect that you wouldn’t want them in the bedroom or bathroom, getting gravel or dirt in bed. Is it that the main living room for entertaining guests is shoes on, and shoes off is for personal rooms? Or do you have a specific set of indoor shoes? Or do your outdoor shoes go everywhere?
Got dogs , humans take shoes off but irrelevant compared to dirt dogs track in
We have shoes, flipflops, and crocs piled inside the front door. If that doesn't give you a clue...
We were shoes on when I was growing up, but I am very staunchly shoes off as an adult.
I feel weird when I visit someone and they have me keep my shoes on.
As an American, I don't believe I've ever been in someone's home that allows me to wear my shoes indoors unless I am only on non-carpeted floor, and/or not staying long.
People don't like other people dragging shit on the bottom of their shoes into their living spaces.
I'm curious what state you are in. White people in California very much wear shoes inside.
I'm not the person you asked but this whole thread is wild to me. I've lived in 9 different states including CA and I can only remember like 2 homes that wore shoes inside and they were super Asian that had house slippers/shoes they would put on. Aside from special occasions I have literally never seen anyone just walk inside with shoes on and not take them off. Y'all people are dirty lol
Shoes off, eh.
Yeah I converted to shoes off. It just keeps the floor cleaner and you're more comfortable in the home
I'm really not sure about Australia. If you live up north you barely ever even wear shoes.if you live on a farm you better kick off those filthy gummies before you step in the house. If you're a tradie, you'd better kick off those filthy Blundstones before you walk in. If you live in the suburbs, it's a coin flip either way.
Here in Hawai'i, we shoes off. I grew up in Florida where wearing shoes inside was normal. Now, after living in a shoes off culture, I'm sensitive to it. Like I get bothered when I see people on TV with shoes on and putting their feet up on things. Outside is nasty and you're putting that nastiness on your coffee table?!
Well this makes me more proud to be a Canadian.
Buuut, I’m noticing a pattern. If it’s a very dry country then I guess you have less chance of mud and are more likely to wear your shoes inside.
Eventually you get dry enough that people go barefoot inside and outside.
Uk definitely isn't a "wearing shoes inside the house" country unless their house has floors so genuinely dirty that you're better off not collecting detritus
American here. My childhood home was completely covered in thick carpet, except the entryway and the kitchen, which was laminate tile. Yes, even the bathroom was carpeted. My bedroom literally had shag carpet.
My family always wore shoes indoors. And then wondered why the carpet was discolored, worn, and tearing in places.
I spent 20 years traveling the world after becoming an adult and learned about many other cultures who took off shoes before entering homes. Now I feel weird wearing shoes even in the entryway.
By the way, I'm retired now and living back in my childhood home, which I inherited when my father passed away. The whole place has been re-carpeted, the bathroom and dining room floors have been swapped out for laminate/wood paneling, and when I get around to remodeling the living rooms, I'll probably switch them to wood floors as well.
I love that you got your childhood home back.
I always dreamed of getting my childhood home back but it's just not in the cards. It was a beautiful acreage - the house sucked, but the property was what made it great. We had about 15 40 ft spruce trees in our yard, a dogwood hedge that would grow from 5 ft to 8 ft if you turned your back on it for more than 3 days (lol), tons of Aspen for a young Shovel to stomp around in, and a slough in the back for said Shovel to catch woodfrogs.
We sold to move into town a few years after my parents split.
Some dickhead moved in, built a big barn thing on one side of the property and cut the bottom branches of a lot of the spruce trees which ruined a lot of the privacy the place had.
I always wanted to move back, rip the house down and build my own house on it. Instead, I moved my young family to a small town about 15 minutes from where I grew up. I still get the country feel and the connection with the landscape I longed for, even though it's not exactly the same, and we have a new-build house.
I guess I did ok.
This is so incorrect it's funny. Shoes on in UK? When everyone has fucking carpets?
Sandals when I'm inside. On rare occasions I'll wear socks and house shoes, but that's usually when I'm cleaning floors or something wet.
I could get behind sandals. I had back issues for years and sometimes the only thing that helped when I was in the kitchen were slippers with a good rubber sole. Even then it kind of felt like kissing your sister - kinda good, but the good didn't out weigh the moral shame
It's always baffled me that people are comfortable with shoes on inside.
Our house is not as clean as I want it, but, if we wore shoes in the house it would be way worse. We have a family member that lives next door and is constantly walking around our house with shoes and it drives me nuts. If they weren't so helpful I'd say something.
in the tropics you'd be lucky to find someone wearing shoes outside
France is a shoes off country. However during winter we have indoor slippers
Living in Ohio (midwest U.S) its not entirely a yes or no and more of a "it depends". Ive noticed older people assume shoes on but anyone under 40 will either ask or assume shoes off at the door. Theres also a layer of midwest nice to the whole exchange of not wanting to inconvenience the other person, so you get situations where a party will start with everyone wearing shoes, but end with everyone shoeless.
Most people in the states can barely reach their feet. They have a special bench in their house for putting their shoes on, but they have to make sure they do a proper warmup routine, chair yoga, before else they'll pull something. Putting their shoes on is like the most exercise they'll ever get in a day. Too stubborn to admit they need their own handicap parking permit after they stole the one they use from their aging mothers. They take an ultralight backpacking camp chair for the two story elevator ride at work. They can't be expected to take off their shoes until they have to take their once weekly shower.
Shoes on the main floor are ok but not upstairs
Slippers don't count as shoes.
I feel like the US is very split on this.
Personally I have all hard floors and don't care if someone has shoes on, but personally shoes in the house feels weird to me.
How the hell did Canada become a shoes off country when it's not only surrounded by shoes on but also both of its major contributing cultural influences (UK and France) are supposedly shoes on?
Our outdoors can be very mucky and wet and very dry and dusty depending in the season. Polite northern folk are clean, and we like to keep our hosts houses clean too. Shoes on is considered quite rude. During the summer we allow for short walk throughs with dry shoes on, but you ask first if its ok. House slippers are common but not everyone wears them, up here it's a "socks or slippers" debate.
This is exactly it. I'm mostly in the sock camp, and only wear slippers at my computer in the basement.
Bare feet is somehow almost as bad as shoes, the only caveat is if you show up in sandals
the snow?
Quite possible
I grew up in the very tiny area of Canada which doesn't get get snow so that actually didn't even trigger in my mind lol
I don't know for UK, but France is not a full shoes inside society. It really depends where you live, and probably when.
Shoes ok downstairs, but usually off except for if I'm about to go out and roaming about finding things. Guests do what they prefer and I usually mention it's fine to leave them if they prefer. I think the fact that I have dogs is important. My floor normally has paw prints and hair so I wouldn't expect a person to take off their shoes downstairs, it's pretty much like the dogs leave their shoes on spoiling it for everyone.
chanclas ftw
Dobles para defensa del hogar también
Shoes stay at the door and showers are taken at night!
I want someone to overlay the map of countries that still use TP instead if water. Then we will know the real barbarians. \s
Where do slippers fall on this? I'm a shoes off person, but in the winter I've started wearing slippers inside.
I wear slippers or socks. Bare feet are just as bad or worse than shoes because of oils and such from your feet.
I have shoes I wear specifically in the house I broke my ankle a couple years ago and ever since, walking without shoes has been uncomfortable and even painful. So I have inside shoes and outside shoes.
You get a pass. That's a legit reason
Hooray!
Yeah this shocked me coming to the Netherlands. Thing is, when everybody else is wearing shoes, you don't wanna walk around in socks or barefoot cuz the floor gets nasty. It's a vicious cycle
Hawaii?
100% shoes off, or failing that, flippahs.
I don't know any non foreigners in the IS who keep their shoes on, with the exception of VERY rural areas.
It fascinates me that people care this much.
im not trying to be negative, im happy for anyone enjoying this post. but i do feel compelled to comment that i find it hilarious that we are out here discussing, and dare i say "arguing" about this topic in particular. thank you all, good day.
I wish we were shoes off culture. I take my shoes off in my house but everyone else gets dog shit and chewing gum.
What. i live in the US, i never wear shoes on in the house, never have, unless im getting ready to go somewhere.
I want to get another map which includes rules for guests. In some countries it's shoes off unless you're a guest.
I mean, if you live in the north it's pretty much a given that you want the snowy, soon to be water dripping, winter boots off when you come in from the freezing blizzard.
If you wear your shoes in the house, you are a a less-than
I need mongolia to provide historical context.
(Also map is inaccurate, shoes are off in Iraq too.)
In my society people usually don't get their shoes off at home. We did this thing of using specific shoes at home as a compromise. Works pretty well, it's not that I wouldn't like a shoes off policy, but it can get too cold to stand on uncarpeted floors.
We wear shoes/slippers in the house. For 2 reasons
I have never been able to teach any of the dogs I've had to take their shoes off when they come in the house. So the floor is getting dirty anyway even as we speak. Sweeping and vacuuming happens more than once a week.
When you live in a place where the temperatures are below freezing for 6 months out of the year, your house cold soaks. So the floor is most likely going to feel uncomfortably cooler than people who live in a more temperate climate experience. And it doesn't matter how well insulated or sealed your house is, it will cold soak. Slippers/shoes for the win.
Coming from shoes off culture I'm considering giving shoes on a shot. But I still don't quite understand how it's supposed to work. I assume you're not that savage to get in beds in shoes, so are you supposed to keep them near the bed? And lace them every morning when you get up? Or use simpler footwear that doesn't require lacing like crocs or something? Isn't that then technically wearing slippers outside rather than wearing shoes inside?
Mud room
Does he not agree with your position on shoes off in the house?
Shoes on everywhere for me BUT it's Birkenstock type sandals indoors.
What the fuck does this mean??
When you walk into a house, do you remove your shoes?
Yes
Then you would fit in in the red areas.
I am from the US
US culture varies a lot by state to state, YMMV.
Shoes off means you don't wear shoes inside your house. The reverse the opposite.
For me it’s like the saying touching grass
Alonso the US does not comply
Shoes off on carpet.
Am from Florida we flip a coin every time we enter or leave a house on if we are doing shoes on or off.
House slippers that are never out stomping turds and spit? Nope. All good.
I work from home and only really leave the house to go to the grocery store once every week or two. I wear shoes probably about fifty percent of the time, my feet will start to hurt if I don’t. I have two pairs of sneakers that are over five years old and a pair of boots that are almost twenty years old that I rotate. I think I must just live a lot different lifestyle than most folks.
you should keep your shoes on in my home if you want to keep your socks clean
I have a friend who is shoes off. I respect his wishes at his home but I'd hate to live like that.
Central Asia is definitely shoes off. So this map is not correct.
UK and east Europe are you sure? Don't think a place where rain is just the weather that makes sense
My dad came to visit once. He's a shoes off kind of guy. Pretty diligent about it too. Problem is, he just doesn't like wearing them anywhere. Sure go stand in my half mud yard and smoke a cigar and then walk right back into my kitchen.
We decided to show him around the area. Drive out to the coast. Leaving the car, "Dad you might want your shoes." Get to the beach, as we're strong into the sand, he stops, "I think I should put my shoes on."
I fucking died.
All this to say, if you're shoes off, make sure everyone is shoes on outside.
That last line, I'm going to leave it, but it doesn't make sense.
Tell me you don't know anything about the US without telling me.
Not true. Over 44% of you guys like boots inside on so you can continue to lick them. Hence the map accuracy. The remaining percentage didn't care to vote or had too strict a purity test to rally enough consensus to kick out the boot lovers.
well at least your bio is accurate
Lot of germaphobes in here. Like I get taking them off if it's muddy or something but otherwise who cares.
I went to an Indian house and those guys wore shoes inside
Hello shoes off gang, do you enjoy spreading your filthy mold spore colonies from other people's feet to your floor where it can spread to everyone else? Because that's how you spread athlete's foot. Indoor slippers gang rise up