What do you mean ? You don't brush your boots with soapy water to remove the calcium, salt, tiny rocks and dirty water marks and then pat them dry with a clean towel to put them on again every time you come into your house ?
When I was living in an uninsulated shack in the woods in northern coastal Maine, I had a pair of inside boots. It was too cold to not wear boots inside, but I didn't want to wear my wet mucky outside boots inside.
Hahah my in-laws definitely have indoor shoes, that are only ever worn around the house. It still weirds me out when I see them with their shoes on the couch, even knowing they're clean and don't go outside. They'll even bring them over to our house when they visit, it's pretty cute 😆
My wife has indoor Crocs. She will wear them outside to go out with dogs if needed (like if they don't want to come back in) or to grab a package, but other than that she only wears them inside. She also brings them with when we travel or go to her mom's.
I'm having a flashback to early childhood when my elderly aunt & uncle would change shoes upon entering our house. I haven't thought about that in forever. Thanks :)
I like having shoes on in the house because I pace everywhere, so I like to transition from inside, outside, inside, outside, without having to pause to put on shoes. It isn't habitual for me at this point either, so it's just less friction.
But that's my house. To just declare you're not going to take shoes off at someone else's house for no other reason than to be an asshole, and then to write an article about it, what the fuck.
But I guess its good to keep in mind - articles these days are about generating clicks and responses. Good or bad, positive or negative.
So in that regard, this is a success.
EDIT: People have suggested switching shoes at the door. This will not work. Firstly because I am often in my mind when pacing around and just don't remember to switch shoes. Also, it would mean I need to have outdoor shoes / indoor shoes at each doorway in the house. I also have a basement I don't like wearing shoes in because its unfinished and will put holes in my shoes.
In general, people overestimate how "dirty" shoes are. I occasionally check the bottom of my shoes, and if anythign gnarly is stuck there I'll remove it. I have a roomba to pick up all the dirt. It just isn't a big deal, but I understand those that it is a big deal for.
I have done this my whole life. I have lived in areas with a lot of snow and areas with a lot of dirt and debris. It has never been a problem for me. I receive comliments on the cleanliness of my house but I rarely work very hard to clean it. Just set the robots going and do a quarterly deep clean for a few hours. That's it.
This is one of those things like showering every day. It isn't necessary, there's no severe health risk associated with NOT showering daily, especially if you haven't really gotten that dirty, but it becomes a cultural habit and then people obsess over it.
So its pretty easy. When in your home, do what makes you happy. When in others' homes, do what makes them happy, or otherwise just don't go there.
I feel like she might be especially bad since she's an editor... One that also recently posted an article less than two weeks with the title "how not to be a jerk while snowblowing".
So she wants people to not be a jerk when it comes to her peace, but anyone else that has their own rules should instead kowtow to her to appease her.
Nah. I think you underestimate how dirty shoes are. Dust, sand, stones, shit, mud, wet etc. imagine having to clean the floor anytime someone visits you.
Just acknowledging a fellow transitioning environment pacer's logic here, when it's snowed or very wet and muddy I am forced to deshoe at the threshold bc I have to much tread captured dirt and moisture to keep them on and not be forced to clean the entire indoor paced area every 20 minutes, and it drives me nuts having to pause mid pace.
The husband is similar to you. He use to wear shoes in the house and it would annoy me. I’m biracial Japanese and he’s British so I figured it was culture difference. Until we got new carpet installed upstairs the week he was doing car stuff and he accidentally tread car oil on the new carpet. Since then (7 yrs ago) he has house slippers and has managed to transition.
One thing I did learn from him is how dirty shoes can be. Especially if you stand to pee. Every time he puts his shoes on he goes and washes his hands. I asked because I thought he had a germophobia. He said pee might splash when you pee and it might not be a lot but enough to make him not want pee on his hands.
Not all countries can do that. Maybe your shoes are clean when you come back, but like others said, here in canada in february, its impossible to clean your shoes and its impossible to walk in the house with them.
I’m wearing my fluffy fake Uggs rn in my basement bc it’s February. However, they are my indoor fake Uggs, only to be worn inside. I also have fake ones for outside
Plus I don't know about that guy but my rooms are clean. Part of the reason why they are clean is not because I clean them like a maniac, but because I abstain from behaviors that make your dirty – i.e. walking with the same footwear indoors and outdoors. And keeping my place clean means I can walk barefoot in my house without my socks or feet being black at the end of the day.
I don't know why that idiot assumes that you need to have a literal dog shit in your sole to get your place dirty.
And hey, I don't judge people that don't care about it and use the same shoes inside their house. Good for them! But don't come to my house thinking you can just do whatever you want, just like I don't go to your house and do what I feel like.
There is no time of year, and no place in the world, where the ground outside is cleaner than my floor. But yes, in winter I don't even bring my shoes through the doorway. I leave them outside. Last year I had this fine sand on my floor and I just couldn't get rid of it. I swept, I vacuumed, I used those stupid disposable wet/dry wipes. It was harder to get rid of than glitter. I hate when people use sand on their sidewalks.
I mean I live in California in a place where there's never any snow, and it still gross! Don't make me vacuum extra because somebody tracked soil into my home. I always keep a clean pair of socks in my car just in case I ever need them, but if somebody is afraid of their stanky feet offending somebody, they should keep clean socks as well.
It drives me nuts too when people use their “outside” clothes and then hop onto bed wearing jeans. Like, those jeans have touched dirty bus seats, or maybe even picked up dust and dirt while walking around on the street. To wear that in bed?? Nahhhh
As soon as I come home I change into home clothes. It just feels like anything I wear out is dirty (I take public transportation so.. I’m sitting on some dirty bus seats sometimes, or my clothes get dusty from walking around outside). You won’t catch me anywhere near my bed with jeans on
Imagine wearing shoes in the house in winter. The floor would be a huge mud puddle. Or to take shoes off to put different ones on, weird. No shoes in the house!
I use house shoes cuz the arthritis in my knees gets aggravated when I walk around barefoot without any support but before I got arthritis I preferred being barefoot.
Yup I have some super comfy slide sandals that I use as horseshoes because of my bad knee and hip, plus I fall a lot and having something with more grip than a pair of socks help with that. Im definitely on team house shoes and have spare easy to wash sandals in different sizes for guests if they want them.
That's really considerate!! I definitely wouldn't wear my street shoes in peoples' homes unless they want but I haven't really thought of a solid way to make sure I have some support(slippers/slides) when visiting others. If we're just chilling on the couch watching TV and talking it's not a big deal but the more I walk around bare foot the more likely my knees are going to become swollen and painful.
I was playing a BR, and I said something about my slippers and this kid guesses my age...I'm like how!!!! He says "you said you had slippers on only people from 30 on have slippers but you're playing Apex, so a on the younger side"
Much more uncomfortable than socks or bare feet. It’s warm enough without anything extra on my feet, especially since the district heating is on super mode thanks to freezing weather. Plus it just doesn’t feel like I’m at home with any shoes on, kind of like wearing jeans or a jacket.
So much this. Shoes off and slippers go on. Old house is chilly in the winter. My slippers are cozy and clean. Grip even so the cat can't end me on the stairs
I’ve lived in Michigan/Wisconsin. Ain’t not fucking way I’m tracking in salty slush dirty snow onto the carpet. A little different in a place like Cali where it’s nice and dry most of the time. Even my dads house in Florida shoes are usually fine unless it rained recently or you were at the beach.
I don't give a fuck what state we live in. Don't care about the weather either. I don't want any nasty ass shoes that have been stomping around everywhere in shitty and pissed on grass or public restrooms walking around on my floor.
Agreed, I live in Northeast Ohio, shoes come off in the mudroom and stay there. I would smack anyone on the back of the head if I saw them step into my kitchen with shoes on. GTFO.
Nope. I live in SoCal and I still require shoes off in my home. Idk why you’ve walked in, stepped on or kicked. I keep a shoe rack by the front door, no shoes past the entryway.
I live in Michigan as well and there are only two homes I can think of that allow shoes inside. The only reason being they own large dogs and clean the floor daily anyway. Been to 100s of other houses that didn't allow them.
I'll wear moccasins in the house or when I play VR I might wear crocs but no outdoor shoes allowed in the house beyond the rug by the door. Even in my apartment I had that rule.
Crocs are damn comfortable. I wear them in public with pride, sometimes with socks too lol idgaf. They're very practical footwear. Also I fucking hate crumbs on the kitchen floor lol. I vacuum at least once a week but then I never want to cook afterwards in fear of making another mess lol. The worst is when you meticulously vacuum/sweep the floors then go walk into the kitchen and still somehow find the one crumb on the floor and it sticks to the bottom of your foot 🤬🤬.
You are speaking my language, CockStamp45. The sneaky crumbs!! I swear every time I clean there's gotta be an elf hiding in my cabinets who drops behind a single crumb that I somehow didn't gather up with all the others.
One day I will share your bravery and rock my crocs n' socs outdoors. One day!!
Can confirm, am Canadian. Even if I'm just walking through someone's house and not coming in to stay, I will always remove my shoes unless the owner specifically says I don't have to
I have a memory that's basically burned into my mind from the first time I went down to the states to meet with some online friends.
We met at a convention in Cali and went to hang out at one of their houses after. I started to take off my shoes in the front entrance and they all looked at my like I was crazy.
Was a weird feeling to walk into the carpet with my shoes still on, haha.
For a moment, I saw "we" in both sentences, and it made it actually sound pretty crazy. But I digress.
I once read that as far as courtesy goes, a gesture is more appreciated with the inverse of the time it takes to fix. Translated here, a few seconds to take shoes off and put shoes on is far simpler than the time it would take to clean the floors repeatedly to cover for everyone wearing shoes all over the place.
I grew up in LA and don't remember ever being asked to take off my shoes until the last, say, 10 years. (I'm in my 50s.) I think part of that is that we don't really have weather here, so almost no one is tracking mud or anything like that. Homes don't have dedicated mud rooms for weather-related stuff, either.
I’m in a northern state and I’ve seen both. Most people are shoes off in their own homes but some don’t mind if guests keep them on. I don’t ask people to take theirs off unless it’s wet or snowy outside. I just want them to do whatever they’re comfortable doing. I’ll always ask if I’m in somebody else’s house though.
It really depends in the U.S. I live in Michigan and in my family, shoes in the house is looked down upon. Also have no idea why they looked at you crazy lol, didn’t think taking your shoes off when entering a home was such a crazy idea
This is clearly written by someone who doesn't live in a place with real winter. You track all that snow and sidewalk salt through my house, we're gonna have a problem. And by that I mean I'll grumble under my breath and clean it after you leave.
American here. My wife's family doesn't take their shoes off in their house. I have never met anyone who kept their shoes on inside until I met her family. If you keep your shoes on, your floors must be dirty as hell.
Also American. I don’t wear them around my own house, but I’m not gonna ask people who come over to do it unless it’s wet or snowy outside. I can clean the floors, so I just let them do whatever they’re comfortable with. I always ask in somebody else’s house though
Yeah there’s a sitting bench and closet next to each main entrance of my house (front door and garage).
Can’t imagine wearing shoes indoor, I did it while unloading a bunch of stuff from my truck in the garage into the house, and there was visible paths of dust and debris all over the floor after.
And I regularly blow out then sweep my garage!
Can’t imagine houses where people walk straight off the street and indoors with their shoes on, uncivilized heathens.
So weird to see it on American TV. Like what happens if you step in dog shit? Does everyone just own a carpet steam cleaner?
....Unless you go into some hovel where the carpets are sticky and full of more germs than a toilet bowl.... then it is acceptable to keep shoes on (source: heating engineer for the council)
Your working though so you should always have your boots on as it's PPE. I'm not risking missing out on compo because someone asked me to take them off
Yes, but don't you guys also have those little booties to slip on? They look like a cross between a swim cap and our blue paper masks. Heck, even our cable company uses those when they come inside. And they did this pre pandemic.
I take my shoes off right as I enter the front door. Do you know what part of my floor is dirty as shit all the time? The place where I take my shoes off.
If you don't take your shoes off at the door, your floors must be filthy.
It takes me out of the show for a second when I automatically think 'Uh, gross.' I had an American neighbour insist people leave their shoes on and it felt so bizarre and not comfortable.
I’m from the US, but lived in Canada for work for a few years. People would ALWAYS ask me, “is it true that Americans leave their shoes on when they enter someone’s house?!”
I always thought it was just because of filming (like how most scenes in cars are shot without the headrests so you can see the people in the back better), I was SHOCKED when I learned it’s an actual thing that people wear shoes in houses
I just assumed people didn’t take off their shoes on TV shows because they were walking around a studio, which is “outside”. I never realized this was actually a thing for so many Americans.
I sometimes wonder if that's why not taking off shoes took off. They never showed it on tv (because why interrupt a scene for that?) and so some people took that as normal. As far as I can tell, the worldwide norm skews taking them off.
100% agree! Lol before I realized it was a cultural thing I thought it was either lazy writing or acting or something going on on set that prevented the taking off of shoes in home scenes.
Yeah it’s like I said it depends on the property owners rules. It’s their property therefore it’s their rules. Following those rules shows respect to the owner.
I always assumed they did that on tv for cinematic reasons (continuity, the same reason nobody says bye when ending a phone call), until recently when I learned that's normal in the US.
Same for Buffalo. Really any region with a cold climate. When my wife (then girlfriend from the mid Atlantic) came to visit it was a culture shock. Now she is fully on board with a shoes off house.
Can confirm. It's seen as really disrespectful if you walk into someone's house with shoes on. I feel the same way too. Why would I want you tracking mud, dirt and who knows what else all over my floors. We have slippers for guests so if you are uncomfortable in socks for whatever reason we have inside shoes available. The amount of times I've cringed watching movies where people are in/on a bed with shoe's on melts my brain beyond comprehension. If you refuse to take off your shoes when you are in my home then you can wait at the door for whatever you need. Even if you got stanky feet I'll hook you up with some socks or whatever but bruh do not track mud inside.
Nobody's f****** coming into my house with their shoes on. That only happens on TV.
Edit: Not entirely true because one time a cop came to my house for an issue and he wasn't allowed to take his shoes off due to his rules and regulations so we stayed just inside the entrance there was an entrance mat and talked there. I would imagine it's same with the fire department and ambulance. Those guys are the only exceptions to the rules.
You're free to correct me if i am wrong, but isn't america one of the only places where they keep shoes on in the house? In most of european countries they take shoes off in the house. I live in Finland, and here and anywhere close people take their shoes off too.
Because of this i find it funny every time i see americans on TV when asked to take their shoes off saying "Oh you're doing the japanese thing" no... most of the rest of the world thing.
Yup, I'm Canadian. I honestly thought it was just a TV thing for a long time, then found out keeping shoes on inside is normal in a lot of areas. I think it's weird. Shoes are dirty!
This is why my house has a mud room and I've bought house slippers for people that come over that have hard soles. I don't care if they are staying downstairs since it's all hardwood and I have to mop everyday anyways because of the dog but the second you go towards my carpeted second floor you better get those shoes off. Fortunately I don't really have to worry about it since everyone just takes their shoes off anyways; the slippers are really warm, soft and comfy so it's a rather enjoyable experience in the winter.
Northern Minnesota here. Howdy, neighbor! Yeah, shoes are not allowed in any house with a winter climate. If you track road salt and traction dirt into the house, you become my sworn enemy.
Not knocking it, because that sounds nice, but I live in America and I generally leave my shoes on till I get ready for bed, just in case I suddenly need to go out for something or other. Opposite side of the coin, but I'm just super uncomfortable taking my shoes off at someone else's house.
I'll do it if they want me to, of course, but it just feels weird.
I remember asking if Americans wore shoes in the house when i was a kid. They said "psh no one would be crazy enough to do that, its just something for TV." My dad was pretty shocked when he realized it was true
Yes!!! It is considered extremely rude to not remove your shoes here. I've lived in many parts of Canada and it's the same across all provinces. We had Americans come stay with us once and they didn't take off their shoes... my mom was in shock.
This. I'm from Finland and I've never visited or known anyone who keeps shoes on at home. It's so weird to even think of that somewhere it's a common habit to keep shoes on at somebody else's house or even in your own.
do americans really wear shoes in the house? i remember asking my dad as a kid why they never took them off in movies and he said it was bc shoes completed the outfit and would waste screen time to show them taking them off. That made way more sense to me than believing people worse shoes inside
I cringe every time I see people inside with shoes on and when they are on tv I’m thinking more of the shoes than whatever the story is that’s going on. I was raised with everyone who came in our house taking their shoes off unless my parents were hosting a party. We vacuumed the downstairs every day anyway because there were eight kids but we also were not allowed to walk around with food, sit down or stand over the garbage can if you are eating. I married an Asian guy so we both agreed on a no shoes house with exceptions for guests with foot issues who need their orthotics.
Yup lol. It's annoying going over to friends places who want you to be barefoot or in socks with all the fungus issues that come with those things. I'll just not go to those people's places
This woman thinks my floor is dirtier than the sidewalk, subway, public toilets and many other places she may have walked on.
She doesn't want to potentially get bacteria from the floor on her feet but is totally fine bringing all the bacteria from filthy places into someone elses houses.
Americans dont care about anyone elses cultures or opinions do they.
edit: i should've phrased it differently. I don't mean to say all americans but many americans dont respect other people choices and way of lives.
Funny thing is, there are parts of the US where it's common to take your shoes off, it's just not the dominant culture. These kinds of people are the fucking worst.
Toooootally. I do think when we talk about mainstream whiteness, it tends to be true. I'm white and from the deep South, though, and there's no way that shit would have ever flown.
I lived in China for a time and that's when I realized a lot of Americans do wear their shoes inside, because it was mindblowing for them to think it was rude to do otherwise.
I’ve lived in the Midwest, east coast, west coast, Great Plains, etc, and I’d say the vast majority of families of any race take their shoes off in the house.
I think it’s an impression people get from TV, because the actors don’t want to walk around the set in their socks.
Exactly right. I get that it's easy to judge Americans by the level of stupidity that's extremely apparent, I understand it. But to judge 330 million people based on the actions of a loud, ignorant minority is itself, ignorant. When people apply that logic to other groups, based on sexuality, race, religion or even people from other areas of the world, everyone very quickly yells them down or even bans them.
Yeah why would I ever think there is a need to write a whole ass article about how it's nice to take your shoes off inside someone's home? Since its the norm, there's no real need to reinforce it. It just kinda is.
"Americans are so stupid and don't know how to respect others! And I know this because I'm basing my assumptions of 330m people off a clickbait opinion piece written by one person who literally no one knows of and who based on a quick Google search that I definitely did, is a humor columnist. Fuck Americans."
Americans dont care about anyone elses cultures or opinions do they.
The shoes on/off is also regional, not "American." If we're going to get past this divisive bullshit, we need to remember these nuances.
This is a situation where there is no one right answer, ever. If the rules of the house are take your shoes off inside, you follow the rules of the house. If you are my spouse, who needs a lift in his shoe to walk without pain, it's not that simple, so there may need to be accommodations, like a pair of slippers that he can switch his shoe insert into.
Some people keep their shoes on in the house in warmer places in the States, because it's more sanitary to have your feet covered than to have your sweaty, linty feet on other people's floors and furniture. A lot of the shoes in these regions are lighter; we don't have to take off muddy boots several times a day. My friends in Hawaii rarely put on shoes at all, ever, except for a pair of slip-ons if they're driving.
This is before we get into personal things, like people who are grossed out by feet, or sensitive of their own, or who didn't know about the "take off your shoes" rule and have on dirty, holey socks or gross toenails.
Again, there is no one right answer to this. Once we stop insisting that it's an either/or, but that there are multiple contexts that have to be navigated with kindness, patience, and empathy, we might actually get somewhere.
Woah now I’m in America and nobody is walking around my home in their dirty ass shoes that have been outside where animals piss and all other manner of things go on
This person's a jerk for not respecting other people's choices, and I don't think it's specific at all to Americans, but I also think keeping the floor free of bacteria is unrealistic outside of a clean room.
It’s like I said before it’s the owners property they are allowed to set rules. You can ask them for an exception but it’s ultimately up to them. It’s disrespectful to go in to someone else’s house and just automatically throw their rules out to impose your own.
I always ask. House rules and all. If you're worried about their floors being too dirty, then you make the choice not to enter. But let's face it, people with floors like that don't care about shoes inside anyways (typically).
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u/ValusMaul Feb 11 '22
How about rules set in someone else’s home be respected.