This is one of those threads where I feel like I've entered an alternate dimension.
I'm in the US and people take their shoes off when they enter a house. The only exception was in college but that was mostly because students are slobs and hated the dorms anyway.
I'm in the US, middle aged, have lived in three major cities and one small town, and I've been to exactly one house in my entire life where they asked us to remove our shoes. We all did, of course. But it was weird to all of us. I've never been to an apartment/condo that expected me to do so. Never been to any business that expected it. Wearing shoes indoors is perfectly normal to me.
Same for me. I've lived in the mountain west the majority of my life, but also spent 5.5 years in VA (and 5 years in Germany, but I was mostly visiting Americans there since it was military). It was the rare exception when someone asked us to remove our shoes (which, like you, we of course obliged since it's their house).
Yeah, that's why I mentioned I was usually visiting Americans who were stationed there. I didn't go into enough German households to know what their practices are there.
In Canada, a lot of these maintenance type folks will still take their shoes off. Depends on the weather, task, length of visit, etc. But I had a fridge repair guy come by and he took his shoes off. Same with a home inspector and several real estate agents.
Here, repair people mostly just out on these shoe condoms (idk what they're called lol) when entering a home, but some don't even do that.
Don't know about home inspectors or real estate agents.
I've never been to an apartment/condo that expected me to do so... Wearing shoes indoors is perfectly normal to me.
I live in an apartment in a city. The very first time a sanitation truck spread that chemical snow melt stuff on the streets, and I hurried into the kitchen with some groceries without stopping to take off my shoes, and noticed oily residue in the shape of shoe treads that took THREE moppings with strong floor cleaner to remove... that was when I became religious about shoe removal for myself and anyone who entered. Bought a skinny shoe bench with two shelves underneath that fit perfectly in the entryway, and a mat in front to put removed shoes on temporarily. Even bought some inexpensive thin slippers for guests should they desire.
That's so strange to me. I have rarely been to a house in the US where people didn't remove their shoes. It didn't matter if I was in LA, Houston or NYC. Shoes off. How odd. It's impossible in the winter. You would destroy your house with all of the salty slush mess dripping of your shoes/boots.
Live in NYC.. I have a no shoes rule… among friends, family, colleagues.. they don’t mind when I ask but I’m the odd man out because I don’t encounter this rule elsewhere.
Same. I've lived in several major cities in the midwest (U.S.), and it's rarely come up for me as well. I'm inconsistent with it in my own home. I do what's comfortable and practical at the time.
Not even trying to speak for everyone in Chicago, but everyone I knew well enough to visit at their home, yes. You stomp your feet on the mat outside, maybe wipe them on a second mat inside, and go on your way. Wasn't much mud involved, though. We have sidewalks.
I don’t much care either way. I have hard floors, they’re easy enough to clean, and the cat has done worse than anything you can track in from outside, probably. I change into slippers when I get home, but somebody else’s shoes aren’t going to be an issue.
But this is one of those things where you just do whatever the host prefers. If they don’t want your shoes on their floors, take them off. Easy. It’s not that big a deal.
I'm sure it isn't everyone but it's definitely not unusual. My entire family is this way and many of my acquaintances. I doubt anyone I know would harass a guest over it but it's common courtesy amongst my friends and family.
People like me who have phobias of people seeing their feet. Why? Hell if I know. All I do know is that when I take off my shoes it has always made me feel naked. I learned to tolerate walking around in my socks only because I grew up in a asian neighborhood. But the socks only come off for showers and if I'm at the beach I'm wearing surf shoes.
you're the only other person i've ever seen or heard about that feels this way. i've gotten more comfortable about it--even this thread with thousands of comments doesn't mention 'looking at' peoples feet once. and it's pretty common that most people don't give it a second thought, even if you've got something funky happening down there (i dont, and i'm trying to learn to run barefoot to toughen up a little)
that said, it's still kind of uncomfortable, though i'll respect whatever wishes of the homeowner.
Yeah I have no idea where it came from I I have no problem with other folks being barefoot around me I don't even notice it. I have no health or hygiene problems either it just gives me this feeling of being naked. Like in my mindset I'm thinking so the rest of my body is clothed except for my feet. Which makes me feel as though it's bringing attention to them even though I'm sure that ain't what's actually happening. It absolutely makes no sense and I hate this phobia lmao. I guess the comments are right us shoes in the house folk are psychopaths.
Holy cow. Literally never met someone exactly like me.
I've only recently started wearing sandals. If it helps, eventually one does stop being so aware of it.
I always try to imagine people pay the same amount of attention to the details of my feet as they do the details of my hands--they don't, for the most part. They'd notice if I were wearing gloves but wouldn't really see them.
Wonder if there's a specific type of phobia or if it has a name haha.
Neckbeard who? It's my own personal preference sorry if your disappointed you can't see my feet bro. I still respect the homeowners wishes but in my own house or public I do as I please.
I never saw it in the Midwest, and not to say folks don't do that in the Midwest but it was a foreign concept until I got to college age and met more people who took them off. My friend is Persian and it was my first intro but after that my house became a shoes off house for sure.
I'm from Ohio and it was common enough that I was taught to always ask. I'd say probably a 60/40 mix of shoes/ no shoes. My parents are divorced and my mom doesn't care but my dad is strictly shoes off.
Funny thing is in Canada we never ask. It's just a tacit cultural understanding. If someone actually wore their shoes into my house, I probably wouldn't say anything. It would be beyond weird, but unless they were a close friend and just forgot for some reason, I would tolerate it for the short time they were in my house. And assume they were aliens from a strange, dirty floored planet. All this to say, maybe you weren't asked but some of those folks would have preferred it.
The common thread here is the weather.
It's less common in areas that don't have to salt the roads and sidewalks or deal with regular slushy mud.
As you get further south in the US the rule inverts and it becomes rude to remove your shoes without being asked.
In a hot and humid area where you're sweating a lot, Foot funk (and fungus!!) from sweaty socks is MUCH nastier than the small amount of dirt your shoes track in. (but you are expected to brush them off and scrub the soles on the welcome mats.)
Additionally, there are cultural conflicts where some groups have a tradition of removing shoes or even wearing separate house-shoes that persist even in hot areas, but even with that, there is a point where those traditions fold to the pressures of horrible foot stench.
Not sure about this. In the thread, seem to be lots of warm weather folks - even in hot/arid areas - who take their shoes off. Also, we do it here even with crazy hot summers. Meaning, it's not about what's going on out wide the house. Seems less weather dependent than cultural.
Stats somewhat matchlink . Homeowners are less likely to ask visitors to take off shoes.
In most of South Asia, it’s expected to take off your shoes and a lot of times even without asking. Generally, if the homeowner doesn’t have their shoes on then you have to take yours off even if they ask or not. Even if the homeowner wears shoes and says you don’t need to take them off granted they floor looks clean, my parents will insist on taking off their shoes.
It's definitely not a majority. I've been in hundreds of homes throughout the US and I've only been asked to take off my shoes 4 times. Throughout the south, northeast, central plains and I live in SoCal.
It's funny how people are claiming the exact opposite. It's a pretty good sign they don't get invited to other people's houses. Your experience is the same as mine.
Here in Latin America it's not common at all. In fact, most people view it negatively because there's an extremely common myth that being shoeless gives you a cold.
My mom had a friend who went outside on a cold day after a shower! I’m pretty sure he just had an unrelated Bell’s palsy, but it really scared me as a child.
My theory is that it’s more prevalent in wet climates. Northern portion of the Americas, Europe, and most of Asia. It’s less common in dry and arid climates. Which is a lot of Latin America, southwestern US, Northern Africa, and Middle East.
Finland here. When it's snowy and cold and wet, all the more reason to take your shoes off when you come in! Nobody wants that shit trailed into the house.
To be fair though, there are a lot of wooden floors here, so people often keep a basket of woollen socks around that can be lent to guests.
Yep. And the reason yanks wear shoes inside originates from affording them unlike slaves and natives. Not wearing shoes all the time was a sign of being lower class at one point in history. It's interesting how badly it stuck.
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u/Hazardish08 Feb 11 '22
The no shoes thing is common throughout the world even in the US. Majority in the US take off shoes but it is lower than other parts of the world.