Shoe rules

Hubby and I see eye-to-eye on most things, but one thing we can’t seem to agree on is shoes. I like to wear shoes inside. It’s just habit and something I’ve always done. Hubby doesn’t. He flings his shoes off as soon as he steps inside the door.

On Sunday as I pottered around Ma’s kitchen making breakfast I looked down to see Ma in her shoes alongside me. I smirked, realising where I got it from. I wonder who Lacey will take after. So far she’s a non-shoe-wearer inside.


What’s the rule in your house? Shoes on or off?

85 thoughts on “Shoe rules”

  1. Off! Definitely off. I think it's a Canadian thing though. Since most of our TV show (especially when I was growing up) came from the US I could NEVER figure out why people wore shoes indoors. It just seems so icky to me.

  4. Something I've noticed in the states is that my friends from up north tend to take their shoes off inside. My guess is because there's so much salt and muck on the ground all winter that nobody wants to drag it all through the house.

    In my home, we can go either way. Usually they come off, because we don't want the kids' dirty shoes on the couch. I wear mine a lot, because it gets cold in the basement where I work and I don't like slippers 🙂

  5. I live in the US (Maryland). We take are shoes off. It's just cleaner. I do however have a pair of Croc sandals which I consider to be my “house shoes” and only where them inside the house. If for some reason I did walk outside (take the trash out, check the mail) I can easily run them under the sink and wash them before putting them back on.

  6. We all take our shoes off (usually there a line up of between 6 and 8 pairs of shoes by the front door) but I'm the only one who hates to be bare-foot. My slippers are my favourite shoes.

  7. I'm an “inbetweener” if you will. As soon as I get home, I switch to slippers. That way I'm not tracking anything through the house, but my feet are protected from the cold or anything that may have made it's way onto the floor.

  10. When we have guests over we typically leave our shoes on, but the rest of the time, oh how I love to cuddle up in my favorite socks on the sofa. No shoes for me. We have a shoe cabinet in our front hallway for this 🙂

  11. New reader here stopping by to say HI!

    In our house, it's shoes off at the door! Hubby fusses at me because I am usually barefootin' it everywhere, even outside in the gravel. For me, shoes are just for looks 🙂

  14. My shoes come off the instant I walk inside! I hate wearing shoes and socks-my feet like their freedom! 🙂 my grandpa ALWAYS wear shoes-inside, outside, summer, winter…always!

  15. I like to go bare or wear slippers inside. But I didn't always do that…growing up we wore our shoes. I just watched some documentary or news show about how much disgusting stuff we track in on our shoes and that did it. If I have company I feel like I need my shoes on though…almost as if I'm naked from the ankles down! LOL!

  16. shoes off!!

    then depending on the temperature – either bare feet, socks or my pink peter alexander ugg boots 🙂

  17. No rules in our house, but I've always preferred to be barefoot (except, of course, in the depths of winter). Without thinking, my shoes are removed within moments of arriving home.

  21. We mostly keep ours on. With three boys we are in and out a lot and it's easier to keep them on. Plus I'm clumsy and always stubbing my toes or dropping something on them. It's safer if I keep my shoes on!

  22. I hate wearing shoes around the house. If my feet are cold I'll wear socks or slippers, but hardly ever do I wear shoes. I usually want to get as comfortable as possible when I enter the house and not wearing shoes helps with that.

  23. Culturally, I was brought up with shoes off inside the house…however, slippers that were meant just for the house were okay. My partner on the other hand is Anglo-Aussie and he likes wearing shoes etc inside and we've had many disagreements over that. Especially given the unit is carpetted!

  25. Eek, shoes inside make me feel ill, all that dog poo, street muck, wet & muddy shoes inside on my carpets, eek! We're shoes off family, we have a very good thick rug just inside our front door where everyone sits to shoe on/shoe off, guests and couriers etc see the rug and realise it's a no shoe house pretty quickly. We all have thongs at the backdoor for treks to the washing line/compost/playtime etc and we have light slippers and ugg boots kept inside our bedrooms which can be worn inside when colder

  26. It's whatever goes in our house! Though I read recently that wearing shoes indoors tracks all sorts of nasties into the home and it is far healthier to leave shoes at the door. Too late for this house as we have been in it for 8+ years but if I ever build again, I think the rule will be no shoes in the house!

  27. New here!!

    Off but hubby who is a foot Dr. Always Always has something on his feet. At home her wears crocs :0)
    PS he has the softest feet ever and it's comes from protecting his feet. Me flip flops or slippers. Children shoes off. But we live somewhat country

  28. shoes off, slippers on. Guests can do whatever they are comfortable with. I also have garden slippers that are past their best house slippers.

  29. Never liked wearing footwear in the house or anywhere for that matter since childhood and I'm in my 50's. All my family… hubby, children, parents and grandparents were the same … we're in Brissie. But during winter, Uggs or socks.

  30. Most of the time it is shoes off in the house. We just find it more comfortable. I do wear my slip-on Hush Puppies if I'm doing a lot of work in the kitchen, though, because otherwise the tiles absolutely kill my feet.

    My brother's house is incomplete and is still concrete slab in parts. We always wear shoes there because the concrete is way too hard on your feet, and it gets very dusty and dirty, no matter how much they sweep.

  32. We have no hard and fast rule. Hubby hates wearing shoes unless necessary and my son already takes after him. I tend to kick mine off once I am inside for the evening, but I hate putting them on and off constantly as I am going about my day 🙂

  33. being from hawaii everyone takes off their shoes 🙂 some people have signs at their front door that says “please take off slippers before coming in. mahalo”

  34. I'm a total shoes off girl but ive had to start wearing thongs all the time in our new house because the floor in the kitchen and main living areas are polished concrete and it is way to hard to stand on for too long. I just like my feet to be free 🙂

  35. When we had carpet throughout our house I was very strict about no shoes inside to keep it super clean. Now that we are all hardwoods it doesn't work out so well. Hubby likes to keep his shoes on and I feel like I am constantly stepping in puddles if I don't have something on my feet. I wish we'd all just wear slippers! Maybe that should be a goal. Slippers for all! (And leave your goshdarn wet shoes by the door.) 🙂

  38. I always wanted it to be a shoe off place, have a little rack next to the door with the our shoes so visitors would do the same, Now that we have a baby on the way I think I will in force it as, I don't want her to pick up things from the floor.

  39. We don't have a RULE at our house. My hubby likes his shoes on first thing in the morning and off last thing at night. I usually only put shoes on if I am going somewhere. Even been known to go outside barefoot with snow on the ground. Heck isn't that how the Indians used to do it? But the grandkids all try to get their shoes off as soon as they come home.

  40. Like a poster above, I'm a slippers-wearer once I'm home! We have little drawers at the front door where shoes go into once they are taken off upon entering the house. It's got a little seat on top, so you can sit there and put your shoes back on when you're leaving. It's not a rule as such, more of just habit!

  41. Living in the tropics, it's usually a case of thongs outside, and bare feet inside. But I was brought up not wearing shoes inside, so moving to Darwin was awesome as it meant my feet finally didn't freeze!

  45. It depends. If I'm getting dressed to go out I put them on. If I come home I usually throw them off unless it's winter and they're boots. I normally walk around barefoot or with slippers as I suffer from cold feet. Even in summer. They're cold now as I write this so I'll be grabing my slippers soon. In winter, socks and bootees.

  48. Not only shoes off, but I'll take my socks off all year round ( I live in chilly Minnesota). Even my 2 year old insists on taking her socks off all the time. It's just more comfortable to me. Plus, taking our shoes off is a must when you come in from the snow.

  49. I don't have a rule regarding shoes but I do know I've never really liked wearin them. Both myself and my kids, the moment we walk in the door we kick our shoes off. I'm forever picking up my kids shoes! Tracking things in and out has never bothered or really even occurred to me, I just don't like wearing shoes. My mum was the same, so maybe it's something I picked up from her?

  50. We don't have a rule. sometimes we take them off sometimes we keep them on.

    I think we should take them off at the door and put them in the front closet as my children have a habit of losing one shoe in each pair lol.

    We also take them off if it's snowing or raining.

  52. Definitely shoes off at the door for everyone. Houseshoes, slippers, socks or whatver inside, but no outerwear.

    Exceptions are hubby and his brother can go in the back door and down to the basement bathroom when they have their work boots on, because they're too hard to get on and off for quick trips, but they don't wear them in the rest of the house.

    Also my elderly father can wear his diabetic shoes, because he's nearly blind and has severe nerve damage and isn't allowed to go without shoes or special heavy duty slippers, ever.

    For cleanliness and culture, and I'm in northern U.S.A.

    BTW, television is much different than real life, lol. Though I have begun to see some where the characters take them off.

  56. Shoes off. We have a basket by the front door and it's just a habit.
    There isn't a rule though. It's not enforced, nobody minds if you leave your shoes on.
    Sometimes guests do a weird little uncomfortable shuffle in the front hall when they see the basket and quickly try to de-shod their hooves! I try and insist that shoes are fine but it's generally quite awkward.

  57. Definitely off! Can't stand the thought of spit remnants (lots of people spit around here) or cow shit on hubby's boots or dog and chook shit on mine. I was a fanatic when the kids were little after having 2 kids in hospital from giardia or whatever it was from just little old bird poop. Yep, I have uggs in winter and special dedicated fit flops for if I want to wear shoes inside

  59. Hello new reader here!

    I'd just like to say that my sister and I, along with my dad, have arch problems in our feet so we have special fitted orthodic inserts for our shoes. Our podiatrist told us that in order for us to get the most out of them we need to wear them almost all the time. It's the only way for us not to have anymore serious foot problems. We don't have any serious rule about talking your shoes off at the door, just as long as you don't have anything nasty on them

  60. We don't have a rule, but Mr. R and I both wear shoes (I wear slippers) because we have bad feet and can't go without the support. One of the many joys of getting older. I'd love to be a no-shoe house, the floors would stay cleaner, I'm sure.

  61. Shoes off and slippers on for myself and the rest of the family. Our guests are encouraged to do the same. Most people I know do this .

  62. It's not a rule, but the shoes come off as soon as possible once I'm home. Then again I'm usually barefoot soon after I get to work too. It's strictly a comfort thing for me though – prefer being barefoot when I can. Although a lot of these comments have me thinking I want a dedicated area to keep the shoes by the doorway.

  63. Until I moved to Singapore, I used to wear shoes inside but have learnt to leave them at the door nowadays. I must say that it does make the floor a lot cleaner!

  65. I would like to wear my shoes inside…
    But…
    We're farmers. There is no way I am wearing my shoes inside covered in what they are most days. Even when I go to town and are wearing my 'good' shoes, the walk from the car to the door through dust is enough. So no, no shoes in our house, but that's just a practicality thing. I'm sure if I lived in the city wearing ballet flats on concrete all day I would wear them inside. Yep, I think I would.

  67. Shoes on. But if visitors want to take theirs off, I don't mind. Or they can leave them on, I'm easy! Mum always said to visitors “it's not holy ground” and I feel the same! 🙂

  71. Off & I must admit I am grossed by the thought of people wearing their shoes inside. I don't wrestle them off people's feet if they visit but most of my family & friends are of the same view.

    I also cannot stand when characters on tv shows or movies wear their shoes while curled up on their couch or bed.

    I think I must have issues!

  74. I've been seeing references to you site all over the place! This is my first time here and I am wondering how long you've been blogging or were you just born articulate, funny, clever and outgoing?! It's a wonderful site! I can see why so many are here! I'll be back and am so happy to find you here today! … I'm going to re-read the photo details. FUN! (I love it when the planet shrinks: greeting from Stockholm!)

  76. We have shoes off in our house because its so muddy where our Motorhome is parked!
    When we used to live in a house, same thing – we put our shoes at the front door 🙂
    Only cause we have too many boys with yucky shoes!

  78. OFF! It's often wet or snowy or muddy outside and I don't want that dragged all around. Plus I don't like my feet contained all day. I even take them off in the house. My mom started wearing indoor shoes though, says it makes her feet feel better. I'd rather wear comfy fluffy socks 🙂

  79. Shoes off. Not because of the mud or anything but because I feel like I am more comfortable when I have my shoes off.

  80. I wear birkenstocks in the house in Summer. I can't do barefoot on hard surfaces anymore (old bag).

    In winter I wear crocheted booties like a little old lady! In fact a little old lady friend of my Mum's makes them for me all year. I wear them out over the winter and stockpile over the summer. It's a nice arrangement.

  82. I live in Finland and here everybody takes their shoes off in the house. Here it would actually almost be strange if someone keeps their shoes on in the house.

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