Shoes in the USA

[StaeleAilar]

I mean, really.....it's nasty. You're bringing in all that dirt, germs, and nastiness from outside, and bringing it inside your home. Its going all over your furniture. It's disgusting, IMO.

No offense but i find this part funny. You would rather smelly, sweaty feet as opposed to shoes on your furniture? Both are dirty lol.
Personally i don't really care either way (in Australia here) i've got friends who take their shoes off at their front door and others who wear them everywhere except in their beds. If you clean your house, what's the harm?

[Reeve]

I do think it's a bit odd that people are totally OK with wearing their shoes in office buildings and shops and such, but not in a home. Are the carpets of office buildings somehow immune to the dirt that people think is being tracked into their homes?

---------- Post added 2012-12-10 at 07:51 PM ----------

No offense but i find this part funny. You would rather smelly, sweaty feet as opposed to shoes on your furniture? Both are dirty lol.
Personally i don't really care either way (in Australia here) i've got friends who take their shoes off at their front door and others who wear them everywhere except in their beds. If you clean your house, what's the harm?

Yeah I thought about that too. It's not OK to have microscopic amounts of dirt on someone's shoes in your house, but it's OK to get their foot sweat/germs all over your carpets/furniture?

[kivipää]

Relatively clean pavement is still dirty and dusty in relation to any household floor. I've never paid attention to this, but now that I became aware of it it boggles my mind. My mom, who isn't that far away from obsessive cleaner, washes her carpets, save for entry hall carpets, bi-yearly, and they're still always in pretty much pristine condition. Needing to vacuum several times a month and wash your carpets multiple times a year just screams "messy person". Hell, In my summer job back in the day I used to mow the lawn in a place where there were a couple of run-down apartments where the county sheltered homeless, and even they mostly left their shoes at the door.

[Deleted]

I know a lot of families that have a rule for shoes off at the door, and a lot of families that don't care. My grandma actually has a rule that shoes must remain on unless you are laying in bed. She finds it disgusting that your bare feet will touch the ground that everybody else walks on, even indoors. By wearing shoes your feet only touch the inside of your shoes

Just a follow-up question to this as well then, is it customary not to wear socks or?
I'd agree with your grandma there though, I can't stand it when some of my friends have been walking around outside barefoot and wanna come inside my apartment, again, barefoot. To me that is just nasty. But then again mostly people always wear socks indoors here, or barefoot in the mornings/evenings I suppose. But being barefoot in someone elses apartment/house would be a no-can-do for me as well :P Socks ftw.

[Kujako]

Well... look at it this way, I know that my shoes have not been in nearly as many nasty places as my toes.

[Muzjhath]

I do think it's a bit odd that people are totally OK with wearing their shoes in office buildings and shops and such, but not in a home. Are the carpets of office buildings somehow immune to the dirt that people think is being tracked into their homes?

In Sweden if there's pisspoor weather most bigger companies have nice plastic thingies to pull over your footwear if the weather is bad (my old Scout-troop had them for indoor events when it was shitty weather so "bigger" is very relative here).
In smaller places you'd just take them off and bring some slippers or whatever to use in the office. I know of some offices where no one ever has shoes on, but indoor slippers are supplied.

[Purlina]

Yeah I thought about that too. It's not OK to have microscopic amounts of dirt on someone's shoes in your house, but it's OK to get their foot sweat/germs all over your carpets/furniture?

I would rather have sweaty feet on my carpet then gum, salt, or dog poo...

[Siight]

i must be asian then ?
i live in canada and i dont know anyone who doesnt take their shoes off oO here it seem to be consider impolite to keep our shoes on ( like having no respect for the owners propiety)

Same, live in Canada, and everyone I know takes shoes off at front door.

[Gothicshark]

Yeah I can see that ofc, if you don't walk around that much. But then for example people that go shopping a LOT in big cities, clubbing and whatnot, then your shoes will get pretty nasty and sticky most likely. Because in most tv-shows whatever the people have been doing they just go in with their shoes on and have them touch their furniture etc, and yes it's tv, but that's why I made this topic since I have never been to America (although I'd love to), so I just wanna know what the customary procedures and thoughts on shoes in the house really are.

Usually when we do things we have uniforms (unofficial or official depending on job), we usually don't think about it, when I'm at work I wear work clothes, when I get home I usually change out of them into I'm going to be lazy now clothes. When I go shopping it's on the weekends so I usually wear non-work outside cloths, and when I go to a club I wear my clubbing clothing. All these things have different shoes.

Work gets dress shoes,

or semi-casual dress shoes

Lazy time flipflops

Weekend outside shoes

Clubbing shoes

[Gamdwelf]

I would rather have sweaty feet on my carpet then gum, salt, or dog poo...

Why would you step in those things?

[Deleted]

I do think it's a bit odd that people are totally OK with wearing their shoes in office buildings and shops and such, but not in a home. Are the carpets of office buildings somehow immune to the dirt that people think is being tracked into their homes?

I'm guessing the point is that the office and other public places aren't their homes, where they might walk barefoot after showers or in the mornings etc. Or well yeah another question, what do you guys actually do in the mornings, are slippers a big thing? Or do you walk around barefoot then?

[Purlina]

Why would you step in those things?

I wouldn't, I don't know what the other person is doing though...

(Although if it snows, your going to have salt on your shoes.)

[Mongoose19]

I always take shoes off when possible and socks, barefoot is the best.

[Gamdwelf]

I'm guessing the point is that the office and other public places aren't their homes, where they might walk barefoot after showers or in the mornings etc. Or well yeah another question, what do you guys actually do in the mornings, are slippers a big thing? Or do you walk around barefoot then?

depends, most people I know do, until they get dressed when they put socks and shoes on.

[Liagala]

I'm guessing the point is that the office and other public places aren't their homes, where they might walk barefoot after showers or in the mornings etc. Or well yeah another question, what do you guys actually do in the mornings, are slippers a big thing? Or do you walk around barefoot then?

Barefoot if it's a quick trip to the bathroom immediately after waking up. Slippers if I'm going to be hanging around the house for a while (though I will admit that the slippers are far more about cold feet than cleanliness. If I had heated floors or some other expensive foolishness, I'd probably go barefoot until I was going to go outside somewhere).

[Ayla]

I do think it's a bit odd that people are totally OK with wearing their shoes in office buildings and shops and such, but not in a home. Are the carpets of office buildings somehow immune to the dirt that people think is being tracked into their homes?

---------- Post added 2012-12-10 at 07:51 PM ----------



Yeah I thought about that too. It's not OK to have microscopic amounts of dirt on someone's shoes in your house, but it's OK to get their foot sweat/germs all over your carpets/furniture?

Who wants to take shoes off to go in a store? Not to mention people are inconsiderate and will leave broken glass everywhere. Do you want to walk into walmart, take your shoes off and then cut your foot on glass? Well.... I COULD use the money. Also, people are stupid and will take shoes they think are theirs, or just take shoes in general. Its like leaving your credit card out. Offices can go either way, but it also follows the same "People will take your shoes" rule. Do you want to take that chance?

[Deleted]

Usually when we do things we have uniforms (unofficial or official depending on job), we usually don't think about it, when I'm at work I wear work clothes, when I get home I usually change out of them into I'm going to be lazy now clothes. When I go shopping it's on the weekends so I usually wear non-work outside cloths, and when I go to a club I wear my clubbing clothing. All these things have different shoes.

Yeah of course, people have different shoes for different occations, but my point was since once gentleman here said that he only walks outside basically from his door->car->work, that there still are people that do walk around a LOT more and step into a lot of different stuff, do these people still usually wear the same shoes when they go inside? Lets say youve been out shopping and clubbing the night away, going to dinner or whatever but basically you've had a looong day of walking around in lots of places, then you go back home with some friends in whatever shoes you chose to wear, do you keep them on? Even if they are casual, dressy or partyshoes.

[Gothicshark]

sad waste of pure water..

Most areas have 2 water systems, pure water for drinking and reclaimed water for watering lawns and cleaning things. Here in Los Angeles all of our parks use the Reclaimed water and businesses like car washes also use reclaimed water. So actually it's not really a waste of water, since we recycle water.

[Alixie]

I take my shoes off if they are soiled or the home owner requests it.

Everything is DUURTY, cant escape the germs, just make an effort to not step in dog shit, mud, or piss puddles. Otherwise it just sounds really anal.

[Purlina]

And as an up side, going bare foot is way more comfortable.