Shoes off. No exceptions. But we have slippers for guests if they feel uncomfortable or cold without any footwear.

I wonder if the "no shoes" contingent also put plastic coverings on all of their furniture so, God forbid, someone's skin that might not have just been cleansed might accidentally touch the fabric? What's next, lining the bathroom with plastic when you have guests. What kind of guests do you have that make you so overly concerned? Some respondents border on paranoid!

Years ago I worked for a company which made small metal parts for the automotive industry. So, in our plants there were always lots of metal shavings and machine oil which would ruin the bottom of your shoes quite quickly. Because we occasionally had plant workers who needed to come through the office area, the company had a couple pairs of heavy felt slippers which fit over workboots so the person could walk through the offices without worry about their shoes being dirty. Taking off heavy workboots just isn't practical.

Where I live, people generally take off shoes when entering a home. I think it probably stems from the large amount of snow so often shoes are wet or muddy. Also, the concern about outfits or pants hemmed for certain shoes is not really an issue here.

The exception to the shoe removal trend occurs in the summer. We often start entertaining inside getting drinks, etc. and then move outside for a meal or snacks. Since everyone tends to be in and out a lot during a short amount of time shoes are generally left on.

I can't imagine asking someone to take their shoes off. But I can't imagine that I would ever need to either.

Our house was built in 1923. We remediated most of the inside lead paint, but that said, there is still lead on the outside. Through the years, no matter how well you keep up the house, the lead dust gets into the soil, which gets onto shoes, which comes in the house. So, we are a shoes off at the door family. All kids that come into my house are shoes off. While I would never ask an adult to take off their shoes, if they ask if they should, I tell them to make themselves comfortable (I usually tell them the reason we do is to combat lead poisoning issues with our children....and then they take off their shoes!)

I don't know about anyone elses' but the majority of my guests, do not put their feet on my couch, so plastic covering is not a concern.
What is my concern, is the floor my 18 month old is playing on, and the surfaces that touch the toys he often puts in his mouth. I beg to argue politely that your feet are not touching the same surfaces as your shoes, as some responders have mentioned. I don't know many people that walk barefoot in a public washroom, or doctors office. And whether it be the remains of pestisides from a walk outside, or a trace of dog poop you might have unknowingly stepped in, leave it on my mat at the front door, and not on the area my baby plays.
I don't know how that qualifies as paranoid...but my primary concern is not you, and the reason you want to keep your shoes on, but my children.
I find it very interesting that people consider asking guests to remove shoes rude. I think it might have a lot to do with where people are from. I have NEVER in thirteen years had to ask even one person entering my home to remove shoes. Even at a party. I can't even imagine it, it is one of those written rules everyone just knows about.

Wait- I do have an exception....my Mom has a good friend that would sometimes visit for coffee. Her feet get very cold on ceramic floors, so she wears a pair of shoes inside for this reason. But they are new, and never worn outside:)

I don't care on or off. Whatever feels comfy. My sister, however is Muslim. I think it is tradition to remove shoes when entering a Muslim household. She has very tastefully placed a sign in her foyer staying please remove your shoes. She also has baskets filled with slippers of all sizes for those who wish to have something on their feet. I feel this is tasteful and not rude and everyone is happy.

1.5 billion Chinese people remove their shoes when entering their own homes or that of others each day as it is their custom. Why should it be rude for other cultures to "favor" having a clean home?

This subject and the toilet seat up or down will always be a source of contention LOL. Off with the shoes, and down with the toilet seat please!

I have some back issues, so I always wear shoes inside. But, I also always take off my muck boots if I've been in the mud or at the barn for my daughter's riding lesson (and she takes off her riding boots), just use common sense. If your footwear is dirty, take it off. My husband works in a hospital and when our little ones were small, he always removed his shoes when he got home. Again, common sense...

I'm curious where everyone is from, because a few of you have said they have never had guests over that didn't automatically remove their shoes. I'm from Memphis, TN and have never heard of this being an issue, and no, we aren't just dumb country bumpkins in TN, haha.

I have felt as I read this thread that everyone is so influenced by where they live. Snow, ice, mudd or tons of rain would affect how people live. We live in Tulsa so our climate is different. We entertain and I would never ask the men or the women to remove their shoes, especially if everyone is pretty well dressed for a holiday party. Now, if we have an event at our pool that is whole different story as people move from outside to inside after being in the pool. But,,,wow this has been very interesting and everyone has really strong opinions about this.

I live in northern Ohio, Paige, and am originally from California. In both places shoes came off before entering the house, but much more here in Ohio because of the weather. You know it must be a pervasive cultural norm in your area when all of your teenager's friends automatically take their shoes off in the foyer without being asked--even the big guys with lace up sneakers.

I'm from NY and there is definitely no overall "culture" of shoes off. Unless there is a religious or cultural reason specific to a particular household, I think it's fair to say that a shoes off rule is tailored to a particular individual's comfort related to fear of dirt or fear of germs.

Again, I am not talking about people exercising common sense and courtesy by removing shoes after a snow storm. But in my experience, people would remove their boots at the door and switch into their nice shoes.

It appears shoes off/on is a cultural or climate issue. Most people I know has the sense to remove muddy shoes or wipe their feet at the door thoroughly. When visiting someone's home if they are shoeless and I see shoes at the door, I remove mine. However, I would NEVER require guests to remove their shoes at the door. I "favor" a clean home as well so I simply clean the floors after they leave. We live in a no snow zone and most of the foot attire is tennis shoes or flip flops unless a "formal" party like New Years Eve where high heel shoes are part of the outfit.

On a side note...as a houseguest, we were once asked to use the downstairs bathroom to shower instead of the guest bathroom upstairs because it had never been used and they wanted to keep it "pristine". Absurd. I was so paranoid, so in addition to the squeegee for the shower stall downstairs I carefully wiped down every spot of water from the stall with a towel so as not offend our host. This is the same person who thoughtlessly sat on my cloth patio furniture after lathering up with suntan oil and a dip in the pool! Chairs for sitting "wet" are available. grrrrr

All children just knew to take their shoes off but adults only remove their shoes if the weather is bad.

I live in Saint Louis Missouri, no one seems to take off their shoes here. Drives me crazy!! We lived 25 years in California and it seemed much more of the norm to remove shoes.

PS.. Wouldn't you think it odd if in the movies you'd see people remove their shoes at the door?

Good point Darzy!

I'm East Coast,too, Paige, and was raised to remove footwear out of practical consideration of seasonal extremes and wall-to-wall carpeting in other people's homes. There was a time when stores sold shoe carriers for one's indoor pair ( your outdoor pair were likely to be boots). In the south, houseguests have always considered themselves so at home that they would remove shoes anyway, I think, and in all my residences, north and south, new guests have seemed glad to be welcomed with the offer of comfort. The custom derives from different sources for different people but, as a guest, it always derives out of respect for unknown surroundings and lifestyles. In places with less diversity, there is no perceived unknown, and my experience has been that in such areas everyone behaves in such similar fashion -one way or the other - that it wouldn't be an issue.

Ten years of living with three dogs has done more damage to our "perfect" wide pine floors than you can imagine. It would take an army of people in hobnail boots to equal it. My floors are just "distressed"..

What point exactly did Darzy bring up? There are alot of things people do in REAL life that you would never see on tv, after all it is NOT REAL.

sstar93:Lucky you -your own "River Dancers!!"

studio10001, that's right! ;-)
Looking back on it, it appears that I select pets for their relative ability to destroy flooring.

I wonder if the babies and kids I see sucking on the grocery carts come from "shoes off" homes. Come on, kids have to be exposed to germs or they'll never develop an immune system.

For me it is not so much a *germ thing* but a practical thing. I was born in Green Bay Wisconsin, I can recall no one ever taking off their shoes. It wasn't until I bought my first home that the light bulb when on- once I realized my hard earned money went into everything, I wanted to take care of it.

Don't feel badly, sstarr93; I think it is their job.( I have two eight inch jags in my floor that actually make me smile, but not because a human put them there!!)

Brenda, rent a couple of those misting fans and throw the guests outside for the day, and keep the cardboard down too, just in case. People are weird and one or more is bound to be offended even if they shouldn't be. :)

I live on the East Coast and we all have always removed our shoes within my family- my Dad was the only one who didn't ever abide by this rule..I am the one who sweeps, vacuums and washes my floors- I personally don't want crap dragged all over my house. It is totally a matter of preference if someone doesn't mind constant cleaning of floors then they can wear shoes in their own house but while visiting me they can bring slippers or a change of shoes so they don't track sand, snow, rain or any other mess through my house.

I have lived in New York, Connecticut, Georgia and North Carolina. I have never encountered anybody who required guests to take off their shoes (with the exception of three homes in NY) I don't know anyone who doesn't wear shoes in their house. Of course the exceptions are when it is snowing, raining, muddy or after a vigorous hike through the woods, naturally people take their shoes off then. On a side note keeping your young children in a bubble away from any possible dirt and germs harms their immune system, where they do not build a resistance to germs in general. They get much sicker and more prone to developing allergies later in life.

Come to think of it, the very last time I glided across my mahogany floors without shoes, my sock caught on a sharp, loose edge of a floorboard, lifted it up, and it skewered my foot. Let's just say the room needed a new coat of paint by the time the ET's arrived; think Dan Akroyd as Julia Child on SNL.

Our no shoes policy is because of allergies. Doctor said no shoes in the house. We offer slippers, flip flops, or socks. Don't want barefoot either. Also offer workmens booties but everyone takes the socks or flpflops.
Shoeless in our home is about our health. I am at the allergist getting shots every week. Pollen & loads of other crap sticks to shoes.
People have an issue with our policy, I don't care to have person that in my life.
Will say 95% of the time we entertain away from our home.

Let me be clear with all those commenters who are offering such insightful advice. I have 5 children, so I am the last person to be explaining the benefit of germs building an immune system. Worse I have 5 boys, so I am not a stranger to dirt, mud and all kinds of germs.
That being said my last son was born at 14 weeks premmature. We are trying to maintain the immune system that he has, forget building. Some bacterial is good, and helps build the antibodies in your system, some dont. As already mentioned the nasty stuff you carry from who knows where is impossible to monitor is more that likely not good. Believe me I have more than my share of research. So if you enjoy that being tracked around your living room, and you enjoy cleaning and disinfecting after you have guests, that might be good for you.
Thank you so much for your unexpected parenting advice, but this is not about keeping kids in a bubble. This is about exposing them to unnecessary filth for your pleasure, or the pleasure and comfort of your guests. My first priority is my kids, as mentioned, and any individual that has ever walked into my home, has yet to argue they would do the same for theirs. I wonder how many kids the other commenters have, that seems so quick to jump in with their parenting opinions....

Hi Sierra, I don't think any of the above posters were singling you out. I'm terribly sorry to hear about your poor child, I hope he becomes strong and thrives. Please don't feel that anyone was directing anything at you in particular. I'm sure many of those people do have children of their own and were merely commenting on all of the posts.

I have 6 children- anyone with multiple children know how messy life can get- I don't have the time or energy to have to continuously vacuum my floors- no shoes has allowed for more quality time spent with them and less trying to keep a clean house- no bubble in my home just complete reality. For the record I don't host fancy parties either- I host barbeques and holidays so no one is coming to my home in an evening gowns and 6 inch heels :)

Morning sam0705, haven't seen you in a while :)

I think this has taken a turn........This discussion needs to end now, and lets talk about more fun things like paint and curtains!

I know! Good morning!

Hear, hear!! See you all on the dilemmas :)

What a huge response, great question!

All Sheila asked of us was to vote. I had to laugh when I reread all the responses (mine included) to see where the train went off track.

Reminded me of a cute expression my dad used: "ask her what time it is and she will tell you how to make the clock".

Brenda, save me a piece of the pound cake and two cold beers.

New floor or carpet, my husband always insist "shoes off", after a couple of years back to "whatever".

Haha judyg, I know!!

judyg...me too! I went on a rant about not being able to use a guest bath shower! BTW..the poll was do you require your GUESTS to remove their shoes and the highest poll result was they would NEVER require guests to remove their shoes or on/off whatever makes them comfortable. So, it appears most voters do NOT require guests to remove their shoes.

For those who require all who enter to remove their shoes, would you tell your boss to take their shoes off as well? Just curious.

Darzy, I went off on a tangent with misting fans for Brenda's party!!! :)

How could I have missed this entire discussion? Anyway, I have enjoyed reading it with my BARE feet propped up on the coffee table...... I'll take some of that beer and pound cake please :-) !

I thought this was interesting as I often wondered about this and had thought about asking people to please take off their shoes before they entered my home due to living in Belgrade, Serbia where they do. Doing that does keep your home cleaner (and more sand free as I am on a Florida island) and leaves many "nasties" outside. And to be honest, I have been to several areas of our country in and not one had a "no shoes policy" that I was aware of; but it was common sense that when I lived in farm country.

It has always been the norm for friends & family to remove their shoes. We now have slate floor throughout the main level and we now encourage shoes "on" ...

I get my carpet cleaned professionally every year. This last time, I purchased disposable shoe covers. I explained to people that I had just had the carpet cleaned, and I had shoe covers for them. I assisted people to don the covers when necessary. No one minded putting disposable shoe covers over their shoes.

It is now eight months later. The only change I have needed to make is when I am gardening or have a worker who needs to come in and out of the house. Then I put down a plastic runner.

@Keitha: I grew up in Greece, and we were always taught never to put our feet on a table, a surface where we eat. That was considered rude. I still constantly ask my husband to take his feet off the coffee table!

So it is all about cultural norms, no right or wrong!