We wear our shoes inside. Well, mostly, hubby does. I love to be barefoot or in socks when it’s chilly and if I wear my shoes past the front door, they come off pretty quickly.
Because we don’t have a no shoes allowed rule, shoes get taken off at the couch, or next to beds, or the kitchen. The point being that shoes end up strewn about the house. Nothing makes me crazier than tripping over shoes in the worst places.
Not to mention that it’s messy. For a while, it didn’t matter – as we were living in a construction zone, and hubby was coming in and out during projects. Now, it matters. I feel like if I am not picking up shoes, I am running the vacuum to clean up the messes that the shoes track in.
I think it is time for an official rule around here. And a shoe rack.
What do you do in your home? Are shoes allowed or do you have a no shoes rule?
In our family we wear our shoes inside. However, we have 10+ year old brown/orange carpet, so dirt is not very visible, and carpet protection is not needed. Also, we do get a lot of shoes lying around.
Thanks,
Nate
Nate @ Debt-free College´s last blog post..Review: Advanced Communication Series
[Reply]
We have no formal rule about shoes, but a somewhat unspoken one that if shoes aren’t on your feet, they should be put away. However, Shane and Kat will take their shoes off as soon as they walk in the door, and sometimes leave them by the front door. If there is more than one pair there per person, I’ll ask them to put their shoes away.
I can’t walk on bare floors with bare feet, as my feet seem to have very little “padding” on the bottom and it hurts. Sometimes even carpeted floors bother me. So I always wear shoes inside. I put mine in the bedroom closet when I’m not wearing them.
Annie Jones´s last blog post..Cajun Shrimp Over Rice (or Pasta)
[Reply]
We’ve got two shoe cubby/benches (front and back of the house). My girls (5, 3) and I almost always rip off our shoes upon entering the house and they get put in the cubbies. The bench part is particularly helpful. We spend much less time searching for shoes this way as everyone knows where the shoes “should” be. My husband wears shoes inside, but always puts his either under the bed or in his closet (Shoes are one of the few things he consistently puts away.).
[Reply]
We have a shelf with pretty baskets by the front door. It serves as a decorative piece and a place for each person to have a basket for shoes. There is also simple wooden chair next to the shelf so people can sit down and take off their shoes. The kids are great about taking off their shoes and throwing them in the basket but my husband is another story! I don’t think I will ever be able to teach him
jennifer´s last blog post..Garland Project
[Reply]
I think I need to train hubby better!
I like the shelf and baskets idea with a chair. That I can scrounge up from what we have!
[Reply]
We have a no shoes allowed rule at our house. I suppose up here in Canada with all the slush in the winter, we have just gotten into taking our shoes off and the habit stays all year round. Now your hubby is Canadian right? Tell him that he should know better!! LOL!!
[Reply]
We tried a “no shoes inside policy” but it didn’t stick. For the most part, we don’t wear them inside, and they all end up by the front (or back) door. When they do get strewn about, my 5-year old is considered the Shoe Guy…he takes his job very seriously, and puts all the shoes away. For some reason, he loves this job so much that his pride is infectuous–now, his 2-year old sister will RUN to grab shoes and put them away. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in arguments over who gets to put shoes away! ~sigh~
Karen Irwin´s last blog post..February goals, revisited
[Reply]
Shoes either go on the wooden bench near the front door or into wardrobes if not being worn frequently. We live in a small apartment with wooden floors so it really is a must that extra dirt, sand and stones are not tracked through.
When it is snowing all shoes go straight into the bathroom (also near the front door) as water damages the parquett so easily and I put them away when dry.
Renia´s last blog post..Decluttered upper kitchen and fridge
[Reply]
At the moment I wear my fuzzy crocs all day in the house. It has been a bit chilly here in Florida lately. The girls have shoe bins in their room. They know that is where their shoes must go when they are taken off. My husband puts his work shoes between a side table and sofa. So in general I’m not picking up too many shoes. We do allow shoes to be worn in our house.
SoBella Creations´s last blog post..Mammalicious Finds Shopping Directory
[Reply]
We’ve got a tiny little enclosed front porch with a two-tier shoe shelf, and I don’t let the boys wear shoes in the house. DH often wears his work shoes (but he works in an office so it’s not like they’re muddy construction boots or anything, LOL!) but they come off when he changes out of work clothes soon after getting home. It definitely keeps the dirt and dust off my hardwoods, and contains the shoes in a small area. But, then the porch gets filled with shoes and you’re literally tripping over them when you try to walk into the house. So – not quite the best solution yet. I’m still trying to figure out a better solution!
theresa´s last blog post..What else can you do but knit?
[Reply]
I think that would drive me crazy. When I am in bare feet, I hate feeling dirt under my feet, and if people are walking around in the house with shoes on, doesn’t that make for more dirt on the floor? Husband and I wear slippers in the house to keep our feet warm. It’s also fun to have little pairs of slippers for guests — a la Martha Stewart
newlyb´s last blog post..i heart ruffles
[Reply]
I hate shoes in the house, but unfortunately I’m the only one here that does. Someday when I have my own place shoes will COME OFF at the door. That’s a must.
[Reply]
We allow shoes in our house. I did a poll last year on this topic and it was fun to see everyone’s thoughts–I even found out that this is a cultural issue for people in some places.
I especially like to allow guests to keep their shoes on because I fell like it is more hospitable to them. And for me, I am way more productive with shoes on for some reason! So, shoes on when I get dressed in the morning. Later in the day I allow myself to change in to my cozy slippers!
melissa @ the inspired room´s last blog post..A Before & After: Extreme Room Makeover
[Reply]
We are a “no shoes” house. We have a wooden toy box near the door that doubles as a place to sit and put your shoes on and a place to keep the shoes out of site.
Ashley @ Wide Open Wallet´s last blog post..Interview with Mrs. Money
[Reply]
no shoes! except indoor shoes/slippers. I grew up that way as most Asians do. I should have had them in my wedding vows. My husband breaks the rules sometimes when he’s in and out. My four boys break the rules sometimes for in and out bathroom breaks, but for the most part everyone’s shoes come off at entry points and belong in shoe racks or cubbies. I wear my indoor crocs in the house. My husband wears slippers. My boys go barefoot most of the time.
it’s cleaner; although i vac and mop daily. it stays cleaner. I’m a little more relaxed about it during the summer because they are in and out so much. and I’m open to having company do as they please.
[Reply]
We have a strict no-shoes-inside policy. But it doesn’t apply to guests.
[Reply]
I’d like to make our home a no shoes home strictly for environmental reasons. Shoes help pollute the air indoors by tracking in all sorts of nasty stuff from outside — like oil from the parking lot, pesticides from the grass, etc.
Right now, I always take my shoes off in the house, and Mr. Savvy usually does. Our guests never do, unless they’re more comfortable that way. In my ideal world, we’d offer slippers to each of our guests upon arrival, but I’m such a slipper hoarder that I don’t think I could take having new or gently used slippers ready for the wearing. Maybe I should just knit some up.
[Reply]
We have a no-shoes rule but it’s not really a rule, just the way it’s always been. I grew up not wearing shoes in the house and we don’t wear them at my house either. Which is convenient because I can’t imagine the dirt and vacuuming that would be required on a much more regular basis. My experience is that it’s a regional and/or cultural thing. I don’t know anyone offline who wears shoes in the house. I do wear slippers in the house nearly much year-round because I’m usually pretty cold but socks only get worn in the colder months (including to bed).
Peggy´s last blog post..picture perfect
[Reply]
We don’t have an official no shoes policy but my household seems to go without inside. We keep our shoes in out bedrooms (we line in a condo) and have to walk through part of the house to get there. There is no room for a shoe rack near our front door but I would love that.
paisleypenguin´s last blog post..Yard Work
[Reply]
We don’t have a hard and fast rule, but we generally only wear shoes downstairs. The stairs and second floor are carpeted in a light beige frieze, so it keeps the carpets much cleaner for much longer.
The downstairs is tiled, so it matters less. Everyday shoes are kept in a basket near the front entry table in the foyer. It has a hinged cover, so it’s great for controlling shoe clutter. When we use it. Right now there are two pairs of shoes on the floor next to the basket, not IN it. And one pair is mine. Oops!
BeThisWay´s last blog post..Credit Card Reward Gives Surprise Bonus!
[Reply]
Thanks for the birthday wishes
Right onto shoes, we have a shoes off policy and have a hallway table with two wicker baskets underneath to pop the shoes in as we come in the house. Lily has one box to herself and we share the other one. However I’ve just looked out there and there are shoes overflowing as the summer ones are still in there! So I think my job for Friday is to sort it out and free up some space
Liz@VioletPosy´s last blog post..Happy Birthday
[Reply]
shoes are allowed. they are all over the house. there is a basket by the front door and a huge pile in the garage and another huge pile at the back door. we have too many shoes.
Denise´s last blog post..beauty in the every day
[Reply]
Shoes are allowed, and end up all over the house. And it drives me nuts. We do each have a shoe box in the front entryway, but that’s only where the shoes get tidied away to when we pick them all up. I’d love to limit the shoe wearing in the house, because the dirt that gets tracked in is ridiculous, but we have too many doors — 3 that get used regularly — that keeping shoes by each one would get ridiculous. I like to wear slippers most of the time, personally. I cannot go barefoot because our tile floors are freezing in the winter.
Rose´s last blog post..Wool Slippers
[Reply]
We have a shoe rack, and I think its the best investment we have ever made. The hardest thing is that some times little mans shoes don’t make it there and stay there, so if we are in a hurry in the mornings I don’t know where else to look. Its not a rule, by any stretch of the imagination, just something we do.
Patty´s last blog post..i heart faces photography contest~Messy Faces
[Reply]
As much as I would like to be strict about no-shoes, I don’t have the energy to enforce it, LOL. We generally take our shoes off at the front door and put them in the coat closet but that doesn’t always happen especially when my hands are full, have to run upstairs to the bathroom – quickly (it’s a split level house) or something like that. We have hardwood floors in every room including the kitchen so its very easy to clean.
Sometimes shoes get left someplace, but it doesn’t bother me. Its just the two of us anyway.
Carla´s last blog post..California is down to the last drop
[Reply]
I feel like a ding dong here, but I live alone and I have a shoe problem. Ha! I think I’m going to put a basket by the front door so that when people (ahem, I) come in, there’s an easy place to throw them! : )
the BLAH BLAH BLAHger´s last blog post..Turning Store Bought Curtains into Custom Beauties!
[Reply]
Normally we take our shoes off, when we come into our home. However, we do wear our shoes from time to time. (Like when we are bringing groceries into the home, etc.) Mostly it just depends on the weather and what we are dragging into our home.
Kim´s last blog post..Skipping Bible Study
[Reply]
Rose, your reply sums up how it is here completely. 3 doorways, lots of shoes everywhere that technically have homes but only there upon pickup and not when the get taken off, and it makes me crazy
I love slippers too but don’t have a pair currently. I should try to make some 
Thank you, everyone for your replies – it was really nice getting a glimpse into how others handle this in their houses.
We won’t have a no shoes for visitors rule. Only one good friend of mine has such a rule and she warns everyone to paint their toenails or wear matching socks before they come b/c no shoes inside.
[Reply]
This topic always amuses me because here in Canada you rarely see people walking in their homes with their shoes on. It’s unheard of really. I couldn’t imagine having all that extra work to attend to. No shoes in our house, ever. They come off at the front door, period. I do keep a supply of slippers by my door for guests though
Laura
Laura´s last blog post..Spring Clean Year Round + giveaway
[Reply]
We do not have a rule other then at 8:00 anything laying out You have to do a chore to earn back.
But we wear our shoes in the house, and all of us wear our shoes usually until bedtime. I don’t know why or how that became what we do but all of us except the littlest one does this.
Which I think I like my sisters kids kick off there shoes by the door as soon as they walk in and there is always a pile of shoes by the front and back door. I hate that. And with 8 of us that would be allot of shoes by the door.
[Reply]
No shoes inside for us! We take them off right inside the door but then we end up with about 20 pairs piled up at the door – I think a shoe rack is in the future for us!
[Reply]
We have no shoe rules. When my daughter was little we used to have a shoe basket for everyone to put their shoes in. But now some of us take their shoes off when they get home and others keep them on. The only time I insist shoes come off is when we’ve been working in the garden and I know the shoes are caked with dirt!
Manuela
the pleasures of homemaking´s last blog post..Organizing My Decorating Stuff & Why Everybody Needs An Emergency Fund
[Reply]
Here in Michigan I find that almost everyone is shoes off. I think it’s the result of snow, mud, etc…most of the year. Friends that have moved up from TX say that everyone wears their shoes in the house there.
Willo´s last blog post..Thermostat Check: Winter 09
[Reply]
We have the ‘no shoes’ rule, I have to dust less, that’s a good enough reason for me
[Reply]
We don’t have a shoe “rule”. But I do have an area by the back garage door with a coat rack (hooks). One high for my purses and one low for the kid’s coats and back backs. Shoes are supposed to go against the wall under the back backs. I don’t mind the dirt around the house, but get tired of loosing shoes! The kids know to either put their shoes under their back backs or in their room. Now, if I could only get them to DO THAT!
Amy @ Living Locurto´s last blog post..Twitter Craze
[Reply]
We wear our shoes inside. I don’t know. I find it so odd (and kinda rude?) when other people want you to take off your shoes in their home. There’s always this pile of shoes at the front door. So weird. I mean, if I was walking around in mud I take my shoes off, but just every day? Nope.
We put our shoes in our closets.
living with lindsay´s last blog post..Are You Ready for a Challenge?
[Reply]
It really irritates me when visitors have to be asked to remove their shoes.We are a strict no shoes house and offer slippers to guests.
[Reply]
We are a no shoes in the house family as well. We also have slippers for guests to wear.
Chiot’s Run´s last blog post..Great Gardening Books: Victory Garden Cookbook
[Reply]
Hi never understood how anyone could wear shoes indoors. I sure don’t want feces on my floors. Shoes step on disgusting things… it’s more of a health hazard if anything. (Especially with crawling babies around) But I guess everyone is different!
Nice blog! I came via twitter. Will be back.
laura-dolcepics´s last blog post..8 Tips For Shooting At The Aquarium
[Reply]
We wear our shoes in the house, but have to steam clean our carpets at least 4 times a year. Our carpet is a tan color and was not our choice, as we purchased the home with it installed. It really gets dirty quickly.
Scott @ The Passive Dad´s last blog post..How We Shed $200 From Our Grocery Budget. Next Month FoodMaxx For More Savings
[Reply]
Unless it’s muddy or snowy, I don’t care. It’s probably 50/50. And as for where they go when off: the owners room, the hall closet (open the door and fling them in), or the mudroom (usually only when they’re you know, muddy). And in honesty I don’t mine if daughter takes hers off and tucks them under a chair. As long as they are not being tripped over and the owner can find them, it’s a battle I choose to forgo.
It’s just one of those things that doesn’t bother me so much.
[Reply]
@ cicely. Generally you are supposed to accomodate guests. They are not supposed to accomodate you. Perhaps they feel awkward wearing slippers that they don’t know whose feet have been in before?
And for germaphobes, unless you are licking your shoes, I wouldn’t fret to much about the germs. By all means dont wear shoes in the house but try to keep in perspective. You are exposed to far more in your kitchen, at work, and at the grocery store.
[Reply]
As Jill mentioned, in Canada, it would end up being disastrously messy for the most part to wear shoes inside. In fact, I don’t know anyone around here who allows shoes in the house. However, I spend time in Jamaica where everyone wears shoes in the house. Must be a climate thing?
[Reply]
Interesting to read what other people do or even think about this question. Personally, I’ve never really given it any thought except for my son and niece/nephew. I usually have them take their shoes off because they climb on things (beds, couch, futon, chairs, etc). Other than that, don’t really care. We have hardwoods though. I might feel differently if we had carpet. But then, I would never have carpet since I hate it. In winter I usually wear slippers though and in summer either barefoot or flip flops.
MB´s last blog post..Allergen-Free Sweet Potato Oatmeal Squares
[Reply]
Shoes are absolutely not allowed and are to be left by the front of the door under the coat rack. With a 19 month old, they inevitably end up strewn across the entire house but we try.
Jess´s last blog post..It’s Not Me, It’s Her
[Reply]
We don’t have a rule. We have wooden floors downstairs and my husband comes in & out all day, on the days he’s home (4 a week). I do, however, try to get them to take them off when they go upstairs, carpeted. I have seen a website that says if you are a SAHM that you need to get dressed down to your “lace up shoes” and it makes you more motivated,even if you get “strictly inside shoes”. I don’t know about it, I need to go outside frequently during the day and I would have to put them on and take them off too many times. Sounds like a hassle, I’d rather sweep the floor a couple times a day.
[Reply]
80% of the dirt in your home comes from pets and shoes. We do not have pets, but we have a NON NEGOTIABLE no shoe rule. We are Buddhists and your home is your temple. It is unimaginable the amount of yuck that comes into the home via shoes. We have baskets by the door and the shoes go in the cubbies immediately just like taking a breath. We had a preschool with 10 children. No shoes allowed inside. The children learned how to put their shoes on with assistance and anyone with a toddler knows tiny tots have no problems taking shoes off especially in public places and abandoning one shoe in a New York second. Our students became independent in this endeavor quickly. I taught abroad in Asia and many of the kindergartens I taught in had a no shoe policy. This is cultural and the schools were clean. Additionally, custodians did not exist in the schools, the children and teacher cleaned the room at the end of the day. I love this kind of empowerment, initiative and discpline that creates healthy habits from the beginning. When we sit on the floor we feel good about it and humble.
[Reply]
No Shoes Allowed – unless you’re company…Family IS NOT company, no matter how far they traveled! My in-laws have a hard time with this, but since it was my hubby’s rule, I let him handle it. We have shelves in our coat closet. Funny, we don’t have shoes in either kids’ closets or our own! I guess we’re not shoe fanatics. Only a few pairs each to worry about.
[Reply]
We try to maintain a no shoe rule. It just keeps things neater throughout the house. We have a shoe rack behind the front door so the most we get is to the couch to take the shoes off. Much easier t maintain the floors and carpet.
FFB´s last blog post..Using Google Calendar To Pay Bills On Time
[Reply]
I live in Canada, and had never even heard of people habitually wearing their shoes inside in the US until a few years ago. Here, you just don’t do it (even in the summer). And like many others, we have a slipper basket by the door for guests.
sherrieg´s last blog post..exciting garden developments and recipe-a-week #9: zucchini bread
[Reply]