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If it weren't for House Hunters, I bet I never would have seen this at all. That's how I know they do it in Hawai'i.

A shoe company could make a lot of money if they developed a two-layer shoe. A shoe inside a shoe. When you go to someone's house, you take off the first layer and the second layer is the the clean pair of shoes with no dirt and dog shit on it that you wear in the house.

I keep my floors clean because they don't have people walking with their dirty shoes all over them. My friend - sitting next to me and hearing my comments - looked at me confused when I said that some people don't take their shoes off when they enter a house and her immediate reaction was "That's so rude!" As you can tell from all the comments, this is a very typical Canadian reaction (she's from the east coast).

I don't have dirty socks, why would I? I wear new ones every day, I keep my feet clean and my shoes aren't stinky or dirty (maybe dirty socks is more likely in hotter climates?). My socks are definitely more clean than my shoes! I find it funny that socks could be labelled as gross and dirty, but not shoes! That's completely the opposite feeling for me.

Some of my coworkers and I tend to take our shoes off at work, as we find it more comfy. Is this even within the realm of sanity in the US? We work in cubicles so we don't tend to have visitors (so we don't have to look professional) and I like to tuck my feet up under me when I'm concentrating on my work and I can't do that with my shoes on.

Ziggy, my thoughts exactly!

I put on clean socks every day and I shower every day so no! I don't have dirty, stinky feet.

Bottom line - if you enter my home, you take your shoes off. Period.

Ziggy asked, "Some of my coworkers and I tend to take our shoes off at work, as we find it more comfy. Is this even within the realm of sanity in the US? We work in cubicles so we don't tend to have visitors (so we don't have to look professional) and I like to tuck my feet up under me when I'm concentrating on my work and I can't do that with my shoes on."

Absolutely not. Most places consider it unprofessional, and I find it dangerous and unsanitary. You can slip and flall on a smooth floor when you get up, and you can acquire unsanitary things from any floor. Floors in public places, including businesses, are dirty. Shoes on for me. As for dirty socks, a lot of people seem to think you don't have to change them daily or keep them in good repair. I don't want to see or smell that.

ETA: Of course, if I went someplace and were asked to remove my shoes, I would either do it (depending on my assessment of the cleanliness of that place), or I would excuse myself. I wouldn't insist on wearing my shoes there.

Growing up in Seattle there were about 5 households I knew that did this and boy was it weird! They all blamed it on white carpet. Maybe 1 person I knew in California did this. In the desert people didn't, probably because everyone was wearing flip flops already and some peoples' bare feet are nasty.

Now I'm in Alaska and EVERYONE does this, perhaps our proximity to Canada. In fact the house we bought came with a wooden sign nailed to the front door saying to remove shoes. It took awhile to get used to, in fact I'm still not used to it. While it was snowy it made sense because of the slushy mess, but now it really doesn't matter to me. I found it to be a big pain when we were house hunting back in January. Or just different from when I was house hunting in the desert about 3 years ago. People just remove shoes out of instinct though. I know of several people who keep a pair of slippers in their cars to take to other homes.

I often take my shoes off at work. I have a kneeler chair, and the way your feet are situated when you are kneeling in it makes it particularly uncomfortable to be wearing shoes. I wear Crocs or Keens 99% of the time anyhow, so they tend to fall off my feet. HA!

When we were kids in elementary school, you always had to bring shoes in the winter to change out of your slushy boots. TONS of kids would forget so the majority of the kids were walking around the school in stocking feet. I like walking around in socks. My socks are clean, my shoes are not. There is just NO WAY you can say shoes that have been worn outdoors are cleaner than socks. No way. Even the smelliest socks have only body odor on them, whilst shoes can have gum, poo, urine, dust, dirt, pesticides, toxins, etc. on them.

Oh, one more quick note...

Eslbee said and you can acquire unsanitary things from any floor. Floors in public places, including businesses, are dirty.

LOL They are dirty BECAUSE PEOPLE WEAR THEIR SHOES AND WALK AROUND ON THEM! In homes (at least in Canada), people's floors are not generally dirty as no one is trapsing in dirty and such from the outdoors.

When I took ballroom dancing classes, there was a big sign that said "Indoor shoes only beyond this point" and a lot of people (myself included) couldn't really wear heels, so opted to do our ballroom dancing in socks. The soles of my socks were always clean when I left, because you don't pick up dirt on your socks from a floor that no one has walked on with outdoor shoes.

Jo,
I totally remember that in elementary school! In high school it wasn't as critical because we'd only have spare shoes in the winter, but I remember having special cubby-holes in elementary school for our shoes. And yes, if we didn't bring shoes then we'd have to go in stocking feet!

As to work : scientists aren't worried about looking professional - we are judged on our technical competency and that's about it. One day a coworker of mine (an older gentleman, a big expert in his field) showed up to a meeting in bare feet and his two colleagues admonished him by saying "At least we bother to wear socks!"

Everything in our area is carpetted and cleaned regularly, and I put on my shoes if I'm walking away from my desk, so it isn't really an issue of cleanliness.

(06-10-2010 10:56 PM)Jo Wrote: [ -> ]Even the smelliest socks have only body odor on them, whilst shoes can have gum, poo, urine, dust, dirt, pesticides, toxins, etc. on them.

So unless EVERYONE is wearing clean socks, you run the risk of getting this crap on you. No thanks.

To each their own. This is something I will not do, and don't want to see or smell. So, as with kids, I would avoid such situations, and not do it myself.

I can't say I've ever experienced somebody whose outside of their shoes smelled worse than the inside unless they stepped in crap, which is easily remedied. However I have certainly smelled some stinky socks. I think one of the primary purpose of a sock is to absorb sweat, no? Pretty much the same purpose of underpants I think...to keep your bodily excretions off your clothes. You wouldn't ask somebody to remove their pants before they sit in your chair.

Maybe the custom should be to have some soap and water at the door to wash the stinky feet and put some clean socks on before walking around.

For people who do not get the problem with outdoor shoes worn indoors, please go to the links I provided or do your own research.

Those links are great Cassia.

I didn't even consider the fact that pesticides and residue from public washrooms are on the soles of one's shoes. Ewwww - gross.

IMO, removing your shoes is just common courtesy. Never mind the health issues associated with not removing them.

Here's my take on the "gross things" that are on the bottom of your shoes and are brought into the house -- so what? Taking shoes off to avoid gross -- but INVISIBLE!! (not sticky gum or fresh dog poo) -- things is a lot like the parents who are freakazoids over "germs" in the house.

It's GOOD to be exposed to pathogens! -- moreso earlier in life, when your immune system is developing, as we are now discovering with modern children who have lived "clean" lives but who now have allergies and asthma as a result of their immune systems never getting to practice defending themselves.

I have worn shoes in the house all my life -- I'm wearing them now, because I'm about to go out again after having gone shopping! -- without thinking about the invisible gunk on them. I have the most ass-kicking immune system of anyone I know. I might get a cold a year. I rolled around the carpet as a kid. For many years, I pretended I was horse and galloped around the entire house (hands and knees on the carpet). I would put my plate on the carpet and eat my after-school snack. I spent the night Hurricane Kate landed near Tallahassee playing Monopoly on the carpet, with one candle burning, kicking my boyfriend's butt in the game. My dog lies on the carpet, and I hug and kiss her. I don't think a thing of it.

I have no problem with other people's rules. If I went into NKB's house, and she asked me to remove my shoes, I would! -- I wouldn't offer at first because I wouldn't think of it because of my own upbringing and cultural rules, but if asked, I would not hesitate to comply. But believe me, just because the world is tracking invisible ickyness onto my carpet, that doesn't mean I'm slovenly, unhealthy, or morally insufficient. And it just might mean I'm a bit healthier!! (I mean, if my mother raised me in a similar environment, which she did.)

ETA: I'll admit, I'm a bit more squeamish about the pesticides, now that my FIL has died of a cancer caused by ag chemicals. However, you still have to be realistic -- if you step in a whole puddle of pesticide at your work place, and you walk to your car, walk to through the grocery store on your way home, walk up your driveway, exactly how much pesticide residue is left on your shoe? If you picked up the pesticide in your own yard, then you could also choose not to use chemicals on your lawn. Of MUCH greater concern is the formaldehyde and plastics used in the manufacture of your carpet -- that's significantly more directly dangerous to the person who lives there, than the minute particles of pesticides that MIGHT be tracked in on one's shoes.

Honestly, I don't care about the research, and for the most part I'm with PG. Anyone who wants to take off their shoes, fine. I mean, I don't care; it's not my business or my problem. But I am not comfortable and I won't do it on my own, and I would try to stay out of those situations where it's expected. And if I couldn't avoid it, I would do it only as long as it took me to conduct my business and leave. I also like the analogy Mark provided. Who knows what's on my pants? Maybe I should leave them at the door, too. Again, I see it as a cultural thing: not better or worse, but different from what I'm used to, and uncomfortable for me.

I hope the world can live with that, but if it can't, c'est la vie.

(06-11-2010 12:59 PM)eslbee Wrote: [ -> ]I also like the analogy Mark provided. Who knows what's on my pants? Maybe I should leave them at the door, too.

If you have company over to your place, maybe you should check to make sure they have clean underwear on before allowing them to sit anywhere and vice versa if you go to someone's home. If you have nasties in your underwear, it could migrate through the pants and onto the couch/chair.
(LOL)

So, for the pet owning take shoes off camp, do you wash your dog's feet after taking it for a walk? He can't very well take off his paws.

You want to talk about filthy---London and Paris are horrifically filthy, but people don't take their shoes off in other people's homes and yet the populations somehow manage to survive it. Paris streets were full of dog poop when I was there, there weren't any laws about picking it up then, and I was staying in someone's home and everyone kept their shoes on.

And no one took their shoes off in my home in London, even though I had slippers on at home, everyone else wore their shoes when visiting me, and I kept my shoes on when visiting other people. And London is really, really dirty.

Same thing for Rome. Rome is nasty, I visited someone's home and everyone had their shoes on.

I don't think the shoes off rule is a bad idea, I think it's a great idea, but the majority of the world population doesn't do it and they survive it.

Great links, cassia. I am ALWAYS getting after J. to please remove his shoes before coming in the house. In the winter it's a no-brainer - anyone who walks in my house with feet that are wet, snowy and salty is in for it. Full stop. But in the summer - it's the chemicals, pesticides and garbage I don't want in my home. In large part because the cats live on the floor and I don't want to expose them to all that crap.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a germ-a-phob - by any stretch of the imagination but if someone thinks feet (which are presumably cleaned daily) are filthy and disgusting, just imagine what's on the bottom of your shoes.

Ah well. I guess we must agree to disagree.