Growing up, we never thought twice about it, we just wore our shoes inside (or didn't) and it was whatever, nobody ever said anything. I grew up in northeast US and the only time we really wouldn't wear shoes in the house would be when it snowed or if we had mud on our shoes, otherwise it helped keep your feet warm. It wasn't until I met my wife that she was like, "What the fuck?" She grew up in Kenya where it was mandatory to not wear shoes. It's so dusty out there most of the time that the house would be a mess if you did wear your shoes inside, so it was just an automatic thing to take them off.
They are monsters. There is NO EXCUSE for wearing dirty shoes indoors, outside a party to which you immediately clean.
As other have said, they're usually not the same shoes I wear outside.
But generally, for the same reason I wear them outside: to protect my feet. Especially if I'm going in and out a lot, like when doing yardwork or grilling.
Every time this question comes up, I can't tell if it's that homes outside the US are much cleaner or streets are much dirtier.
It's a cultural thing. In Poland because of the climate, central heating and probably some other habits everyone has a carpet so you take your shoes off because carpets are hard to clean. In Spain because of the climate you don't have carpets because stone floors help cool the apartment down. Bare stone floors are easy to clean and are cold during winter so you keep your shoes on.
If you have plantar fasciitis, it can really help with the added support.
I like to cook, and I like big cooks. My favorite thing to do on a Sunday is wake up and immediately start dinner. Fresh bread, slow roasted meats, things that take time in the kitchen. It's not weird for me to spend hours in there, and a kitchen needs a hard floor because carpet will just absorb spills and become disgusting really quickly. My old ass gets really sore after 5 hours standing barefoot on hard tile, so I have some house shoes that never go outside and help me stay comfortable.
When I lived in the Midwest, indoor carpeting was everywhere, and everyone took their shoes off at the door. Probably due to snow and muck and whatever else.
Moved to the east coast and people thought it was weird that I would try to take my shoes off at their door. Most people had hardwood.
I still live on the east coast, and basically I just do what people ask. It generally seems like places that have carpeting ask for shoes off, those that don't, don't.
That's when you're going to someone else's home. In my own home, I have indoor shoes and outdoor shoes. The indoor shoes are basically slip on types. I wear them everywhere inside until I'm going to bed, then they go by the bed.
I have children and I got tired of stepping on shit and walking with a limp because I stepped on a metal truck the size of a dime or whatever.
Because I have a "thing" about having those little floor-crunchies on my feet. Floating flooring is nice, but every little thing lays right on top of it.. So instead of constantly dusting the bottoms of my feet off on my calves, I just throw on some house shoes. Freshly cleaned floors excepted.
Because I haven't taken them off
I wear them only to maintain being productive. This is an actual thing a LOT of people with ADHD do to avoid just sitting down and not moving. I give myself about an hour then switch to my slips and usually only maintain my work level for a few more minutes at most.
My lifestyle necessitates being able to go outside at a moment's notice.
We have dogs, cats, and kids, trying to maintain the level of cleanliness people are implying you could get by removing shoes just isn't going to happen here. Hardwood floors, Roomba twice a day, and biweekly deep clean.
My cats track litter everywhere and I keep my bike inside (the bike room in my apartment has a major theft issue). So not like I'm making the floor any dirtier by wearing shoes. I sweep once a week and mop usually every other week, more if needed like if a cat has a particularly pukey week. The floor is for dirty things I don't plan on eating off of it.
I wear mine in the house because I have a collapsed arch on one foot, and both my knees are completely shot. Shoes keep the feet lighed up, and I don't sublux my kneecap nearly as often.
pair of slippers and flip-flops that stay indoors, just for indoors. I just hate getting bits of whatever stuck to my socks/feet in between sweeping sessions. Though after a good sweep, I will do a stride of pride sans socks/shoes, just to feel how clean the floor is
A lot of people half-ass the transition from outside to in and would step with a socked/bare foot right where they just walked with shoes. Meaning the isolation of in and outside dirt is broken. My roommate, the landlord, does this... I'm not gonna chase him around with sanitizer and a mop so, I see the floor being just as dirty as outside and wear socks and slippers all the time. (They also ignore the idea of cleaning or maintaining their house. But that's another issue and a reason I'm looking for me for a 1br)
You tryin' to tell me what to do in my own home? Pssh.
Many places have indoor and outdoor footware.
So you still wear shoes inside, but not the same shoes you take outside.
You will quickly learn your friends shoes, and start to pick up on signals like whose shoes are outside. Who is home, someone has guests.. all by the shoes.
For the same reason people wear pants inside the house - it's cold, gets you ready to go out at a moment's notice, etc. - plus shoes add padding. Also... not everyone does, wink:-).
Sick of stepping on crap on the floor. Kids are messy. Also my feet get cold. And socks wear out too fast.
Cos they want?
the floor is lava
I keep stubbing my toe and it's easier to go outside
I cannot, for the life of me, imagine wearing outside shoes in the house. I live quite close to a major US city, in what I’d describe as a semi urban dense suburb. There is rabbit shit on every square inch of green space.
Because sometimes I do chores that require me to be outside? And I'm constantly going in and out, carrying things back and forth, moving tools from the shed to the garage, to the kitchen to hang a shelf, and back outside to put them away? When I do yard work I get sweaty and need a drink of water, and don't feel like taking off my shoes or boots just to go inside for 30 seconds and then put them back on to go back out and continue working.
Gift article from WaPo https://wapo.st/42LfZqM as there's so much debate.
Long story short, you bring tons of literal shit into your home wearing outside shoes inside. But they recommend inside slippers or equivalent for protection of your feet. I realize you can't stop all shit on your floor but goddammit if I won't try. Also, I think it's obvious when carpeted homes allow shoes as the carpet is matted and gross.
I generally don’t just because i enjoy the freedom of wiggley toes, but I’m not adverse to it either.
Theres no snow or mud where I am and most of the places I walk in are cleaned daily (Work, shops). Honestly its just not a big deal for me here in Australia, shit people walk down the street or in stores with no shoes at all, so who cares eh. Bit of dust gets on the floor at home big deal, ill clean it on a weekend.
Because I had shoes on before arriving home and I don't remember about them until much later.
Because I can't get my husband to take his shoes off right when he comes inside after 13 years together, so I've given up and just started wearing shoes inside myself 🤷🏻♀️
Because I have multiple doors in my house which lead outside. I normally take my shoes off when I come inside, but sometimes I come in one door and then want to leave via a different door only to realise my shoes are at the other end of the house.
I just forget to take them off
Having said that in my country it's normal to wear house shoes in the house.
Well, personally, I have foot problems, so walking barefoot is painful. So I wear flip flops around the house.
Years ago I had a glass light cover shatter in the hall between my bed and toilet. Thought I got it all swept up. Two weeks later, a 2am half asleep piss trip ended in 10 minutes of digging a glass shard out of my foot and stopping the bleeding. I now wear something with a sole very nearly at all times.
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Leftover habit from never having bare feet touch the ground from my army days.
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Kids leave and drop things all over house (Lego bricks).
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I wear huge clown shoes. No room near the door to leave them.
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Shoes off to flip-flops on. Feet feel protected.
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I'll say that I don't usually wear shoes in the house, but it's also a lost cause since I have two big dogs.
I have two sets of indoor slippers, so don't really wear shoes inside per say... though one of the slippers does close around feet somewhat like a shoe.
Why do people go barefoot in public
Why do people wear shoes in the office
Why dont3 I ask women if they're pregnant
Because arbitrary customs that exist which might have a good reason behind them but largely have become things that are considered polite or rude, both of which are societal concepts which themselves are worthy of questioning
Why does this keep coming up? Are there really an appreciable number of people who do this?
For me, I’m fine with whatever guests want to do (unless visibly wet or dirty) since they are temporary and short term. But otherwise I’ve never really had to ask, because it’s so common for taking off your shoes to just be the more comfortable. It’s actually one of my bigger dislikes for going back to the office, that now I have to wear shoes all day and it’s so uncomfortable. I can’t wait to get home and take them off. Isn’t this most people?
They say, 30 is the age where you have to decide which one you like more: tying your shoelaces or hamburgers.
I chose the latter.
Now I'm almost 44 and even undoing them feels too hard. 🙃
Sometimes the old dog makes a boo boo.
I have a separate set of onutsuka tigers that are only for in the house. For home gym mostly, but also at my standing desk sometimes it's more comfortable than flat bare feet. And because of these sometimes they just stay on.
I have some slippers but I make them smell like a dead mouse, so I like to leave them alone.
Because they don't own a broom or know how to operate one...
Or because they have or have had kids.
