Is the shoe thing regional? Because of climate?

winery · May 2009

In the South, where there is no snow, we always wore shoes inside everyone's house.

Whenever we ran across someone who asked us to take our shoes off (and I can *maybe* think of 1 time growing up) we thought it was odd.

Now having met people from different areas of the country, including my husband, I'm thinking that people from the N/NE take off their shoes because of the weather (snow, salt, rain, etc.).

Is this the case or am I way off base?

sarahgcapecod · May 2009

My inlaws wear 'inside shoes' in the house. So they walk in the house and put on different shoes. They CAN be worn outside - but normally they are only doing that to walk to the mailbox, etc.

They are in the south but I always thought it was more generational. I really can't think of anyone I know who wears shoes in the house at all times.

femmegem · May 2009

DH's family doesn't wear shoes in the house because they're Asian.

We're much lazier about it and often wear shoes in the house. For cleaning purposes I wish I were more diligent about not wearing them around, though.

Mrs.Provost · May 2009

I'm just thinking about the mess that would get tracked through my home if we left our winter footwear on...lol I would go batshitcrazy trying to keep my house clean. Our roads get salted in the winter as well as laying gravel down (traction/bad weather precautions) and it's a crazy mess in our front entrance where we take our shoes off, I'd go nutty if that was in the house.

So how do "shoes on" people deal? Are you not constantly sweeping all frickin day? I'm barefoot ALL the time (well besides winter) except if I go into a store, it'd make me crazy to have sand/etc all over my floors all day.

It's just not something that Canadians do. The only Canucks I know who walk around with their shoes on in the house are people who used to live in the US.

KrisBriMcBunny · May 2009

my brother lives in NC and he says shoes off even for guests...but he's a neat freak though.

DevonPow · May 2009

I grew up in CA and now live in Boston and only know one "shoes off" family. Whe it is actively snowing/slushy/whatever everyone takes their shoes off, though...

penguingrrl · May 2009

I'm from NJ and now in NY. I know very few people with shoeless households and it was rare growing up. I only do it now because I'm in an apartment and trying to be respectful of my neighbors and keep noise down (we have hardwood not carpeting).

MommyofAlissa · May 2009

I live in Nebraska and we leave our shoes on. I think it varies family to family.

Brewster · May 2009

We don't ever in TX. I can't remember a time when I was asked to either.

This reminds of of the episode of SATC where SJP's Manolo Blahniks get stolen when she is asked to take them off at a party. lol

juniper19 · May 2009

I live in NYC. It isn't a climate thing. We don't drive anywhere, and you can imagine all the crap that's on the bottom of our shoes. I don't ask people to take of their shoes, but I understand why some people do.

praline · May 2009

I didn't grow up taking my shoes off (midwest and west coast), but we do it now because after we had DD and she was crawling around on the floor, I read several studies showing that children that grow up in homes where shoes are worn have higher levels of heavy metals in their blood (lead etc) and higher levels of exposures to pesticides and all kinds of gross stuff.

Basically I realized that it is filthy to wear shoes in your indoor space that you wear on the street so we now we don't. But we don't really ask guests to take off their shoes, we just do it ourselves and our family takes their shoes off for us in the house. I wouldn't ask people over for a party to remove their shoes.

Kelly Madonna · May 2009

Wow, I sparked a whole huge shoe discussion!

moseyma · May 2009

Another shoeless Canadian here....I've never known anyone to leave shoes on indoors. I think shoe removal is pretty much a given in these parts.

Mrs.Provost · May 2009

I'm just trying to imagine my Mom's face if I just sauntered into her house with my sneakers still on and sat down at her table. She'd fall over and DIE...lol

august0605bride · May 2009

Thats true here-- it is so yucky and snowy 1/2 the year that no one would even think of wearing shoes.

But for me, it's a dirt thing.?

Halo79RN · May 2009

I grew up in the south and can only think of a couple of people who had us (kids) take our shoes off when we came in.. it was people who had more dc so I'm sure they had enough to clean up without whatever we were tracking in. when we moved to western ny, we discovered long winters. and no, I would never wear my winter boots indoors... but I also didn't expect guests to take their shoes off. When we had dd, really when she started crawling and scooting about on the floor, we started not wearing shoes indoors at all. I don't ask guests to take shoes off... but we don't wear them indoors. but I will add.. I had friends from the midwest (one from really snowy country) who never did this prior to having dc.

LizLovesJason · May 2009

I grew up in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and don't remember anyone ever asking me to take off my shoes in their house. Then we moved a few hours south to the Richmond area, and discovered quickly that most people expect you to take your shoes off here. I've gotten used to it, but at first I found it a little annoying, and I felt weird walking around someone else's house in my socks or bare feet. Now I don't wear shoes in my house either. We spend a lot of time in the back yard, and we would be tracking dirt and mud through the house if we kept our shoes on.

So I thought it was actually a southern thing to take off your shoes inside, but maybe it's just a random regional thing!

SpartanGirl · May 2009

I grew up in PA, and I'd say the families I knew were pretty evenly split between shoes on and shoes off. Our family was a shoes on house.

We're in MN now, and I've never asked anyone to take their shoes off in my house, but most people who come over take them off or ask if they should.

shouldbeworkin · May 2009

Yes, we definitely take shoes off b/c of the snow and we just keep doing it all year long.

JOEBunny · May 2009

I live in Georgia, in Atlanta, and I have never taken my shoes off inside. I have only been ask to do so by people from other countries, like Canada.

GrowingFamily · May 2009

We are shoeless in the house, but it has nothing to do with climate (we live in Wisconsin) it is because of dirt & young kids on the floor. We have had to "train" our extended family to take their shoes off in our house. Now, they immediately do it

ilovemygirls · May 2009

I live in the NW and it really kind of varies- some families do, some don't. Some friends we have are originally from Sweden and they have a 'no shoe' rule in their house...

Heidisean · May 2009

We live in the NE and DO NOT WEAR shoes in our house due to germs, dirt, etc. You walk into a public bathroom and then on the rug to your house where your kids are playing on the floor. That is disgusting to me. You walk in spit, urine from public bathroom floors, dirt, etc and then track that into your home. FWIW, even without shoes on in our house I steam clean our rugs about every other month and you should see the dirt that comes out of them. It is also healthier for you and your kids to not bring that crap in your home.

hopefulmom · May 2009

I don't think it is regional. I think it just depends on the family. When I was growing up I wore my shoes in the house...but we didn't not have carpeting anywhere. My DH always took his shoes off because he was raised that way. Once my parents built a new house that had carpeting in the livingroom we were not allowed to wear shoes on the carpet. lol I worked for a lady that said it was disgusting to go barefoot on carpet...she said her family were never allowed to go barefoot or even wear socks. They could (and did) wear slippres (so I guess you could say "inside shoes"). Once married we had carpeting and we always take our shoes off. I have a huge bunch of shoes (all the time) just inside the back door! I think our carpets have lasted as long as they have because we don't wear shoes on it.

#6 · May 2009

We take our shoes off at the front door but mostly for comfort. I cant stand to sit around in shoes all day. I want to be comfy when Im home and having shoes on makes me feel like Im about to leave or something.

I grew up not wearing shoes in the house but it wasnt a rule like "no shoes on in the house" or anything. We didnt ask guests to take theirs off and we dont ask them to now. We do have a few friends who take theirs off asap they walk in the door but its because they were raised with the "no shoes in house" rule and are just used to it.

sporky · May 2009

LizLovesJason:

I grew up in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and don't remember anyone ever asking me to take off my shoes in their house. Then we moved a few hours south to the Richmond area, and discovered quickly that most people expect you to take your shoes off here. I've gotten used to it, but at first I found it a little annoying, and I felt weird walking around someone else's house in my socks or bare feet. Now I don't wear shoes in my house either. We spend a lot of time in the back yard, and we would be tracking dirt and mud through the house if we kept our shoes on.

So I thought it was actually a southern thing to take off your shoes inside, but maybe it's just a random regional thing!

trust me this is not a richmond thing. it's apparently a people-you-know thing. dh's family is all in richmond and i have quite a few friends and family there as well and NONE of them are shoes-off people. quite the opposite. i'd never heard of people taking their shoes off in others' homes or asking guests to until the nest.

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