Houses with 'No Shoe' Rules

[james_timothy]



Yes, but unless you are visiting someone with a well-known and very strong cultural tradition of not wearing shoes in the house, it is precious beyond belief and bordering on rudeness.

no.

 

[Knowledge is King]



But here's the kicker: Politeness is also a deep-seated cultural practice in some parts of Asia and, if you, as a westerner, are invited into someone's home, they will very often beg you not to remove your shoes as they know it is not customary for you and they place your comfort over theirs. What follows is a thoroughly satisfying ritual where you insist and they demur and, eventually, you leave your shoes by the door.

that's the first time I've heard anyone say that -- I've been into dozens of homes around Asia and never had that experience. I've witnessed the opposite numerous times though where Americans walk into the house and the family gasps trying to stop them.

 

[MyOtherLife]

Visiting a persons home for the first time is a voyage into the unknown. Some homes are kept magnificently clean while others are left appalingly dirty.
When invited, you should ask, 'is your home clean?' Do you have pets?, etc. You can always validate this question by adding that you have allergies to dust or pet fur, or even dirty people. Only a dirty or stupid person will be offended by this question, whereas a clean person will chuckle and assure you that their home is clean and probably ask, 'are you?'. Either way, you'll have properly qualified them (and they, you) before making a commitment, and in doing so, prevent an unpleasant experience.
Where a person takes pride in their home and keeps it clean, including their floors, it should be immediately apparent to you when entering it. They have every right to insist that you remove your shoes when entering. This is their inner sanctum. In fact, they shouldn't have to ask. You should immediately make motion to remove your shoes. If they insist that it is not necessary, then keep them on. The fact that you have been invited to someones home is an honour for you and for them to receive you. The onus is on you to respect their ways when in their home. The onus on a host would be to invite you into a healthy and comfortable environment and, as per Wil's perfect suggestion; that the host offer you complimentary slippers, etc.

If you are asked to remove your shoes in a clean home and you don't like it, it means your either a dirty varmant with stinky feet or an arrogant ass with no respect for yourself or others.
If you are a clean person yet allowed to keep your shoes on in someones home, it means they are dirty varmants and you should run or brass it out that one time and never return.

There are seriously legitimate concerns at hand here. God only knows what lays in the ground we walk on. Spit, urine, feces (human, animal or fowl), blood, chemicals, remains of rotten food or dead bodies (human or otherwise), dangerous microbes, insects, etc provide a minefield of potential health risks. Why anyone would track this into their homes or allow others to do so, is and will always be, beyond my understanding.

 

[ter1413]

I have a no shoes rule.......unless you are a bootay call and I am too tipsy to remember to ask you to take em off right away!

 

[reidrothchild]

Growing up, we didn't necessarily have a no shoes in the house rule, it was just sort of a practice. It really doesn't make sense to me why people would sit around indoors with shoes on, but I guess that's a matter of personal preference. When I'm visiting someone, I always remove my shoes if the weather is bad and/or if the house is fully carpeted. If there's no inclement weather, I normally glance at the feet of my hosts and/or take a quick survey of their guests to see what the protocol is. When in doubt, I just begin to remove my shoes and wait to see if the hosts will tell me it's fine to leave them on. If you're worried about your socks being soiled, which are easily washable and cost next to nothing compared to even the cheapest flooring, imagine how your hosts feel about their carpet.

 

[Nicola]



What's the dog or pet situation like in a lot of these "no-shoe" homes?

Normally the dogs go barefoot.

 

[Galix]

No shoes inside the house is the norm in Scandinavia. And I like it, specially when having people visiting, as it helps keeping the floor clean.

 

[gladhands]



Visiting a persons home for the first time is a voyage into the unknown. Some homes are kept magnificently clean while others are left appalingly dirty.
When invited, you should ask, 'is your home clean?' Do you have pets?, etc. You can always validate this question by adding that you have allergies to dust or pet fur, or even dirty people. Only a dirty or stupid person will be offended by this question, whereas a clean person will chuckle and assure you that their home is clean and probably ask, 'are you?'.

WTF? Sorry, dude, but that's offensive as ****.

 

[MyOtherLife]

Visiting a persons home for the first time is a voyage into the unknown. Some homes are kept magnificently clean while others are left appalingly dirty.
When invited, you should ask, 'is your home clean?' Do you have pets?, etc. You can always validate this question by adding that you have allergies to dust or pet fur, or even dirty people. Only a dirty or stupid person will be offended by this question, whereas a clean person will chuckle and assure you that their home is clean and probably ask, 'are you?'.

WTF? Sorry, dude, but that's offensive as ****.

ok varmant.

 

[Wes Bourne]



Growing up, we didn't necessarily have a no shoes in the house rule, it was just sort of a practice. It really doesn't make sense to me why people would sit around indoors with shoes on, but I guess that's a matter of personal preference. When I'm visiting someone, I always remove my shoes if the weather is bad and/or if the house is fully carpeted. If there's no inclement weather, I normally glance at the feet of my hosts and/or take a quick survey of their guests to see what the protocol is. When in doubt, I just begin to remove my shoes and wait to see if the hosts will tell me it's fine to leave them on. If you're worried about your socks being soiled, which are easily washable and cost next to nothing compared to even the cheapest flooring, imagine how your hosts feel about their carpet.

/thread

 

[changy]



What's the dog or pet situation like in a lot of these "no-shoe" homes?

Why do you think Shih Tzu were originally bred in China? Perfect for cleaning those hardwood floors.

 

[P-K-L]

Here in Russia it is the norm to take off your shoes when you enter a flat / house; however house slippers are provided in 99% of the cases.

 

[Samovar McGee]

Don't care. Take off your shoes when you come into my house. I have one pair of slippers. They're not necessary. If you don't have socks on, no matter. Your feet are far cleaner than the bottom of your shoes.

And when I visit other homes, I default to the no-shoe rule out of respect.

 

[Johdus Fanfoozal]

First thing I do when I go to someone's home is take off my shoes.

It's just the natural thing to do like wedging toilet paper between the lock and handle of a public bathroom stall.

 

[lasbar]



Don't care. Take off your shoes when you come into my house. I have one pair of slippers. They're not necessary. If you don't have socks on, no matter. Your feet are far cleaner than the bottom of your shoes.

And when I visit other homes, I default to the no-shoe rule out of respect.

I always offer to take my shoes off...

I always try to put some nice socks on...