Are you feeling like you’re the only family that wears shoes in their home? Have you been considering allowing footwear in your home after stepping on one too many Legos?
Wearing shoes in the house isn’t for everyone. For some, the idea of wearing shoes is offensive. For others, it’s not possible because the home needs to be kept as absolutely clean as possible for the health of the people living there. And for others, it just seems gross.
But for us, it’s the best solution. And, if you want it to be, it might be the right solution for you too.
When our twins were born, we considered starting a “no shoes in the house” policy. After all, street shoes bring in dirt, germs, and all kinds of yuckiness that we didn’t want our babies to be exposed to.
After some careful consideration, we decided NOT to implement a “shoes-off policy” in our home. Here’s why:
- I am a huge klutz. I constantly bump into things, and I seriously need the protection of a shoe. Sometimes I fear that my sons have inherited my lack of coordination, and I want to protect their little feet too.
- We have hardwood floors in our home, and I’ve slipped and fallen multiple times when not wearing shoes. I did not want to slip and fall while carrying a baby.
- If you’re squeamish, skip this one…… My sister bumped into a dresser when she was barefoot, and it ripped off her entire toenail. It was really scary, and it made me remember to put my shoes on for a very long time.
- I’m more productive when I’m wearing shoes. I’m more able to walk around, climb stairs, and do work around the house. For me, taking of my shoes signals to my brain that it’s rest time.
- As our kids got older, they acquired Legos. If you’ve ever stepped on a Lego, you’ll understand why we wear shoes.
If you’d like to wear shoes in your home, but you’re freaked out about the germ aspect, here are some things you can do to minimize your exposure and/or worry:
- Have certain areas in your house that are “no shoe zones.” We didn’t wear shoes in our babies’ playpen when they were crawling and learning to walk.
- Wear house shoes. Be like Mr. Rogers and change into new shoes when you walk in the door. I tried this method, but I kept forgetting to take my house shoes off.
- Set up a vacuuming/mopping schedule and stick to it.
I totally understand and respect that many homes do have a “shoes-off” policy. However, if you’ve been feeling guilty or different for allowing shoes in your home, I hope that this post will bring you some relief. You are not alone!
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Oh yeah, shoes are the way to go! Except when I want to be barefoot! haha
Right now I’m nursing a broken middle toe, so I feel ya on the klutz thing!!
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Thanks, Melinda! That middle toe sounds ouch! I hope it mends soon.
Thanks, Katie! Well on its way!
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Couldn’t you wear slippers instead of shoes? I do and my feet are still protected…
I do the house shoes one. I have house-flip flops, but I CONSTANTLY wear my (very bright colored) house flip-flops out of the house (store, school, etc..). I have like 6 pairs of house flip-flops b/c I hate to be barefoot, but now they are turning into just regular flip flops b/c of how often I forget to change. 😉
We think alike! I think we were meant to be friends! 😉
becky mansfield recently posted…Activities for your 6-12 month old
Hi Becky! I would totally do the same thing with the flip flops. That’s hilarious! I think we are meant to be friends. 😉
I’m with you on the shoe front! I only have carpet in my B/rm, tiles and wood everywhere else! ( my son had very bad asthma when young! ) no carpets. I Hoover and mop a lot! I also don’t feel productive without shoes, I need something on my feet even if it’s slippers. We wipe are feet at the door all the time and winter ‘feet’ get taken off anyway!
Hi Denise! I’m glad you’re with me! 😉
I’m the exact opposite and so is my son. I wish I never had to wear shoes. Even when I go out I try to discretely slip off my shoes under the table so I can sit cross legged in my chair. And when we go to the park with my son, we have to spend the last few minutes searching for his shoes and socks before we go home. I also take my shoes off in the car (as long as I’m not the one driving) because I can’t stand to sit with my feet on the floor.
But personal comfort aside, I can’t stand the idea of all that dirt being tracked into the house. Everyone in our house has either asthma, allergies or both and even with a carpet and pet free house it can sometimes be a problem.
My parents keep shoes on in their house, as do my in-laws. My sister even keeps big dogs in her house, so I’m really the odd one out in my family.
Hi Jules! I think we all have to do what works for us and our families. It sounds like no-shoes is the way to go for you! 🙂
I’m with you, Jules! While I enjoy reading about how others live – I’m a no shoes gal all the way!! I especially relate to taking shoes off to sit Indian style at the table. I do that all the time! 🙂
A shoes off policy is usually a little off putting to guests in my opinion. I take shoes off in my home and put on slipper socks when I’m buzzing around because it’s more comfortable. I like to have some kind of protection on my feet because I hurt myself every time I’m barefoot. I don’t like flip flops for the same reason….inevitably I hurt myself when wearing them….or trip. I clean my floors and vacuum and shampoo my carpet regularly. Having pets makes my house dirty with all the hair and dirt, throw up and accidents and I only have one cat and one dog!! So as far as I’m concerned – c’mon in, relax and enjoy. Life is too short to be stuffy! Everything here cleans up just fine.
I totally agree, Lenore! To each his own, but it’s not something worth getting upset over.
Two words: plantar fasciitis
I’m not I’ll ever be able to walk barefoot again
I have that same problem…my feet will be killing me within a half an hour of moving without real shoes. Sandals, flip flops and slippers are not helpful at all.
When I read this, I remembered what my life was like when i lived with my parents. It is healthy to be around dirt. It strengthens the immune system. However, I’m not saying that one should live in a pig sty, but some dirt is a good thing.
My father was raised with the idea that you don’t take your shoes off (in Europe) and he instilled that in us. He told us walking around in stocking feet was a sign of mourning.
I have foot issues so I have to wear shoes with support all the time — even what I wear as slippers give me support.
I think it’s rather rude of people to expect guests to take off their shoes (I’m not including muddy or wet shoes) when they come to visit. If you insist provide something for your guests to wear and understand if they have problems that make going barefoot or wearing your alternative difficult.
In Alaska it’s considered rude to wear shoes in someone else’s home so we adopted the no shoes rule. With the long winters here, you wouldn’t walk around someone’s house in your boots, right? I found that my home stays cleaner without shoes and I don’t have to shampoo the carpets nearly as often, (even though we have a dog). However, your reasons are absolutely valid and I’ve had the same issues so we use sturdy soled slippers for the house and I also have a decent pair of sneakers to wear (I don’t wear them outside and I use them for indoor workouts too). This helps when I spend the day cooking and cleaning because standing on the kitchen tile all day eventually ends in a backache. My friends and family know these are special in-door shoes and many of them do the same in their own homes. In the summer we usually convert to flip flops or I use ballet slippers.
I saw on the news a while back that they tested shoes for what was on them. There are a lot of toxic things on shoes! I remember one was coliform because you step on bird poo and dog poo… and because of public restrooms.
I agree with you on your reasons though- I wear slippers with soles in the house.
I have always wanted a no shoes in the house rule, but it never worked out. Everyone, including myself kept forgetting. Plus, when house training puppies you definitely want to wear your shoes. Now I live in the country with a gravel driveway. It is hard to keep my floors clean, but it is better than stepping on pebbles, legos, and whatever the dogs bring in. Thanks for the article, it was good to know others have dirty floors too.
I’ve always wondered if the “no shoes” policy only works for people who don’t spend all of their time at home. Being a stay at home wife and mother, I am on my feet all day and need the support of a good shoe. We make sure the kids all have house shoes (aka slippers). I currently am using a slip on sneaker for my house shoe, because slippers don’t offer the support I need. It’s hard to remember to change my shoes. I’m getting better. Fixing to move into a new house and plan to set up a switch bench at the front and back door areas.
I have a bad back, scoliosis, bad knees, and plantar fasciitis. I grew up running around barefoot, but once I had my own home- forget it. I needed shoes to keep my balance, and it also makes me feel more productive. I also have cats and a kid. Nothing worse than stepping in cat puke or on a Disney princess figure.
I get why people choose the ‘no shoe’ thing, but I can not and will not. So thank you for making me feel less weird and less alone!!!!!
A friend had a policy of no shoes in the house for her family.
One teen wore long jeans which dragged on the ground. I asked
her why she took her shoes off but dragged her pants all over the house after dragging her jeans in all the crap outside on the streets and sidewalks. No answer.
This is interesting! I’m one who tends to be barefoot at all times–home, work, and everywhere in between! There may be something true of your note on productivity, however. I’m wondering about how my productivity could be impacted if I wore shoes during chore time. Might have to give that a try!
I’m not crazy about wearing shoes in the house, for the germ and dirt issue. However, I probably would not have broken by toe on the ottoman if I were wearing shoes. Also, I need the support that shoes offer. I have yet to find a truly supportive house shoe. Maybe we could adopt a blue booty policy!!!
I live in Japan and we do have indoor shoes we wear in the house. Our children also have to wear indoor shoes at school. There’s an area by the door to change shoes. The indoor shoes and socks should never touch the outdoor shoe area. A lot of places require shoes off or indoor shoes on to enter. I’m totally fine with that.
I’ve always wondered something:
When people in Japan move, what do they do about their shoes while moving boxes and furniture in and out of the house?
This is a year late, but… When I move I usually station myself inside and take the boxes at the door from the people unloading the truck. The times they carry something big and heavy, they put in inside near the door. Then later we’d move it where we needed it. I am not Japanese, but maybe they do something similar.
I completely understand the Lego aspect! Ouch! And I do tend to be more productive when I keep on my shoes. But I must admit I love to kick off my shoes and put on PJ pants as often as possible! 🙂
Although we try to keep our shoe wearing to a minimum in our home, I NEVER ask a guest to remove their shoes and this is BECAUSE I don’t want germs and filth… the thought of other people’s foot sweat or even foot fungus (eek!) all over my family’s floors is unbearable! I hate being asked to remove my shoes in someone else’s house too as I can’t help but think I am treading in their foot-jam 🙁
I just wear slippers! Because of thrbcozy insides, they have the added benefit of keeping the moisture in after I shower & lotion my feet!
Thank you for writing this! I felt like I was reading something I wrote (except for the twins part😉)
Thank you. That’s all- just thank you 🙂 I’m neat and clean, but I also have foot problems. I appreciate this article and the “permission” that its ok that we do not insist on shoes off at the door. Blessings!
You’re welcome! 🙂
There is another good reason for shoes on policy, as the children get older they won’t be able to ask where their shoes are because they are on their feet already. 😄
Haha! Another added benefit! 🙂
Imagine what they did in the old days. Like the really, really old days. I’m not worried about what comes in. It just makes us more immune to sickness, honestly. 🙂 I actually tell people “you don’t have to take your shoes off”. LOL I could care less.
Having a no-shoes policy in our house would be totally ineffective, because we have two large dogs that go in and out all day. If I had to wipe their feet clean after every single adventure outside, I would go crazy. We don’t have kids, I originally was looking for information about wearing shoes and if shoes make a person sick (tangent, I know). If I had kids, I would probably do a much better job on cleaning the floors or get a roomba and scooba to keep them cleaner!
We always keep shoes on in our house. Two dogs who shed like crazy. No matter how much I vacuum and mop, 10 minutes later there’s fur on the floor. I don’t feel like having dog fur all over my socks. We have a friend who has a no-shoe policy in their house (and they are always catching colds and other viruses…maybe their immune system would be better if she weren’t such a clean freak).
I don’t know! I’ve heard that a too-clean house isn’t necessarily a good thing. I’m always glad to hear I’m not the only one wearing shoes inside, though. 🙂
Just found your site by chance. My children now in their teens have been raised to get fully dressed when they wake up in the morning even if they are not planning on going anywhere, this includes putting on both their both shoes and socks. We always put shoes on them when we went out in public from about 3 months on. I decided early on I wasn’t going to have kids running around without shoes all day, wearing flip flops or sandals everyday or wearing shoes without socks. Once they were walking well we transitioned them into wearing both shoes and socks all day. When we woke them up in the morning we usually got them fully dressed to their shoes. They wore them all day long, often even during naps, year round and they didn’t come off time bath time. They became so use to having them on, my youngest would actually cry if we didn’t put them on first thing. We didn’t have any problems with them removing them in places such as the car or on planes. Once they were on they stayed on all day. It was so nice having them always ready to go. If we wanted to go outside we just went. If we wanted to leave the house we were out in a few minutes. No fighting to get them dressed, no looking for missing shoes, no “the socks don’t feel right”. They had no desire to wear flip flops, crocs or sandals when everyone else was a few years back except of course where they were intended at the beach and pool. They were taught to whip their feet when they came in. On rainy days we keep a towel by the door and we just dry our shoes off. If someone tracked dirt in, they had to clean it up!
Today not much has changed, they are usually in shoes (usually sneakers) till they go to bed unless they showered early and are just laying around. No foot issues at all. You would be surprised how much more likely kids are to go outside and play when they are dressed. I think this trend to remove shoes indoors makes people more likely to stay inside, my boys are in and out all day. My friends kids that are usually barefoot just lay around with a blanket around them.
I’ve found people that have athletes foot, foot odor and such are those that walk around without shoes and put them on with dirty feet. Even walking around the house in socks and then putting them in shoes transfers that dirt and bacteria inside the shoes. People that bath daily and always wear clean sock and quality shoes can wear them for up to 16 hours a day with no issues.
Not sure when it became trendy for everyone to be shoeless indoors, but it is becoming more common in parts of the USA. It ignores people’s cultural beliefs, personal preferences and medical issues. I’m Mexican and it is customary in many Mexican homes to wear shoes though even some Hispanics are buying into this trend. We are not trashy for doing it as some people have stated, it has several advantages as others pointed out. Growing up there was no rule for shoes indoors, you could wear them or not, it was up to the individual. My brothers always wore them, I often didn’t. I couldn’t imagine forcing my brothers to be barefoot when they clearly wanted to wear shoes. Our floors were always clean, sweeping and vacuuming once a week was enough. It’s the same in my home with my children, it is up to them though I would rather they have shoes on during the day.
Thanks for sharing how you handle the shoes or no shoes question. I like your approach!