I carry a pair of isotoner ballet type slippers in my purse for just this kinda thing.

If I need to wear boots, I remove them and put on a pair of shoes I have brought along with me.

In Hawaii it is customary to remove your outdoor shoes (usually 'slippahs"/thongs) before you step over the threshold. (You can tell by looking at the door how many people are 'home'! We have all tile in our condo, and I am *old*, so I wear my Reboks or Merrill sandals indoors for support/cushioning.

Always, always, always. All seasons of the year. Home or away. I also carry a pair of slippers to wear when I am visiting someone when it cold outside, in the summer not so much. And I expect people to remove their shoes when the come to my house.

I live in rainy Vancouver. Shoes always come off at the front door and guests just automatically do it as do we when we are guests.

I've seen this topic posted before. Beware. :)

Yes. I never remove my shoes at the door. But I do like to change into slippers or flip flops for comfort as soon as I get home. If I lived where it was mucky or snowy I would wear proper outdoor footwear (boots) and carry shoes to change into but normal wet or surface dirt can be wiped on the doormat. That is what it is there for.

I detest being asked to remove my shoes as a guest. I don't want all the germs/crud on the floor to go back into my shoes when I put them back on. I don't want to use someone's bathroom in my stockinged feet. ICK! ICK! ICK!

In the summer If I wear sandals out my feet get washed before bed or putting on socks and shoes. So I am certainly out of my comfort zone going shoeless in someone's house unless they would like to bathe my feet before I leave.

Warm weather, barefoot. Cold weather, socks. No shoes!

I have a very cold floor and a very casual lifestyle, so not only do I not ask people to remove their shoes, but if they start to take them off I try to talk them out of it.

Going to my kids' homes, I'm happy to remove my shoes. But in winter I always have adhesive-backed foot warmers on my socks, and if they're exposed to a lot of air, they'll overheat. So I bring slippers with me.

At home by myself, I wear slippers in the evening but shoes during day. A long time ago, I found I'm more productive with shoes on. Even wearing shoes, I'm not the greatest housekeeper. In slippers, I'm likely to make clutter rather than clean it up.

I'm in agreement with Watchmelol about the ick factor. I always taught my kids "clean feet into clean socks into clean shoes," and the practice of walking around someone else's house in socks or bare feet, and then putting your shoes back on goes against that. I have to add, though, that it's not a problem for me in my kids' homes.

Normally I do. When I get up I put on slippers, but later I wear street shoes. I have 8 pair of Merrills air glides (mesh) and nothing is more comfortable than those. I won't remove my shoes to enter any home unless it's wet out or my shoes are muddy.

When I am at my home I change into my house shoes. Usually something very warm because my feet are always cold even in the summer. I would never remove my shoes at someone's house. It's not the culture I grew up in. I would not be able to remove my shoes at someone's house because my feet would be frozen if I did and I would be terribly uncomfortable. When I visit family, no one ever removes their shoes. Of course if you were in mud then logic would tell you to take your shoes off...you would have to. We don't tromp around in mud...we have cement drives and side walks where we live.

I don't change my shoes when I come in the house. In cold weather I do wear socks most of the time. I wear birkenstocks most of the time. Or go barefooted in the house and screen room. In the yard I have shoes on.

We still have snow and ice outside in Long Island. My winter boots are kept by the front door an d I wear them every time I go out. I don't keep the boots on in the house, I change into comfy sneakers.

I have wood floors, and occasionally someone wants to take their shoes off at the door. For such instances I have a basket with house shoes sitting right there. ;) I don't require it, but for myself I do it all the time. As soon as I stand on the mat inside the door, the shoes come off, and the house shoes come on. I have really nice warm ones for the winter, and in the summer I often (most times) go bare foot.

My floors are way cleaner in the summer, cause I can feel the dirt. LOL

Moni

Ah the great shoes on, or off debate! I don't know anyone, or ever have, who leaves their shoes on indoors. I'll keep my runners on if I forgot something and have to run inside but I don't wear shoes indoors, ever, anywhere. I take slippers with me, and provide some to those who want them.

Vicsgirl's post reminded me of what's by my front door: Boots with YaxTrax on them, for most packed snow/crunchy ice; boots with spiked cleats for smooth, hard ice; boots with no cleats for plain old snow.

I take my shoes on in the garage and have two shoe holders on the wall...when I'm working my shoes go to my closet...Hubster wears house shoes...but will do the same and take his shoes off in his closet...when we have guest they leave their shoes on...we're not anal about dirt...how can we be with 12 paws all over the house...the nice thing is they come in thru the basement...walk across carpeting and up carpeted stairs so their paws are pretty dry by the time they hit the hardwoods!

I also leave my wet shoes on a entryway rug if it is wet outside and put them on when they dry. It is snowing here, beautiful snow falling straight down. I always wear shoes and socks in the house, my feet are cold. I've turned into my mother. I thought her feet were cold because she turned her thermostat down to 65 in the winter, mine is on 72.

I'm normally barefoot in the house but will wear my shoes when I need extra support, like holiday cooking. I've never asked anyone to remove shoes in my house, and no one ever has. But we generally have good weather so that helps.

If it's sloppy outside - rain, snow, whatever - my shoes off at my door, find another (i.e. "clean") pair, or slippers. I don't like to have to clean a floor after one issue of tracking in mud/slop! Less demanding of guests.

A substantial number of homes into which I go have a mess of shoes sitting inside/(outside?) their front door ... so my shoes get added to the crowd, sometimes they offer slippers, sometimes I travel in sock feet - most of the friends' floors are cleaned regularly.

At the funeral home the other day, I was late arriving, so jumped out of the car without taking my slipper-bag, slipped the boots off at the door, the director tried to talk me out of it, I travelled a bit carefully, but there was carpet over most of the floor. Service started about 15 min. late, so I wasn't late.

Feet didn't complain ...

... but they've become accustomed to, like it or not - doing as they're told!

o j

My shoes come off the minute I walk in the door.....hate them! I wear socks in the winter, barefooted in summer. When I wear shoes or slippers, my feet sweat and then they are very cold. Even in the winter, I wear SAS sandles and socks.

I always ask when I visit someone's home if they would like me to remove my shoes. At my home, I don't really care. I have 3 dogs and who knows what they track in. I have no problem with anything icky getting on the bottom of my feet as I shower daily and never go to bed with "dirty" feet. A little dirt is good for your immune system. Having said all that, in the winter I am usually in a pair of bootie type slippers because we keep our house cool and my feet are usually cold.

I don't ask people to remove their shoes. If they choose to, that's fine of course. That said, I am barefoot for most of the year, wearing socks sometimes in the winter. For comfort, not because of the dirt factor.

The OP is talking about a house party. I would not want to be dressed up only to have to remove my shoes, which is a big part in the way an outfit looks.

Changing your muddy boots for your nice dress shoes at the door, would be a nice comporomise.

I went barefooted when I was younger, then I broke my right little toe twice by catching it on the leg of a lamp table. I quit going barefooted.

I happened to read a response on another site that made me LOL. A poster, one who obviously was in the shoes on camp, said they were going to make their home a "no pants zone". All those who came to the door would be asked to remove their pants before entering. After all one doesn't know where those pants have been. Perhaps they were on public transportation, on a dirt encrusted park bench or even sitting on the ground earlier.

Reminded me of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory and his "bus pants".

I remember the last time this came up. The drama from some on either side of the issue. The ones who have special feet that need shoes on, etc.

For me, i take my shoes off most of the time. I'm more comfortable that way, plus there's not the mess in inclement weather. I grew up not taking them off, short of boots, but as I've matured this habit has changed. I think the studying of the Japanese culture and traditions has made me change to a shoes off on entry. For a while, and still occasionally, I'll take off dirty/wet shoes and put on some boat shoes as my semi-indoor shoes, although I'll still wear them out to get mail or to step out for a breath of air or something as long as they're not getting dirty or wet. Plus with the medical issues the latter years, shoes aren't as wanted.

When I go someplace I normally take them off especially in the winter but even in the summer as a courtesy to people who take pride in their homes and don't want dirty footprints on everything. I can't understand people who think they can slop through snow, slush, salt, mud and whatever else and then walk on peoples' carpets, wood steps and floors and be offended when people ask them to remove the slop. Maybe people should be washing their feet before entering others' homes.

My sister's ex-boyfriend was one who refused to remove his shoes and he insisted on wearing waffle stompers on top of it. He was given the option, and not just at my place but others too, that he can remove his shoes and come in or keep his shoes on and stand in the genkan until he is slushless. People who can (and do) wipe their shoes can wear them AFAIC.