We have a small enclosed porch before entering the living room/ entrance room. Included in the porch are 2 big boot trays, a bench, an umbrella stand & a tall, deep shelving unit with spaces for my family's shoes (4 members of our house). I have tried, tried, tried to get everyone to only keep a few pairs of shoes in this spot. Ugh. It's pretty much a mess. Mostly, it's filled with sneakers, cleats, rain boots & soon, snow boots. My husband leaves 4-5 pairs of dress shoes out there, too. At least the kids' shoes are small :)

When we have guests over, I don't ask them to remove their shoes. I do make sure to clean out our mess (as much as possible) & leave spaces for additional shoes or boots. Most of our friends (and all of their kids) take their shoes off before entering, if it's just a casual get together or coming over to hang out/ pick up kids from playing, etc. If it's more of a fancy party, some people will keep their shoes on. In the Boston area, messy weather accounts for a large portion of the year, so many people wear boots to the door & then change into cute shoes once inside.

I don't stress out about the mess as wood floors clean up easily & our rugs are easily cleaned, too. So that reminds me to clean up our porch & get ready for the holiday season. Time to remove all the other junk :)

Front door, no. Side or service entry, yes. Photo: http://tinyurl.com/cbdrf8n

personally I think if you are that wierd about dirt and toxins you should not have guests over, If i showed up at a party wearing a nice dress and shoes that were purchased specially to match and someone told me to take my shoes off, i would be very irked. Especially if my toes were in need of a pedicure, which I sometimes skip when im wearing tights or closed toe shoes.

People take shoes off in our apartment because we're on the 2nd floor of an old building, and sounds resonate - dress shoes basically sound like pounding over the head of the downstairs neighbors, so we do try to be considerate about that!

That said, we don't really have an "entryway", so I'm in the process of building something that might create a "closet"-type thing in a hallway that has no space for a closet. We'll see how that goes. Anything that stops the hallway from being taken over by shoes, though!

My place is definitely shoes off. All my friends are OK with it and if they don't want to lounge about barefoot or stocking footed they bring slippers. I also have a few pairs of those socks with non-slip soles handy just in case. Living on the Wet Coast there's often a lot of mud or other soggy debris on shoes and it cuts down on rug cleaning a lot. Plus it's just way more comfy to get those shoes off and relax. I could see people who are more formal wanting to keep shoes on but they can wear outside shoes to the home and change into their inside shoes. I have a bench with shoe storage underneath right at the front door.

I think this is partly a geographical thing. I find it really weird to store your shoes near the door, but I grew up in a temperate climate--we were never concerned with tracking in snow or mud, so we never took our shoes off when we came in the house. I keep shoes in my closet--leaving them elsewhere seems messy to me.

People take their shoes off when they come over, without even asking. It's a reflex.

I'm in California so it's not much of an issue. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't but if the owner of the home perferrs shoes off, then they come off. It's tougher when you are wearing boots.

-the only viable reasons to take your shoes off is downstairs neighbors & inclement weather. with snow and rain, you should always leave your galoshes by the door anyway, and change into your clean party shoes. if someone makes a stink about not wanting to take off their shoes, just say hey, i totally get it but our downstairs neighbor will complain to the management company. people usually understand that.
-there's also a big difference between a cocktail party and sunday night football with friends. i can't imagine wearing a $300 dress and being asked to put on no-slip socks.
-with regard to pets, babies, and toxins...be aware of it before your party & clean clean clean. it's not like your pets and babies aren't exposed to the same toxins in the outside world.

i don't have enough room in the entry of my apartment for people to take off their shoes by the door without it being a total mess. just line them up in the bedroom with the coats.

I don't wear shoes in my house. Most people instinctively take their shoes off when they come in. I do tend to have a pile of shoes that accumulates. Every other week they all get put back in the closet.

Wearing shoes inside the house is so foreign to me. I'm also a person that likes prone to sitting on the floor or laying on the living room rug so I do like a clean floor.

When I go to others' homes where there are no shoes I generally take a pair of wool socks with me.

My apartment came with white rugs. Nuff said about the why.

I have mukluks, Chinese slipper, and cute socks for people to wear. A few of those cute socks have a bit of bling for the fancy femme friends. (and me)

On top of the shoe shelves is a display of my favorite shiny red shoes for a bit of a hint and a bit of visual candy.

My place isn't shoes off mostly because of lack of space for shoes (and changing out of them!), but this post is timely. I have an ikea stall shoe cabinet in my tiny hallway which cannot be moved. I would really like to paint it white, but Im a bit nervous about attempting to do so as it's assembled and attached to the wall. Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated. You can see it in my hallway here -
http://www.designgratislondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/when-peach-goes-wrong-hallway-edition.html

Darn. I was hoping this would be a post with some suggestions, as I'm trying to figure out how to add shoe storage in my completely non-existant entry (front door opens into living room, no partition at all).

I take off shoes in my own house, and I would ask close friends to do the same (but most do it out of habit anyway) but for a party shoes stay on.

Wasn't the original question about what to do with shoes once they're removed, not whether or not to remove shoes?

The solution I like best is a cabinet with doors on it---shoes tend to be messy visually, even when lined up neatly. A small stool to sit on while putting on or taking off is essential. I would much rather sit than kneel to tie my shoes!

IKEA kitchen cabinets mounted on the wall (uppers, 12" deep) work nicely, then you can use the top for keys and mail. You can also get a bin or two for inside for gloves and hats. They're easier to get at than when on a high shelf of a closet. Stick one of the IKEA side panels on top, or get a piece of solid surface countertop, butcher block or tiles. Lots of possibilities.

I always found it strange that Americans leave their shoes on in the house. Canadians tend to take off their shoes when entering someone's house. Even in the summer. I am renovating my house right now and there is a lot of dust and stray nails/staples lying around. I have to convince friends to leave on their shoes when they come inside!

I have a small basket by the door for my own shoes, but I don't require that guests take their shoes off. I'm just trying to reduce the dirt that gets tracked in, but I'm not about to make guests go shoeless. Some do voluntarily when they notice my basket, which is nice!

The taking off shoes in other people's houses generally isn't a thing in my experience in the northeast, but some people have that policy.
Personally, if people want to subject themselves to shoes inside, that's fine with me, but if I have an option, I will be barefoot. In fact, my shoes come off before my coat.
My current season shoes are in a closet on the first floor and my off-season shoes are upstairs, but that's really only for space issues.
I don't understand keeping your shoes in your bedroom closet (unless you live on one floor - when I lived in my condo, I walked to my walk-in closet and took off my shoes and then hung up my coat in the entryway if it wasn't one of my daily shoes already in the entry closet). I won't walk up to the third floor to take off shoes and then come back downstairs. I'm lazy that way.

This, I'm a Canadian too and it would just be so weird to have shoes on inside. The only time I waffle on the subect is if I'm wearing sandals - would the host be more scandalized by my bare feet? I guess it also has to do with the fact that I've never been to someone's house where the dress code involves fancy dress...so it's not like I'm anywhere in a cocktail dress and stocking feet. Fancy dresses and heels are for going out - going to someone else's place usually involves a nice sweater or blouse, slacks, and sock feet. I'm going to have to start taking slippers to the inlaws' though, as their place is always glacial.

This is definitely a geographical thing. Here in Canada, we always take our shoes off when we visit someone. It's just polite, and in the wintertime it's practical too -- you don't want to track in the snow, salt, sand and gravel on your boots.

Just about everyone I know has a shoe rack or entrance mat of some sort to store shoes in the entranceway of their house or apartment. We also tend to have coat closets or coat racks near the door, too. I can't imagine ever going over to someone's house and traipsing through in shoes or boots; it would just be horribly rude. Even in the summer, like Mes said. It's just habit.

I like the tradition they have in Japan where you take your shoes off and the host provides you with a pair of slippers.

Sheos off has always been our policy. There are a variety of reasons - it can be regional, cultural, or just practical. A lot of Asian cultures make it a habit of going shoeless in the home, a lot of Pacific Northwest folks do it because it rains a lot and no one wants to track in mud or water, and some people have white carpet - it would be rude to ruin that.

I have trouble understanding why people would wear shoes in their home. Isn't it more comfortable to go shoeless in your house? And wouldn't it be better if you didn't put your shoes on furniture or on your carpet?

As far as shoe storage, there's a shoe rack by the door for our stuff, guests usually just put their shoes on the entry way mat. I have one of those rubber ones for boots, but you can only put 2-3 pairs on it, and people tend to ignore it anyhow. If muddy/road salty boots end up on the linoleum, I just sweep when it's dry, then mop. No biggie. But getting mud on my beige rental carpets would be a much bigger pain in the butt...

As for offering indoor footwear, I'm not a spa.

I don't have.
Any suggestions to a family of six, with small children?...
A big cabinet would be great but the entryway goes directly to the living room and inning area, so we chose to keep it as much clean as we could. Besides that, here where I live is not so common.

Yeah, this is a regional debate - In Canada here. Everyone I know has a shoeless house, but not because they say so, it's just how it is. Even when I go to a party or have one, I don't wear shoes in the house and neither do most of my friends. There's the occasional person who thinks it's weird and just wears their shoes, but that doesn't really bother me (it's usually women with high heels), but I do find it strange that sometimes people don't go with the norm and are okay with being perceived as rude just to be able to have cute shoes on (while nobody else does). "When in Rome"...

My shoe storage is small, only enough for me and my SO. We have a long hallway leading to our front door with a shelf that is usually used to store stuff that we need to take care of (such as empties, wet umbrellas) but we clean it off for parties and people store their shoes there so they don't get in the way or trampled.

Again, as long as you're not tracking in dirt, wetness and snow I'm okay with people wearing shoes in my house, but it baffles me that people don't conform to local customs.

@Carrotsticks - I also think it's odd for one person to leave their shoes on at a party. I kind of understand, but I'm also not hosting francy pants parties where people are wearing expensive outfits. But still, I think it's pretty rude to keep your shoes on when everyone else has them off.

As for shoe storage, we don't have any. We have a rug that gives us a place to deposit shoes when we walk in, but we don't have a cabinet or anything. Anything large enough to act as a bench or store shoes would obstruct the flow to the rest of the foyer and anything small enough to not obstruct would be pretty useless for shoe storage.

In Canada it's rude if you don't take off your shoes. Sometimes even in doctor's offices there will be a no shoes or boots policy.

@jmcpd - Now that is a new one for me. No shoes in a doctor's or ce? Is that when you get into the exam room or when you just walk into the office to sign in and fill out paperwork?

I don't think I saw anyone commenting on the fact that wood floors (new wood floors) can get scratched easily. Obviously this doesn't matter with reclaimed wood or old wood or renters etc. But if you spend $6,000.00 on flooring and then allow people to walk around in work boots with pebbles in the sole or even your sneakers- you are going to ruin them in a year. It is something to consider when putting your floors in. I know that I would not have a party here where the dress code was formal for the fact that I would NOT want to make women take off their nice shoes, but I also would NOT want my floors ruined because of it. I also think if I ever move and renovate I will not be putting down bamboo or a dark smooth wood flooring for this reason. They show every scratch, nick, and ounce of dust.

We have a parade of our favorite shoes near the kitchen door where we come in. I would LOVE to find a nice shoe storage solution. I love the Hemnes cabinet but can't make holes like that in our rental. We never wear shoes in the house. Guests on the other hand, I leave it up to them. Maybe if it's wet out or we had carpet...

My doctor's office has that policy in the wintertime, they have a place to hang your coat and take off your shoes and they offer disposable booties, no shoes allowed in the office, not just the exam room. Most people are used to this and either bring their inside shoes or slippers with them.

@meganross1 - Good point. I think even renters would have problems with this because it might cost them their security deposit. Small scratches on the hardwood floor could be considered "wear and tear" but I'd hate for someone's shoes to leave gouges or deep nicks because they had pebbles crammed into their shoe treads or sharp heels. Constant wearing on the floors would damage them. Occasional wearing wouldn't really be a huge problem.

We have lovely hardwood floors and now that I think about it, my solution is just to never have a formal party. We're not formal party people anyway.

We are a shoe free home. It was discretionary until we had a baby. Then it became mandatory. He liked to put everything in his mouth that touched the floor. The idea of him taking in something that was tracked in from a parking lot covered in motor oil and road dirt was NOT ok. At first our friends were skeptical. Then they started having their own wee ones and now it's just habit. You walk into a house and you take your shoes off. I do it everywhere. There are some exceptions to the rule. Like aging guests who have a hard time with their shoes. My SIL once tried to ban my GMIL from coming over because she didn't want to take her shoes off. Really? Good thing my BIL drew the line on that one!

There are still some people who think it's crazy to take your shoes off. My little sister hates it because my feet get dirty. I tell her, "Better my feet on the floors than my shoes. At least my feet get washed every day. When's the last time you cleaned your shoes?"
And honestly, who would opt to wear shoes when the opportunity to shed them is presented? Pedi or not, the toes need air. Plus, shoes are terrible for your feet. I think I was meant to be born a hobbit.

I don't have a place in my entry for shoes. I expect guest to keep their shoes on when visiting. Also, everyone I know don't require guest to remove shoes. My first experience with being required to remove shoes was awful. The floors were sticky and cold,plus we were in and outside on the partially dirt patio ,so what is the point when the floors are dirty. I'm sure it happens a lot more than people,like to admit

@Pi and @Meganross1

Agreed with Pi, and, even lowly renters like myself actually care about our spaces. I wouldn't want to scratch the floors regardless of my ownership of them because... well, for all the reasons you "owners" wouldn't want to scratch them. Granted there are some a-hole tenants who don't care, but there a lots of homeowners in that same boat.

I'm just wondering where most Americans store their own shoes (not guest's shoes), if not by the door? Are shoes typically stored in the bottom of the bedroom closets at night?

I think the best place for guests to store shoes is in the bottom of coat closet by the front door, if you have one, although that is where I like to store my extra shoes, especially boots and non-dressy shoes that I wear regularly. You can put a two-level shoe rack in the closet though, so it can store more.

I've had various things for guests to store their shoes on. Once I had an unheated porch that had lots of room, but didn't work at all in the winter because when people went to leave they would be putting their feet into frozen boots, so the boots always ended up on a mat in the living room beside the door.

When I lack a coat closet by the door, I store my own and my husband's shoes on a two or three level shoe rack by the door, and leave a mat out for guest's shoes. When there's lots of guests, most places I've been, there just ends up being a huge pile of shoes at the door which really can't be avoided.

In my home country shoes off is fine in your own house and if you don't have people over, but it would be very rude to take your shoes of when you are a guest in a house, and it would be even more rude if you, as a host, ask someone to take their shoes off. I think shoes off is seen as something you do only when you are relaxing at home, or with very close friends, although we mostly use sandals or slippers inside the house. We mostly have tile floors, so the host would be seen as making his/her guest walk on the cold floor just because they are lazy to clean the floor. A polite guest would make sure they are not tracking dirt or mud by cleaning their soles on the welcome mat, and keeping their shoes off the furniture! I personally rather clean the carpet than ask my guests to take their shoes off, thought the carpet in my house was brown (only a crazy person would have white carpet when it rains ~9 mo a year!)

I understand the custom of removing shoes when I enter a house, and have been following it since I moved to the US(midwest) a few years ago, but I cannot help but to feel slightly irked by the thought of dealing with someone's smelly feet and the obligation to feel 'at home' (which I associate with being barefoot) when I'm in the house of someone I'm not close friends with. It's one thing that never fails to make me feel awkward in social situations :/

@cocomac - We keep shoes in the closet near the front door, but only the ones we are wearing the most because of the weather and season. For instance, my heels and open toed shoes, which are only worn in warmer weather, are kept in the bedroom closet now that it's fall on the east coast (US). Now, all of our boots and fall/winter shoes are in the closet near the front door.

@ade - It might be a cultural thing, but I have always thought it was normal to take one's shoes off even if you were just an associate of the person inviting you. If everyone else is doing it, regardless of how close they are to the host, why not? And a welcome mat doesn't solve all of the problems. We don't have a porch, so the welcome mat would be wet when it rained. You could scrape off mud but not dry your shoes.

I think better my friends' feet (which shouldn't be smelly) on my floors than shoes, which can be wet, muddy, etc. And I would rather my guests absolutely feel at home rather than feel that they have to tip toe around cautiously like my invitation means they can be in my home but not feel comfortable in it.

I am perpetually irritated when people basically force me to take my shoes off. It is not the norm here on the East Coast, so I don't exactly walk around with a pair of socks or something in my pocket. As a result, you're making me walk barefoot around your house. To ME that isn't sanitary. I guarantee that my feet are cleaner than your floors unless you vacuum or sweep/mop daily. Additionally, for many women who are fashion conscious, shoes complete an outfit. I don't wear muddy shoes around someone's home, or ones covered in dog poop or slush. Making someone take off their shoes when they are more comfortable with them on makes you a rude host.

Here in Canada, it's considered rude to wear your shoes in somebody's house. In my community in particular, to keep you shoes on when entering a home means you think the house is really dirty. Interesting how the customs change from region to region.

@Adriana in DC - It's not a regional thing, though. You say "it's not the norm here on the East Coast" but I'm also in DC and it totally IS the norm for my friends and I and all of my family members. To you it's not the norm, but for a lot of people, it is. It's the beauty of living in a country where culture takes on many forms and people do many things differently from each other. I'm fine with people walking barefoot on my floors, which always get clean before people come over.

I purposely wear socks whenever I go to someone's home just in case they don't wear shoes. Likewise, if they do, I'm fine with keeping my shoes on. I always defer to the preference of the host. I'd never force anyone to take off their shoes, but I do appreciate when people take their cues from everyone else or just ask. I would prefer that people not wear shoes on my hardwood floors.

@Pi I absolutely think it is a cultural thing, which is why I respect it when I go to someone's house (irked or not) or when someone wants to remove their shoes in my house in the US, but I would never ask anyone to. I would feel very rude towards them if I did. At my other house, I would be baffled if people just take their shoes off, and people will stare at my impoliteness if I just removed them when I go into someone's house, so there is definitely a big cultural component here.
I think the other big difference here is the tile floor vs. carpet, etc. I didn't have a porch either and it was never a problem, I had a mat outside and another inside (and it keeps the cat/dog dirt at bay too!). Cleaning tile floor is something you do in a snap, even if it's mud.
In my US house I still have two mats, one on the hallway and another inside, so my carpet never gets dirty of mud. For me is a reflex, I guess, to look for a mat and wipe my shoes until dry, but I don't expect it from my guests, they can do whatever makes them comfortable. That said, I mostly invite close friends in my house, so jumping in the bed would be allowed too :)

I had a similar problem until I got a pair of these. Works great behind my couch, facing the entryway. A place to sit and take off your shoes, then to store them, too!
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50152703/

There's also a huge difference between men and women here. Most women's shoes are not meant to be worn with socks, certainly not the thick socks I would need to wear to stay warm on hardwood floors! I just feel it is rude for people to insist their guests remove shoes (preference is one thing). I just think it is being a bad host.

Yeah, I don't get the whole "it's regional!" argument. Here in Southeast Vermont it's totally the norm to take off your shoes when you enter someone's home, and I'm very glad that people don't view it as odd that we have a hardline no shoes in the house policy. With two little ones who love to play on the floor and constantly put their hands in their mouth, no I don't need your lead dust/road dirt/dog feces/other disgusting and toxic substance-bearing shoes all over my floors. No thank you.

We have this shoe rack (http://www.target.com/p/2-tier-bamboo-shoe-rack/-/A-12227231) in our back entryway which is the most commonly used one, and for parties I put out a boot tray in the front entryway.

@robinm - Actually, your example would make the claim that it is regional :) but my point all along was that there is no "it's regional" argument that can be truly valid because unless you know everyone in Southeast Vermont, I'm sure there are people who don't take off their shoes.

@Adriana in DC - fair enough. I've never thought it was an issue. Certainly I've never received complaints (probably because almost everyone I know also takes off their shoes). Then again, i also don't think twice when my friends curl up on the sofa or grab a throw blanket, either. Maybe it's overly casual of me.

I have shoe storage in the entryway, such as it is. I repurposed a two level shelf my partner used as a small bookshelf in his tiny, pre-girlfriend efficiency.

We need more, and we are looking for a couch, so I'm looking for shoe storage that will go along the back, as FFB4MD has.
While I love the idea of a bench, I also like the idea of closing doors.
We have a piano bench and chair we can use for people to remove shoes. They are very lightly used.
I'd love a boot/drain tray.

I'm in California, bay area, so no snow issues. I do keep out of season shoes in my bedroom closet, but whatever is in use is by the door. You know, because I don't clomp around in shoes in my house. Also, taking shoes off delineates private space, sacred space. It is a clue to unwind and get comfortable.

@DovieAnn

I agree. I'm in Canada so, as others have said, it's pretty normal here. Even if it wasn't, I don't want that which you've mentioned, or the dog poo in the hallway in my building, tracked into my home where my child plays.

@Adriana in DC - I think if you need to be asked to remove your shoes, and everyone else at the party is also bare-foot, you could've taken a cue and followed suit. I don't think I would ask you, but that's just me.

I definitely think it's regional, although @pi correctly points out that you'd need to know a lot of people to know for sure. It surely seems that Canadians on this site are shoes-off, and that is my experience. I honestly can't think of any freinds who wear shoes in their homes. Some might keep high heels on at a party, but most wouldn't unless the host told them to keep their shoes on.

Just go with the flow and you'll have a much better time than sulking b/c you can't wear your cute shoes.

A lot of it for me, personally, is comfort. I do not feel comfortable barefoot in someone else's home. If you're going to require your guests to remove their shoes, at least warn them.

I wish I could convince even my husband to take off his shoes in the house. He insists on keeping them on almost all of the time, even in the winter when he's tracking in snow. Our beige carpet is looking worse and worse. A little part of the problem is a lack of good shoe storage space since we usually enter and exit through the garage door which opens up into the laundry room (which is small and has no place for a bench of any sort) and then straight into the kitchen (where there is also no room). This means you end up at least walking through the living room to take off your shoes, which kind of defeats the purpose in the winter.

I have a small bookcase that doesnt really look all that great right inside the door for shoes. I refuse to allow anyone in my house with shoes on. Its just plain gross. Think about all the stuff you side step and walk through outside during any given day. Then you want to go home and track that all over your house. EWWWWwwwwwww!On the other hand I should really replace that bookcase with something nicer...but what?.......

Would you feel more comfortable wearing shoes while you knew you had offended the host? It seems very uncomplicated to me. I would feel awkward wearing shoes in someone's home, but if everyone were wearing them then I would go along with it.

If it's not the norm where you live, I can understand it being frustrating when you show up without an alternative (i.e. socks or something), but the onus is on you to prepare for (or ask about) something that clearly irritates you, not on the host to warn you in advance.

I just find it weird that all these people want to entertain, but no one wants to make their guests comfortable. It's a very "my home my castle" mentality that goes against the grain of my upbringing. I was raised to make your guests comfortable.

One hundred percent- shoes off. I always see TV shows where Americans lie down on their bed with their shoes on. Insane! This is where you rest at night! Not sure if that's just on TV, but certainly my american family (from the east coast) try to walk into my house with their big work boots on. I always have to catch them at the door. They always groan and hate having to bend down to undo the laces. In Canada- it's super rude to just walk into someone's house with your shoes on- unless of course you also offer to mop up after all the disgusting street dirt you track into the house.

@Adriana in DC - But on the other side, a good guest defers to the host on keeping their home clean. There's just no way that any pair of shoes that has tread outdoors is clean. If a host has gone to the effort of cleaning floors, dusting, and shooing pets into a spare room so they don't get fur all over the furniture, the least a guest could do is help keep the host's home clean. If guests want to be invited, they should do their part to make sure they are being considerate of someone's home. "Comfortable" doesn't mean do whatever you want, unless the host thinks so.

@ColBot - I don't know if it's only on TV, but obviously it's not ALL Americans! I think it's funny people from any country watch TV and think that's how things are really like in that other country. Um, no. I'm sure that India is not actually like Slumdog Millionaire.

@Pi - How about Clorox wipes? I bleach my shoes, killing all the germs and dirt, but I get to keep my shoes on. It's win-win.

I would never ask my guests to take their shoes off, but I would never have anyone over who is dumb enough to wear work shoes to someone else's house. Usually my guests offer to take them off anyway because I take mine off. I have hardwood floors so it's not a big deal. We kept our shoes on a rack on the wall closest to the front door until fairly recently when I decided to put them all in the entry closet. I like shoes out of sight much better and it keeps the wall clean.

Here on the North Pole ( well, at least almost ) I will personally descend upon you like the new plaque if you think even twice of entering my floors with muddy and/ or snowy boots! If it is a quasi- fancy occasion, some people like to bring their own insideshoesonlywithleathersoles but it is a norm to take off the shoes. I´ve been more ambivalent of this entire shoedebate when all of my friends and I myself were sans offspring but these days I have two closets next to the door, where there´s designated places for coats, gloves, mittens, hats, slouchies, scarves etc... and shoes and a basket on the other side of the door with slippers to cover both kids, adults and everything in between. I chose felt slippers because our place tends to get chillish during colder months ( there are many ) and the slippers have shoenumbers on them and gender- neutral colors. In the other of the closets there is a shoetray ( which is a large, plastic tray with edges to collect all mud and sand ) to which I encourage all parents to pour in their kid´s wellies in muddy months ( there are many ) or if the shoes are wet / snowy. When the company settles in, I carry the tray of wet and soggy kiddieboots on the floor of bathroom and yank up the under-floor heating to " infernal "from its usual state of " pleasantness. " When the guests leave, the fruits of their loins are greeted with warm and dry boots and trust me, in this climate you are their parents´ favorite person for a small token of consideration like that.

Where are the Europeans in this thread? There's lots of comments from Canadians and various regions of the US and assumptions about Asia, but we haven't heard anyone make any broad brush comments about "in France..."

I'll start: in Ireland in MY extended family (major qualification) you took boots off, but not shoes. Of course, boots were worn when going down into the yard so in theory you weren't tracking much in. In reality, there were so many people and animals in and out of the house that there was no chance of keeping a pristine floor. You wore shoes to keep your feet warm (heating is way more expensive) and swept and vacuumed (excuse me, "hoovered") every day.

Boots were piled on a covered door step or thrown haphazardly into a bin. If there were more people visiting than boots and it was insisted that everyone had to go look at the cows, someone had to wear shopping bags over their shoes. If the boots were damp (very likely) you put shopping bags over your socks and then put on the wellies.

Definition of classy.

@meecee - where are the assumptions about Asia? If you're referring to my comment, it was hardly an assumption since it was an observation about my own culture.

I'm Canadian (but from Vancouver, where we get lots of rain, but almost no snow), and I don't know anyone that insists that guests take their shoes off in the house. Occasionally some friends will take them off when they come into our house, but I always tell them to leave them on if they want to, especially if the weather is nice, as we are going in and out of the french doors to the patio when entertaining. Isn't this what we have doormats for? Wipe off your shoes properly before entering the house, and get over yourselves. People are too germophobic today. (Mind you, I might feel differently if I had cream wall-to-wall carpet instead of dark laminate, but there's a reason why people DON'T install cream carpet anymore).

My husband is from South America is not used to this no-shoes thing (although, he is starting to). After 7 years of marriage my in-laws still walk into our home with shoes (even if I say otherwise). We have had our wood floors damaged by ladies who let the metal stick out of their heels! I like shoes off because it is comfortable and clean.

Through observation while visiting my in-laws homes, they have maids mop and sweep the floors everyday so they don't know about the dirt! Also, it is more formal over there, for example, pajamas are matching ensembles and only put on just before bed. There is no lounge wear! Suffice it to say, it is hard to get comfortable over there.

* Waving at meecee * Hullo! Greetings from Finland here!
The traditions concerning shoes- to my personal experience- variate greatly depending upon country. I´ve lived in a few. When in Greece I used to live with shoes on and it was a norm, same thing in France and Belgium ( French speaking areas ). In fact, I grew so attached to my shoes that when I eventually relocated back to Finland, I used to continue living with my shoes on and then gradually off every now and then. What has actually been my Achilles heel has been indeed the pesky thing indeed. I started ballet at 4. After more or less decades en pointe your Achilles tendons tend to shrink. I have these fantastic clogs with high heels that I occasionally need to wear just not to break my tendons and at one apt I had this awful, old disgusting geezer, he lived below me and made moves on me every time our unfortunate routes passed. He used to yell at me every single time I wore the clogs " IT SOUNDS LIKE LIVING DOWNSTAIRS OF AN INSANE HORSE! "... ensued by profanities. Then at some point he started yelling to me ( I told him to either stop his advances or I´d call the police. He got pretty handsy, you see and I happen to have a history in Martial Arts. So both his ego and nuts suffered some causalities in that altercation and after that incident, the dude used every opportunity to yell at me ) because I listened classical music. I then went to balcony to yell right back at his nasty face just what genre of music his delicate palette would rather suffer. Anything at all, I was told. Righy- o, then. Three days of purdy nonstop Death Metal took precedence and this time around ( Moonspell, if you insist ) I was less than polite when it came to volume. Three whole days later, I made a friendly inquire if he was happier now and he whispered that the Mozart was better, after all. Ever since he was as nice as they come. I also apologized that the soundproofing was so crappy but there was nothing to do but that if he EVVAH agai crossed the line... there would be a whole week of Death Metal ahead of his time.
Oh, I have another story that happened in Greece while wearing these fine ankle boots ( they were my fave! ) in goorgeoous snake- patterned leather but for some reason a huge cockroach had made it its home as well and I noticed this after I had zipped the zipper tightly in and it got jammed! Horror! I ended up jumping on one foot to the other side of the apt and after I managed to untangle the zipper and ripped the boot off my foot, I threw it as far as I could ( I lived several stories high ) and it ended up flying high and mighty and far... on the other side of the fence and I hit a Norwegian tourist on his head. My crime never got solved but the hotel owners were furious. To this day I grieve thoroughly that boot. They were a thing of beauty. So... perfect. But then I also had to quietly let go of the remaining shoe just so that I never blow my cover.
I know this was a long ramble but shoestories always warm my heart so.
Also, I apologize to all Norwegians. If it was you, know that to this day it hurt me more than it could have hurt you. Even if it landed the high heel first in.

In Vietnamese culture, we usually take off our shoes when entering a home, as a sign of respect. Friends will tell me to do whatever makes me comfortable when I visit their homes, so I do what most of the people in the home are doing - if they've got their shoes on, I'll keep mine on and vice versa. A relative's home, however, I will always remove my shoes before entering, regardless of floor type (usually tile...). I bring socks in my bag if I didn't plan on wearing any with my shoes.

In my house all our shoes wind up in a pile on the shoe rack by the door. This happens when we go to temple, too - sometimes I can't find my shoes under all the old ladies' sandals when I come back later.

I had a point somewhere but I lost it. Probably in that pile of shoes.

@weirdrockstar, I'm still laughing.

I once worked in a truly filthy place that had a roach problem (I brought NO FOOD into this equation, it was the building). My coworker and I were having lunch at an outdoor cafe and at the end of the meal I reached into my purse for my wallet and found a roach. I upended and flung that bag before I even knew what I was doing and the contents of my purse and the large roach scattered across the patio area in front of everyone. I started looking for a new job that very evening.

When in Greece, I was briefed to the awesome skillz of weekly roach- killing maneuvers, by very helpful locals. Poison and a designated flip- flop was involved. Poison first to the slowing them suckers down, flip- flop for hammering on them before they escaped to ceilings. Also, always clean up with bleach after killing because " ten will attend the funeral " and then you have multiple troubles on your case...

@Tfiggy - Canada's a big place. I'm a sixth generation Torontonian and anybody who comes to my house is free to wear their shoes.

Winter boots are another story - those you take off and put in a boot tray right inside the door. And as soon as the snow is gone the boot tray is put away.

Husband and I recently moved to NYC from MN. We are a shoes-off-inside household -- not only is it our norm, but we rent an apartment with hardwood floors. Walking around with shoes on will annoy the crap out of your downstairs neighbors, and that is compounded exponentially when you put a whole party's worth of shoe-wearing people in your apartment (I can attest to this; our upstairs neighbors do it a lot), plus it saves the floors from more wear and tear. We are short of storage by our front door, so our guests just leave their shoes on the entryway rug. NBD.

A friend who's throwing a Christmas party next month tries hard to be considerate of her neighbors, and put in the party invitation that it's a no-shoes event. She suggested everyone wear festive socks and is planning to have a few extra pairs for folks that forget to wear/bring a pair. It's not a fancy-dress party so there shouldn't be anyone who's night is ruined by her carefully chosen outfit-and-shoes plan getting disrupted, but at least folks who are normally shoes-on have gotten fair warning in enough time to plan appropriately! :)

I grew up in the Upper Midwest and it was the norm with my family and pretty much everyone else I can think of visiting to take your shoes off when you came inside. Probably this has as much to do with sloppy winter shoes/boots and wet fall/spring shoes/boots, not to mention tracking in the salt and sand that's everywhere to combat ice and then what's left over from a winter of such come spring. I never really thought about it. It's just what we did.

Only shoes that needed to dry (from snow or rain) got to live by the door -- after drying, you had to put them in your room. Five people's shoe-clutter gets out of hand real quick, and we didn't have storage for the shoes by the door. My last two domiciles had nice-sized entryways; neither had storage, though, so again, every few days we would haul a couple of pairs each upstairs to our closet, where our shoe libraries lived.

Upon first visit to a house where I don't know their habits, I ask whether they'd like me to take off my shoes. I'm also always ready to go shoe-less when I visit someone else's house, even if I don't know their custom. If it's chilly and I don't already have socks on, I'll stash some in my handbag. I don't throw or attend many (if any) fancy-dress parties that are in someone's home, so I don't have to worry about my dress/shoes combo getting messed up. If it's fancy enough that I'm in a dress and pumps, I just make sure my pedicure is fit for public viewing and/or grab a pair of low-cut socks with fancy trim that are in keeping with the dressiness level of my outfit.

oops -- "who's night" should be "whose night" at beginning of paragraph two...probably a sign of writing too much in a comment. ;)

Weirdrockstar- I laughed so hard my impending head cold objected. I sneezed on my computer. :(

No quick storage--I wear shoes in my house, I assume other people will, but if they want to take them off they can set them by the door. I do keep one little Ikea doormat outside the door, and one on the inside next to the door for especially mucky shoes to sit on. Beyond that, I really don't care.

No quick storage--I wear shoes in my house, I assume other people will, but if they want to take them off they can set them by the door. I do keep one little Ikea doormat outside the door, and one on the inside next to the door for especially mucky shoes to sit on. Beyond that, I really don't care.

Also, putting on the invitation that it's no-shoes is a really good idea. As someone who has always worn shoes inside, who has mostly only been in houses with owners that didn't mind shoes in the house, and who likes it and sees no real problem with it, I could see myself be surprised and quite possibly miffed or embarrassed if I showed up in cute shoes, or complicated shoes, or most likely, as I always do, with bare feet underneath, to find out that I should have packed a pair of socks in my purse. I hate having bare feet, I'd probably cut out of the party extremely quickly if I wound up in bare feet, so the warning would be much appreciated.

In addition to cultural differences, I think there's a big variation in different places as to:

- Type of flooring that is the norm in most homes. Hardwood and carpeting are pretty normal here in Montreal, so shoes-off applies. In some warmer climates where tile flooring is typical, shoes-on might make more sense.

- Indoor heating/AC. Here, pretty much everyone has central heating in the winter, so the floors aren't cold to walk around in socks. (I even go barefoot in the winter at home.) In some places where central heating is comparatively rare (e.g. parts of Europe) winter could mean wearing socks and shoes to stay warm.

- Type of occasion. A fancy party might mean keeping shoes on to complete the outfit -- though as others have pointed out, we often bring a pair in a bag and change out of boots or street shoes at the door. A barbecue might also mean keeping shoes on as people tend to wander from house to deck and yard. Just going over to someone's house to hang out or have dinner? Shoes off, definitely.

I couldn't care less about germs, but I would really love it if people took their shoes off before walking all over my pale grey carpet (rental, not my choice). Not for a cocktail party (I never have those), but just everyday shoes.

I just know I'm going to end up with a big grubby pathway running from the front to the back door. I have rugs down in the rest of the living areas, but nothing fits here. I take my own shoes off out of habit, from living in Asia a few years, and to try and minimize the problem.

Unfortunately, I live in Australia and I know that people will be offended and/or think I'm totally anal if I start asking everyone to take their shoes off at the front door. So I guess I'll just suck it up and pay for carpet cleaning every few months.

I think 'shoes off inside the house' is an awesome custom, but it needs to be culturally ingrained or it's more trouble than it's worth.

I grew up in Vancouver, Canada. Unlike Whipperwill, everyone I know takes their shoes off when going to someone's house. I don't think about it, I just take the shoes off right away. That said, almost nobody I know has formal parties. The only person whose parents have a fancy holiday party only opens the public areas of their house. But I think when someone has public rooms in their house, its a different kinda of thing entirely. :)

I live in Toronto now. I don't think its optional here. I use a 2-level rack from ikea for shoes inside my coat closet. When I have guests over, I put my shoes in my rooms so they have a place to put it. I live in a condo so there isn't really much space.

DovieAnn, glad to spread the madness...
On a whole, this issue of shoes / shoelesness can get tricky, come to think of it.
In Finland, it is a norm to not wear shoes in the house but then our visitors also tend to be more or less multi- cultural. I´ve noticed that often times- during the warmer months ( there are not many ) our guests appreciate that in the hatbox, that contains slippers to our guests... I always make certain that I have a few pairs of neverbeforeworn slippers. Just in case they wear shoes sans socks. Luckily I´ve found inexpensive shop that sells these slippers by bulk so it´s never an issue. I would not necessarily want to walk barefoot when visiting but I´d rather walk barefoot than wear slippers that I have no idea who´s worn them before. But then again... it´s the little acts of thoughtfulness that make the guests feel welcome, after all. Isn´t it.
This thread is beyond interesting to read. All these customs, truly interesting!

I prefer shoes off in my home, but it is optional, and if I have a get-together I tell those invited to dress warm and casual. If I had carpet, I would probably request shoes off every time. Harder to clean after muddy shoes have walked through, and cozier for the guests to be shoeless.

Wow, so many opinions on this! Enough has been said about our customs in Canada, but I do agree with the commenter who said they liked the Japanese habit of keeping a basket of slippers at the door. In fact in Japan they often have slippers at the entrance of other parts of the house. You wear separate slippers in the bathroom, and you don't wear slippers at all in the tatami room. Their floors are so lovely and clean and being on slippers feels nice.

I was always amazed on the TV show 'Friends' that the characters would put their feet on the sofa in the coffee shop ... with SHOES ON!

Aside from the whole issue of politeness and local customs - each to his/her own - doesn't it just always feel good to take one's shoes off? Who can fully relax with shoes on?

That bench is a good idea. You could even slide one of the rubber/metal tray under it to catch drips. We have a small coat closet right by the front door in our house, the first time I've ever had something like that in my home. We put in some cheap wood-ish shelves from Target that are for a closet organization system. They are about 2 1/2 feet long and about 2 feet high with two shelves. They're stackable. They work great. Husband has a shelf, I have a shelves, the kids share a shelf, and boots go on the floor underneath (the "bottom" shelf).

Shelves like that are what I would suggest to those who are without a coat closet or whose front door open directly into the living room. A popular thing to do is put the couchback toward the entrance as a separation to create an entry space, just push the couch forward a bit and put the shelves or cubby-shelves behind the couch like a console table. You can store shoes, and put decorative objects, key/mail organizer, and coasters on the top.
If you don't have your couchback toward the door, do the shelves anyway, get something taller, or some shelves that stack, and use them to make the separation or budge them up next to the wall. You can also screw in hooks for scarves/everyday jewelry/purse/key or put in an organizer on the side facing the door like a mail holder to help you sort mail or just your pockets.

I absolutely prefer no shoes.  Aside from agreeing with the germ/dirt issue, I personally think it’s more comfortable.

Slightly off topic- but whenever I see the issue talked about, I always want to tell this story:  my parents have tongue-and-groove hardwood floors through their entire house.  They paid a lot of money to have them installed and finished, and they are really lovely.

They have always been a no-shoe house, but not the sort that forces it on visitors…  When they had a large graduation party for my youngest brother, some guest must have worn a pair of heels where one of the plastic heel-nubs was gone… the exposed nail left subtle marks ALL OVER the downstairs...  It was disappointing to my mother the day after, to realize her floors were damaged!

Victoria @ Renovating our Victorian

Well here's something on Asia; Indonesian and Singapore anyway. My husband is from Indonesia and his family regularly visit close friends and doctors in Singapore. When we visited them in 2008 I learned I was expected to take off my shoes at the front door, after cleaning them well on the outside mat and using the feather duster if need be . My in-laws live on Java where there is a volcano that constantly puffs out low levels of ash. It's rude to track that into people's homes. The volcano means plenty of everyday cleaning anyway and no one wants you to make it worse. Tile floors are very popular there with folks who have constructed floors (plenty of poorer folks still have swept dirt floors) but even folks with cold tile floors want your shoes off. Additionally, because of how common Islam is and possibly because of older cultural traditions, showing the bottom of your feet is a no-no. So we were always provided with sandals or flip flops of some sort. The only exceptions to this were on two visits we made to people's offices to little side rooms they had for entertaining guests at work. And once we visited one of my husband's former teachers. He's very poor and had dirt floors, we took our shoes off but were not provided with footwear. (that's not a complaint) My in-laws are ethnic Chinese, middle class, and Christian. But they still observed these things and explained it to me.

Everyone we visited in Singapore was rich, and I don't know their various cultural and religious backgrounds. We were still expected to take off shoes in residential settings and provided with slippers or sandals. In one restaurant in the Little India section of the city we took off our shoes, but the weather was awful outside - the rainy season had just started - so maybe that wasn't the norm on other days.

I come from Louisiana in the US and now live in Mississippi. I didn't grow up taking off my shoes anywhere, and it was never asked of me when I moved to MS. I work (in my home) with college and grad students from all over the world though the vast majority are from the SE States. We do the shoes off thing now because I grew to love how it cuts down on the sweeping during our 2008 trip. Most of the students from the SE states that come to our home don't naturally take their shoes off though some will ask if they should when they see our kids' shoes on the floor instead of put away in the front closet. People from other places nearly always ask, and rather happily too, like they are pleased to have a chance to take their shoes off in someone's house. :) Students from China and Korea just start taking their shoes off without asking.

On providing footwear: if you live in a place where this is the norm, I think you should do it and not try to make a principled stand. There's nothing inherently wrong about providing socks/slippers is there? If it's the money issue, just do things smartly. When you buy new socks or slippers, buy one extra pair. When you buy flip flops buy one extra pair. You will soon have enough to share with guests and you'll only have spent an extra few dollars at a time. Additionally, every hotel in SE Asia we stayed at provided cheap slippers in plastic or paper sleeves. These, I was dumbfounded to learn, are throwaway slippers that were replaced each time guests ended their stay. My mother-in-law would collect them from all our rooms and take them home. That's how she keeps stocked up on slippers to provide guests. If you stay at hotels that do the same, and you feel comfortable taking the soaps I guess you could take the slippers too. :)

@weirdrockstar - that was the best story in this entire discussion.

I always keep my shoes on if they're not wet or dirty. i also have hardwood floors throughout the house. It has always been that way in my family. I didn't know it was so rude to keep your shoes on in Canada, this is where I live and never paid attention to that. i usually ask if I should keep my shoes on when I visit friends. It seems like most of them tell me to keep them on when it's not rainy outside.
I actually always thought it was more polite to bring shoes to parties rather than to hang around bare feet. Isn't that why shoes bags are made for?

In Ireland, it is normal to wear shoes indoors and you (as a host) would be looked at like a freak if you suggested to guests that they remove their shoes. It would be equivalent to asking your guests not to steal anything while they are visiting you.
Here in Germany, it is normal not to wear shoes indoors. From the dirt and comfort point of view and also because there are usually neighbours downstairs who would not appreciate the noise. In kindergartens, schools, etc, children are not allowed wear "street shoes" and must have a pair of "house shoes", sneakers or slippers for indoor use only. Now that I have become germanised, I have problems with guests wearing shoes in my apartment, for short visits is ok, but if someone is actually staying with me, I expect shoes off. I have spare "house shoes" , felt slippers. Leads to monumental grumbling from visiting family members.
I don't know what the answer to the "sandals or potentially stinky bare feet" dilemma is, I must ask a native....
I love the shoes-off concept, for me its not just about the dirt or noise, it is something comforting, about being settled in and cosy at home. I would like to think my guests felt settled and cosy in my home too.

Pi, I urge to satisfy!

i live in asia.
nuff said

a few things i find crazy. people don't want to remove their shoes b/c of smell or lack of polish ...
did you know wearing shoes all the time is usually what causes stinky feet?
& you can paint your nails!
problem solved! lol

also, apartment therapy, perhaps you shoes make the shoe debate post some sort of annual event. you seem to do it once or twice a year. lol