Dear Americans: Why do you wear shoes in your homes?

[Anonymous]

[Leapfrog00]

I think it may have something to do with the person's floor. The floor in my apartment is made of cement and gets filthy so easily. The floor is so cheap, and it gets black and looks nasty. I don't walk around barefoot on it. When I first moved her, I was telling this girl about it and she didn't believe me, and I told her to take off her shoes and walk from one wall to the other barefoot and she will see.

She walked from one wall to the center of the room and the bottom of her feet looked as if she was walking outside. I have one pair of shoes, I walked on the floor barefoot one day before putting them on and now every time I wear those shoes, my feet get black.

If I had to guess though, I'd say it has something to do with the person's floor.

[OlderAndWiser]

Not all of us wear shoes in our home. I leave my shoes on if I will be going outside again later in the day, but once I am in the house for the night, I take off my street shoes and wear either slippers or flip flops.

[Nikki1989]

I don't. I am barefooted 95% of the time.

[Ptrmbrs88]

Do you think that only Americans do this? In Australia we wear our shoes indoors as well. Why take them off? What if you have to go outside for some reason? Are you going to be constantly putting on and taking off your shoes just to do things like put the rubbish bins outside?

[nolabels]

This is THE correct answer.

[Asker]

don't be funny, taking off shoes when you have to put the rubbish bins outside is not a very troublesome thing.

[Ptrmbrs88]

Yes it is, especially if you have laces.

[Pohjolan]

"Why take them off?"

Because you are bringing dirt and who knows what inside.

"What if you have to go outside for some reason? "
Slippers, sandals, crocs, wellingtons. There's a myriad of shoes that are quick to put on.

[Ptrmbrs88]

@Pohjolan Have you ever heard of door mats? You know, those things you wipe your shoes on before you walk through the main door? And who cares if the floor has germs on it anyway? IT'S THE FLOOR! You don't eat off it!

[Pohjolan]

@ptrmbrs88
Mats are even worse than shoe brushes and keep collecting dirt. You have more work to do when you are cleaning the house and babies totally eat stuff off the floor.

You free to be nasty but don't act as if you aren't.

[Ptrmbrs88]

@Pohjolan Nasty? Where did you get that from? I don't live with children, so why should I care if babies get things off the floor? In any case, young children and babies need to be exposed to dirt and germs in order to build up their immune systems.

[Pohjolan]

@ptrmbrs88
People like you is why I'm no longer getting room mates.

[Ptrmbrs88]

@Pohjolan Don't be such a cry-baby. The floor is always dirty anyway, no matter how clean you try to keep it. I mean, it would be different if you'd stepped in dog shit or mud; in that case, yes, take your shoes off, but if it's just dust?

[Kaneki05]

Yes cause only americans do that... not.
If you have comfy shoes then it's more why not? Then the response is dirt but I ain't that much of a germophobe, and ain't rich enough to act like I am more clean than I am.

[MementoMori777]

I don't, I only wear them in doors for a while if I just came back from somewhere

[Bricealan]

No, I do not wear shoes in the house, or when driving my car. As a matter of fact I usually wear pilotes socks just about everywhere. (when I can)

[Bricealan]

Wearing a shoe in the car, screws up the carpet with the heel digging into the carpet.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

I forgot to remove my shoes after my walk outside. I’ll remove them. Maybe many Americans fear that the dirty floor would dirty their feet.
DISCLAIMER: I moved out of America to Africa almost two years ago.

[ManOnFire]

I don't think most of us do. I never wear shoes in my house, and I always take my shoes off at the door when I come home.

[MysticDevice]

In case a Brown Bear breaks in and I need to run away real fast.









Haha no, if we're not going to home or inside for very long there's no point taking them off.

[Jersey2]

We like comfort and ease. Shoes aren’t dirty unless ones walks in mud, gross water or dog droppings, if they are dirty then they are not allowed in the house.

[serafin]

damn my germophobic ass could never

[Jersey2]

@serafin Germs don’t live that long and it’s healthier to have some exposure to them. Germs are everywhere regardless. You don’t want to know what microscopic things are crawling around in your body including eyebrows.

[serafin]

well the normal flora and stuff I don't mind, there's nothing I can do about them. but the pathogenic ones? you could easily get those from the outside.
I live in the tropics so it's wild just to think about it.

[Fireguy17]

because my wife isn't home to see me doing that.
Otherwise they are left at the door, and I have been doing that for decades.

[FunkyMonkee]

Why not? Besides, since I have edema, going barefoot makes it worse! I used to go barefoot nearly all year long!!

[comekitty]

I guess some people do, but i don't

[comekitty]

And I take my shoes off when visiting the homes of others 🙂

[BCRanger10]

I don't know many who do.

[Dinklex3]

Plenty of us don’t.

[richardcory]

I don't. I sometimes wear slippers

[dreamstar72]

Why wear shoes outside? It kinda your choice

[humanearth]

I'm bare footed most of my life

[BLP11520]

I have had dogs and dog sat , so no barefooted

[KrakenAttackin]

Most of us don't.