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tangential, but I don't understand why keeping your shoes on in your house is a thing. It's so unsanitary. The bottom of your shoes are in contact with things

tangential, but I don't understand why keeping your shoes on in your house is a thing. It's so unsanitary. The bottom of your shoes are in contact with things like the floor of public bathrooms, animal feces (when walking on grass), dirt, mud, etc. And it's so much more comfortable to be in your house barefoot, with socks or with slippers. So much cleaner. I'm disgusted when people try to walk in my house with their shoes on.

wpm 20d ago
I'm the same way but if I pass out in my house I absolutely do not give a shit about any of that and don't want the EMTs wasting time taking their shoes off to save my ass.
bigstrat2003 20d ago
There's nothing unsanitary about it. The bottoms of your shoes simply are not that dirty unless you're walking through abnormally dirty situations.
- Gigachad 20d ago
  That's the whole function of shoes though. If outside was as clean as my floors at home, I wouldn't need shoes. I have to imagine the person who leaves their shoes on either never goes outside, or just has filthy floors.
  - eqvinox 20d ago
    > That's the whole function of shoes though. Nah, the main function of shoes is (to support your feet and) prevent injury. Cleanliness is second on the list. [ed.: added braces]
    - Gigachad 20d ago
      Your feet do not need support, they were evolved over millions of years to support themselves. Someone who habitually wears shoes indoors might lose the muscle strength in their feet in the same way someone who drives everywhere loses leg strength, but this isn't natural or optimal.
      - eqvinox 20d ago
        Sorry, I phrased that poorly. The muscular support is its own thing (and I agree with you) but your soles don't deal well with hot summer asphalt surfaces, glass shards or even small pebbles surfaces.
        Gigachad 20d ago
        I agree, but those bits of glass shards and pebbles end up wedged in shoes and released indoors. Shoes outdoors are important, but the exact stuff they are protecting you against is the stuff you don't want in your carpets.
      - qsera 20d ago
        > they were evolved over millions of years to support themselves. But not on hard floor.
        ryan_lane 19d ago
        People in shoes off houses tend to have slippers or house shoes, which never go outside. They also tend to have bathroom slippers, which are only ever used in the toilet areas.
      - jevogel 20d ago
        We didn't evolve to walk on concrete and asphalt, though.
      - jimmydddd 20d ago
        Agreed. But you have to go shoeless throughout your youth so that the bones and muscles of the foot grow strong. This is true, for example, with kids in some African countries. There was a trend of barefoot running in the US in the 2010's (see Barefoot Sensei), but most people who tried this ended up quitting it as it's hard to shift to this style in, say, your 40's, after a lifetime of wearing shoes.
        thaumasiotes 19d ago
  - Grombobulous 20d ago
    That is not the primary function of shoes. The function of shoes is to support your feet, protect them from harsh surfaces, keep them dry. Unlike the commenter above you, I don’t really agree that it’s completely sanitary, though. I’m just saying that keeping you clean is actually pretty far down the list. Another thing about whether the floor is sanitary: that changes a lot based on how you use your floor. If you eat, sleep, or sit on the floor often like in a traditional Japanese home, keeping the floor clean is a lot more important.
    - Izkata 20d ago
      The "support your feet" argument came from the belief that everyone is supposed to have a prominent arch and that shoes could force your feet into that shape, but as far as I knew had been thoroughly refuted over the past 15-20 years. Forcing your feet into having an arch when it's not your natural form can actually cause problems further down the line. Soles not being flexible also changes how you use your ankle and IIRC how you balance while walking, possibly contributing to back problems. Keeping your feet clean and protecting them from surfaces are the primary purposes of shoes. Some people need them for support after having worn shoes too often (my parents are in this situation and have a separate set of "indoor shoes" just for this), or some sort of disability that needs those super-wide-sole shoes, but in general they are not for supporting your feet.
      - Grombobulous 20d ago
        I’m really not talking about arches, just talking about easing uneven terrain and enhancing grip and things like that. Hiking boots can significantly enhance stability and of course walking over sharp rocks becomes trivial. I also forgot to mention steel toed boots, no slip restaurant shoes, and other injury-protective shoes. Then you’ve got temperature: hot pavement, cold snow.
  - jimjimjim 20d ago
    It depends what you do outside. Historically shoes/boots/foot wraps were to protect your feet from the cold and from sharp things e.g. rocks, stones, spiky plants, spiders, snakes, ticks etc etc. Surely some of these conditions would still exist today even if outside was clean.
- alfg 20d ago
  Like outside? It's so wild to me how some can step into their living space (or even bedroom) with the same shoes they use outside.
  - Balooga 20d ago
    Having grown up in South Africa, moving to the states was the first time I ever heard of such a thing as a peanut allergy, or shrimp allergy, or gluten allergy, or any kind of allergy that wasn't having to wear a medic-alert bracelet to indicate an allergic reaction to penicillin. Removing one's shoes before entering a house isn't a thing in South Africa. Filth can sometimes be a good thing.
- ryan_lane 19d ago
  I've lived in both shoes on and shoes off households and I'm sorry, but shoes are filthy. I wipe my dogs paws when they comes in from walks and their paws are filthy and I wipe them every single time they come back in from walks. Shoes are never wiped. Take a second, get a tissue, and go wipe the bottom of your shoe.
dzhiurgis 20d ago
Every country is different. I’m in China right now and while there isn’t much rubbish - it is still pretty dirty. Whereas in New Zealand you can walk barefoot all day and your feet will stay clean (matter of fact thats my kids do literally all the time). Then sanitation itself is a but of a moot. Bacteria can spread million different ways, it’s mostly futile fight. If you wear flip-flops all day and don’t wash your feet, don’t shower after using public bathrooms, etc - whats the point?
WD-42 20d ago
Plus walking barefoot in your home is a good way to sense when you need to sweep or vacuum.
- lokar 20d ago
  I’d say it’s a good way to tell when you should have swept up a few days ago.
jimjimjim 20d ago
Do you have a pet dog or cat?
- thih9 20d ago
  An indoor cat would still be consistent with this philosophy. They do their business indoors, but so do humans. Anecdote, I recall reading about older family members being disgusted by the removal of outhouses and the idea of shitting indoors.
probably_wrong 20d ago
Coming from a shoes-on culture I can give a couple points. First, in the rare cases you describe (when was the last time you stepped on feces?) one would indeed leave their shoes outside. But in the day-to-day your shoes have some dust on them and that's it - you won't even notice it's there when compared to the dust that already accumulates daily. If you live in a climate where this assumption doesn't hold (snowy areas come to mind) then the equation changes. Second, the floor is usually stone and therefore designed for being walked on with shoes. I would feel awkward walking on some polished wood, but if the difference between inside and outside is "this one is less coarse but just as hard" then I wouldn't see a good reason for taking my shoes off. I would probably avoid the rug, but that's me. As for comfort, keeping your shoes on also means one less thing to do when going in and out. Do not underestimate the path with less friction.
- deleted 20d ago
  [deleted]
- ivell 20d ago
  I have seen in Switzerland that people leave their shoes at the entrance and switch to house shoes. Or they use a shoe cover when they enter house with shoes. Probably because houses are mostly wooden floored. So shoes on is not universal in the West.
  - vkazanov 20d ago
    Most of the west outside of the US takes shoes off or swaps 'em for indoor shoes.
    - hdgvhicv 20d ago
      Just not for emergency services!
    - jerlam 19d ago
      Between "Most of the west" and "Asian countries" it seems like it's the vast majority of industrialized countries that take off or swap their shoes inside. There's just an odd blip of over-represented online people who don't.
adrian_b 20d ago
When I grew up a half of century ago in East Europe, keeping your shoes on when entering a house was still considered as an unacceptable behavior. However, later this changed, in good part because much of the population moved from bigger rural houses to smaller apartments in the cities. In a small apartment, there was not enough space to have at the entrance a big enough wardrobe with dedicated places for the visitors to store their shoes, and to provide slippers for them. Moreover, a small apartment was easier to clean after the visitors left. Thus the customs changed, and it became normal when visitors came and attempted to remove their shoes, according to tradition, to assure them that there is no need to do that. Nowadays I think that few remember that in the past it was really mandatory to never enter a house with your shoes on.
- watwut 20d ago
  Most prople I kmow live in appartment and take off shoes. It does not take much space.
- rimliu 19d ago
  Nothing like that.
askvictor 19d ago
Cleanliness is overrated. Sure, it's great for surgery and if you actually have a wound, but your immune system needs pathogens to train on, or it does silly things like attacking your body, or reacting to pollens.
- charcircuit 19d ago
  It civilized to live in a clean home instead of a dirty mess. Life is not just about maximizing your survival rate.
  - askvictor 18d ago
    What does 'civilized' mean? Usage here seems to be another way to express your own biases. I consider myself civilized, and have a rich and meaningful life, but my house is much less clean than many. I prefer to spend my time and money on things other than being clean and tidy (beyond a basic level of functionality)
- theonething 18d ago
  Stop washing your hands and showering and see how that goes. I'm not advocating for fab level cleanliness, just a certain level of it.
stevage 19d ago
> tangential, but I don't understand why keeping your shoes on in your house is a thing. I suspect it depends a lot on the climate, predominant style of housing etc. If you live in a nice climate and everyone has houses with backyards, you expect to be going in and out a lot all day. Very annoying to be constantly putting shoes on/off. Personally, I just really don't care if the floor of my house is dirty. A thin smear of dog shit? If I can't smell it, I don't care. I'm not licking that floor. I'm not eating food off it. It's floor, it's basically in the same category as the ground outside: dirty. I think of feet as dirty, so feet that go on the floor make the floor dirty.

wpm 20d ago

I'm the same way but if I pass out in my house I absolutely do not give a shit about any of that and don't want the EMTs wasting time taking their shoes off to save my ass.

bigstrat2003 20d ago

There's nothing unsanitary about it. The bottoms of your shoes simply are not that dirty unless you're walking through abnormally dirty situations.

Gigachad 20d ago
That's the whole function of shoes though. If outside was as clean as my floors at home, I wouldn't need shoes. I have to imagine the person who leaves their shoes on either never goes outside, or just has filthy floors.
- eqvinox 20d ago
  > That's the whole function of shoes though. Nah, the main function of shoes is (to support your feet and) prevent injury. Cleanliness is second on the list. [ed.: added braces]
  - Gigachad 20d ago
    Your feet do not need support, they were evolved over millions of years to support themselves. Someone who habitually wears shoes indoors might lose the muscle strength in their feet in the same way someone who drives everywhere loses leg strength, but this isn't natural or optimal.
    - eqvinox 20d ago
      Sorry, I phrased that poorly. The muscular support is its own thing (and I agree with you) but your soles don't deal well with hot summer asphalt surfaces, glass shards or even small pebbles surfaces.
      - Gigachad 20d ago
        I agree, but those bits of glass shards and pebbles end up wedged in shoes and released indoors. Shoes outdoors are important, but the exact stuff they are protecting you against is the stuff you don't want in your carpets.
    - qsera 20d ago
      > they were evolved over millions of years to support themselves. But not on hard floor.
      - ryan_lane 19d ago
        People in shoes off houses tend to have slippers or house shoes, which never go outside. They also tend to have bathroom slippers, which are only ever used in the toilet areas.
    - jevogel 20d ago
      We didn't evolve to walk on concrete and asphalt, though.
    - jimmydddd 20d ago
      Agreed. But you have to go shoeless throughout your youth so that the bones and muscles of the foot grow strong. This is true, for example, with kids in some African countries. There was a trend of barefoot running in the US in the 2010's (see Barefoot Sensei), but most people who tried this ended up quitting it as it's hard to shift to this style in, say, your 40's, after a lifetime of wearing shoes.
      - thaumasiotes 19d ago
- Grombobulous 20d ago
  That is not the primary function of shoes. The function of shoes is to support your feet, protect them from harsh surfaces, keep them dry. Unlike the commenter above you, I don’t really agree that it’s completely sanitary, though. I’m just saying that keeping you clean is actually pretty far down the list. Another thing about whether the floor is sanitary: that changes a lot based on how you use your floor. If you eat, sleep, or sit on the floor often like in a traditional Japanese home, keeping the floor clean is a lot more important.
  - Izkata 20d ago
    The "support your feet" argument came from the belief that everyone is supposed to have a prominent arch and that shoes could force your feet into that shape, but as far as I knew had been thoroughly refuted over the past 15-20 years. Forcing your feet into having an arch when it's not your natural form can actually cause problems further down the line. Soles not being flexible also changes how you use your ankle and IIRC how you balance while walking, possibly contributing to back problems. Keeping your feet clean and protecting them from surfaces are the primary purposes of shoes. Some people need them for support after having worn shoes too often (my parents are in this situation and have a separate set of "indoor shoes" just for this), or some sort of disability that needs those super-wide-sole shoes, but in general they are not for supporting your feet.
    - Grombobulous 20d ago
      I’m really not talking about arches, just talking about easing uneven terrain and enhancing grip and things like that. Hiking boots can significantly enhance stability and of course walking over sharp rocks becomes trivial. I also forgot to mention steel toed boots, no slip restaurant shoes, and other injury-protective shoes. Then you’ve got temperature: hot pavement, cold snow.
- jimjimjim 20d ago
  It depends what you do outside. Historically shoes/boots/foot wraps were to protect your feet from the cold and from sharp things e.g. rocks, stones, spiky plants, spiders, snakes, ticks etc etc. Surely some of these conditions would still exist today even if outside was clean.
alfg 20d ago
Like outside? It's so wild to me how some can step into their living space (or even bedroom) with the same shoes they use outside.
- Balooga 20d ago
  Having grown up in South Africa, moving to the states was the first time I ever heard of such a thing as a peanut allergy, or shrimp allergy, or gluten allergy, or any kind of allergy that wasn't having to wear a medic-alert bracelet to indicate an allergic reaction to penicillin. Removing one's shoes before entering a house isn't a thing in South Africa. Filth can sometimes be a good thing.
ryan_lane 19d ago
I've lived in both shoes on and shoes off households and I'm sorry, but shoes are filthy. I wipe my dogs paws when they comes in from walks and their paws are filthy and I wipe them every single time they come back in from walks. Shoes are never wiped. Take a second, get a tissue, and go wipe the bottom of your shoe.

dzhiurgis 20d ago

Every country is different. I’m in China right now and while there isn’t much rubbish - it is still pretty dirty. Whereas in New Zealand you can walk barefoot all day and your feet will stay clean (matter of fact thats my kids do literally all the time). Then sanitation itself is a but of a moot. Bacteria can spread million different ways, it’s mostly futile fight. If you wear flip-flops all day and don’t wash your feet, don’t shower after using public bathrooms, etc - whats the point?

WD-42 20d ago

Plus walking barefoot in your home is a good way to sense when you need to sweep or vacuum.

lokar 20d ago
I’d say it’s a good way to tell when you should have swept up a few days ago.

jimjimjim 20d ago

Do you have a pet dog or cat?

thih9 20d ago
An indoor cat would still be consistent with this philosophy. They do their business indoors, but so do humans. Anecdote, I recall reading about older family members being disgusted by the removal of outhouses and the idea of shitting indoors.

probably_wrong 20d ago

Coming from a shoes-on culture I can give a couple points. First, in the rare cases you describe (when was the last time you stepped on feces?) one would indeed leave their shoes outside. But in the day-to-day your shoes have some dust on them and that's it - you won't even notice it's there when compared to the dust that already accumulates daily. If you live in a climate where this assumption doesn't hold (snowy areas come to mind) then the equation changes. Second, the floor is usually stone and therefore designed for being walked on with shoes. I would feel awkward walking on some polished wood, but if the difference between inside and outside is "this one is less coarse but just as hard" then I wouldn't see a good reason for taking my shoes off. I would probably avoid the rug, but that's me. As for comfort, keeping your shoes on also means one less thing to do when going in and out. Do not underestimate the path with less friction.

deleted 20d ago
[deleted]
ivell 20d ago
I have seen in Switzerland that people leave their shoes at the entrance and switch to house shoes. Or they use a shoe cover when they enter house with shoes. Probably because houses are mostly wooden floored. So shoes on is not universal in the West.
- vkazanov 20d ago
  Most of the west outside of the US takes shoes off or swaps 'em for indoor shoes.
  - hdgvhicv 20d ago
    Just not for emergency services!
  - jerlam 19d ago
    Between "Most of the west" and "Asian countries" it seems like it's the vast majority of industrialized countries that take off or swap their shoes inside. There's just an odd blip of over-represented online people who don't.

adrian_b 20d ago

When I grew up a half of century ago in East Europe, keeping your shoes on when entering a house was still considered as an unacceptable behavior. However, later this changed, in good part because much of the population moved from bigger rural houses to smaller apartments in the cities. In a small apartment, there was not enough space to have at the entrance a big enough wardrobe with dedicated places for the visitors to store their shoes, and to provide slippers for them. Moreover, a small apartment was easier to clean after the visitors left. Thus the customs changed, and it became normal when visitors came and attempted to remove their shoes, according to tradition, to assure them that there is no need to do that. Nowadays I think that few remember that in the past it was really mandatory to never enter a house with your shoes on.

watwut 20d ago
Most prople I kmow live in appartment and take off shoes. It does not take much space.
rimliu 19d ago
Nothing like that.

askvictor 19d ago

Cleanliness is overrated. Sure, it's great for surgery and if you actually have a wound, but your immune system needs pathogens to train on, or it does silly things like attacking your body, or reacting to pollens.

charcircuit 19d ago
It civilized to live in a clean home instead of a dirty mess. Life is not just about maximizing your survival rate.
- askvictor 18d ago
  What does 'civilized' mean? Usage here seems to be another way to express your own biases. I consider myself civilized, and have a rich and meaningful life, but my house is much less clean than many. I prefer to spend my time and money on things other than being clean and tidy (beyond a basic level of functionality)
theonething 18d ago
Stop washing your hands and showering and see how that goes. I'm not advocating for fab level cleanliness, just a certain level of it.

stevage 19d ago

> tangential, but I don't understand why keeping your shoes on in your house is a thing. I suspect it depends a lot on the climate, predominant style of housing etc. If you live in a nice climate and everyone has houses with backyards, you expect to be going in and out a lot all day. Very annoying to be constantly putting shoes on/off. Personally, I just really don't care if the floor of my house is dirty. A thin smear of dog shit? If I can't smell it, I don't care. I'm not licking that floor. I'm not eating food off it. It's floor, it's basically in the same category as the ground outside: dirty. I think of feet as dirty, so feet that go on the floor make the floor dirty.