View Full Version : Shoes-off living?
Gardenarian
10-11-12, 5:25pm
Hi - we've been trying for a long time to have a shoes-off house. It gets complicated.
We don't have a covered area outside where people can kick off their shoes, and there is not a lot of room in the entry for them either.
I was asking dh & dd to take off their shoes and put them on the shoe rack in their closets - but we all forget. We tend walk through the house to the bedroom and THEN take off our shoes (which I think defeats the purpose.)
And then I'll be wearing slippers or bare feet and run outside to do something - now my feet are messy again!
My neighbors have a big porch with a baker's rack where they put all their shoes. Nice.
I would really like to have a shoes-off house. Anybody doing this effectively?
Miss Cellane
10-11-12, 5:36pm
The households where I have seen this work have a space at the door for shoe storage. Maybe not all the shoes, but the ones most commonly worn. You must live someplace warm, because I cannot imagine putting on shoes that have been sitting on the porch during a 20* night. My feet would freeze.
Do you have a front door and a back door? Is there space inside either one for shoes? You might have to switch the door you use the most to achieve this.
If there isn't space right inside the door, is there a space a few feet further into the house? A closet, perhaps? Or enough room for a bench with shoe storage inside?
If you are going to make everyone take off their shoes, not just family members, you really need a place for people to sit down to put their shoes back on.
If you do a google search for shoe storage, there are many units that look like a nice piece of furniture that hold several pairs of shoes. You could put one of those in just about any convenient room and no one would know that it was holding shoes. So you could use whatever room is closest to the door for the shoes.
decemberlov
10-11-12, 5:49pm
We use to do this in our old place where we had carpets. I just used a large basket next to the door and everyone dropped their shoes in when they came in. I've slacked on this since we have all hardwood floors in the new house but since you bring it up it would definitely keep me from having to mop the floors so often. I'm not much of a shoe person anyhow and pretty much always take my shoes off the minute I get home.
Like Miss Cellane said it would be helpful to have a bench for people to sit on. This looks like a great option: 1004
We are a shoeless household and have been for years. A small shelf or organizer by door does help along with a small stool for guests to use.
I simply no longer buy shoes that need to be tied or they are tied loose enough to easily slip on and off. My husband has never figured this out so he does use the stool each day to tie his shoes.
When we continued this for the time we were in the states we still requested guests remove their shoes but informed them ahead of time in the invite we are a shoeless household and they are welcome to bring their own slippers/socks to be more comfortable.
As a culture, the Japanese do provide guest slippers to their guests.
There are also separate shoes/slippers available when you step outside on the patio/balcony. A typhoon blew ours away so I need to go buy more :|(
There are separate slippers just inside the bathroom door to use when going into the bathroom. Well technically the toilet room.
It does make a difference in cleaning, not so much dirt to clean up, saves wear and tear on shoes. The shoes have a longer time to dry out. We have what looks like a wonderful built-in shoe cupboard right next to our front door but it is just a mold farm!! Any shoes I put inside have to be put in a plastic bag with a big descicant to ensure they do not get all moldy from sitting inside. We just line the couple of shoes we do use up along the wall. No problem.
Here it is expected the no one wears shoes in your home. Workmen, even those moving HUGE pieces of furniture remove their shoes before entering while still holding that heavy piece of furniture. In the states it may be a requirement that workmen wear shoes at all times depending upon their job.
Normally I just wear socks if my feet get cold but in the few coldest months of winter I wear slippers.
I kick my athletic shoes off while I'm on the porch. They are the only filthy shoes as I wear them to the rustic park daily.
But it's not like it makes that much difference. The dog is FILTHY and tracks all kinds of hair, mud and trash in with her constantly, anyway.
awakenedsoul
10-11-12, 7:18pm
I take my shoes off before I come inside. I think it helps a lot. The carpet looks nice, and the floors don't get as dirty. I've found that I need to store my shoes inside. If I leave them outside when it's cold, they get ruined. I keep a pair of flip flops outside to wear in the backyard. I wear slippers inside.
SteveinMN
10-11-12, 9:17pm
We are largely shoeless, though the main floor has commercial carpet on it so it will last through anything short of nuclear attack. ;) We have a "landing spot" at each door so people can put down their boxes/bags/mail and leave their hands free to take off their shoes. There are small walk-off mats at both doors, too, to collect the majority of the dirt. There is a bench just where the back door opens and there's room under the bench for the outdoors shoes. We don't have room for a bench at the front door, but there is a loveseat within about six feet of the door, so people don't track in too much, and room beside the landing spot to put the shoes.
We are shoeless and have been for years. We have a shoe rack for me inside the back entrance near our laundry area. I slip off my slippers and put on whatever shoes are required for the occasion - gardening, walking the dog, rainboots, dress etc. My hardtoed boots for splitting wood are kept in the garage along with DH's workboots and regular shoes. His dress-up shoes kept downstairs in the basement since he does not need them very often. We have a 3'x4' mat upon which family place their shoes/boots near the laundry area.
pony mom
10-11-12, 11:24pm
Aren't there shoe racks that hang over a door?
Frugalifec
10-12-12, 12:04am
This is a little off subject actually opposite the subject. I used to be shoeless until I developed some foot issues that required no more bare feet. I put down laminant floors and made my own central vacuum system with a shop-vac. I have one of those 3' wide push brooms and can cover the main areas of the whole house in about in about 5 minutes. I sweep a pile next to the central vac and magically it disappears when I flick the switch. I do that about every day and then about every two weeks I spend 15 minutes vacuuming the corners. I was amazed at how clean the house stays once I got in this habit of spending 5 minutes every day sweeping. I miss going bare foot on carpet, but I think those days are over now.
The reason for shoes off is to limit tracking dirt and other awful things, like heavy metals from road exhaust, into the house. We've been shoes off for years, and my feet & knees often need support, so I have inside only shoes.
It is common here in Minnesota for everyone to remove shoes when entering a house.
In winter, I usually take slippers with me when visiting a friend's home.
Our house has a small entryway and a small coat closet, but I was able to find a show rack that fit inside the coat closet. DD's shoes go into a bin next to that. Out-of-season shoes are stored on an over-door shoe rack in our basement laundry room.
Our front door and the door into the garage share a single entry, which makes this easier. In our last house, I never could get this to work because those two doors, both of which we used frequently, were separated by two large rooms, and so we always had shoes by each door.
LOL! This has always been a project of mine, to refine and tailor the "no shoes/boots" rule to the highest degree!
We have a porch, a large one, so that in itself makes things easier in the way of having a dedicated area for footwear. For a long time now, I've forgone the use of carpeted mats/rugs in the home. Filthy things they are...
Linoleum/vinyl-flooring, has always been my best friend. Mess, dirt, wetness, no problem! A quick wash/wipe, all fresh and clean again.
Miss Cellane, mentioned something important Re: porch temperatures in the cooler/freezing seasons. For the longest time our porch had no heat, but DH installed a long sidewall heater that keeps the area comfortable, and with the shoe/boot area right above it, everyone's footwear stays toasty-warm when the mercury dips.
Mighty Frugal
10-12-12, 2:48pm
I think I've discussed this before. And it seems to me that many Americans leave their shoes on and most Canadians remove their shoes. I also queried a Canadian board I frequent and every single one of them do not allow shoes indoors (from all over the country)
I always wondered if American really did or if it was just something I saw on TV shows (they always leave their shoes on and don't lock their doors when they leave the house either)
I have a variety of slippers to give to anyone that needs to keep their feet warm but 90% of the time, people just take off their shoes without prompting. I would NEVER think of walking into a person's home with my shoes on unless it was a formal party and I brought 'party shoes' in a bag with me
Miss Cellane
10-12-12, 4:52pm
I think I've discussed this before. And it seems to me that many Americans leave their shoes on and most Canadians remove their shoes. I also queried a Canadian board I frequent and every single one of them do not allow shoes indoors (from all over the country)
I always wondered if American really did or if it was just something I saw on TV shows (they always leave their shoes on and don't lock their doors when they leave the house either)
I have a variety of slippers to give to anyone that needs to keep their feet warm but 90% of the time, people just take off their shoes without prompting. I would NEVER think of walking into a person's home with my shoes on unless it was a formal party and I brought 'party shoes' in a bag with me
Back in the 1960s, when I was a kid, taking shoes off in the house was unheard of, at least in the places I lived. It's only come to my attention in the past 15 or so years. I only know two houses where you are made to take your shoes off before entering. And one of those, the people come from a part of the world where everyone takes their shoes off indoors, and the homeowners have sandals or slippers for guests to wear.
Now, I live in New England and we do get snow season and mud season. No one would knowingly walk into someone's house with boots or shoes covered in mud, snow or dirt. Common sense says that you take off dirty, wet or muddy footwear before entering a house. But under normal, everyday circumstances, everyone I know keeps their shoes on indoors, unless they prefer for some reason to be barefoot. And you always keep your shoes on when visiting, out of politeness.
It's so uncommon for me to experience a "shoes off" household that one time I walked into a house with shoes on, and got yelled at by the woman of the house. I apologized and told her that all she had to do was ask me and I'd have taken my shoes off, but since no one said anything, how was I to know? She told me that the big pile of shoes at the entryway should have been enough information. I didn't tell her that I had seen the pile of shoes and instead of thinking, "Gee, I need to take my shoes off," the only thought that crossed my mind was, "How odd to have such a messy pile of shoes. The rest of the house looks so neat."
I think it's somewhat regional in the US. However, I keep reading on the internet that people who live where I've lived do have shoes-off homes. Yet I have encountered so few that I really can't say what the dividing line is.
As for locking the door--most people I know do lock their doors when leaving the house. I think the not-locking of doors is just a TV way of saving time. I notice that on TV people in big city apartments, like New York city, don't lock their doors when they enter their apartments. I'm pretty sure in real life, those apartment doors are locked all the time, except when people are entering or leaving.
rosarugosa
10-12-12, 9:56pm
Miss Cellane: I'm in a neighboring state, and I don't know any true shoes-off households. I have a loose seasonal shoes-off policy in snowy, muddy, or really wet weather, but that's mostly for DH & me and close friends who come by all the time. We still wear shoes indoors, just not shoes covered in snow or mud.
We're a two-person household, so outdoor shoes just sit on the small entry rug. I also have a pair of garden clogs by the back door, in case I need to run out into the wet grass to cut some herbs or flowers, or take out trash, etc.
I like clean floors, but I try not to get too uptight about it.
Just thinking about all of the foreign things/stuff one would drag into the house from off the street (outdoor footwear), gives me the heebie-jeebies!
Cigarette butts, spit gobs, dirt, gum... Yucky.
ToomuchStuff
10-13-12, 2:26pm
Anyone here have a workshop? What do you do about shoes then? (safety issues)
We had no shoe neighbors (Korean immigrants) and I knew a few people who had no shoe houses (very light carpet), but I generally grew up with shoes on into the house and your room, where you took them off and then went around the house, until you were getting ready to go somewhere else. (no good entryway for taking shoes off)
As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to concrete flooring, shoes/boots all the way! Particularly if the concrete is smooth and painted, where one can actually wash the concrete from time to time to keep it clean.
Tussiemussies
10-13-12, 2:32pm
Thank you for this thread, we have wanted to implement off-soe living in our home, but were never successful. We are going to buy a bench that has storage in it so we can keep our shoes in there. Glad I read that here, I think it will work...
Personally, I cannot (for the life of me) comprehend how anyone can invest top dollar in a home, then spend big money furnishing the inside with all kinds of expensive things, flooring, fine area rugs, etc, then traipse around inside with outdoor footwear on. It simply does not make sense to me.
It's just so unorthodox.
To add, I cannot think past the smell and filth that would cumulate over time. How would one even keep up with the professional cleaning costs associated with such a lifestyle? The soiling alone... Ground in dirt and grit, not to mention the premature wear of fine finishes and materials.
Miss Cellane
10-13-12, 3:33pm
Mrs. M, it is just how I was brought up. Well, not fine area rugs, but hardwood floors and generic area rugs. The general attitude was that floors should be able to be walked on. If a surface was damaged by ordinary shoes, then it was not a good choice for flooring.
We were also taught to always brush our shoes off on the door mat before entering the house, which would have removed most of the loose dirt. There were seven kids in my family, and I don't recall the floors being dirty. We vacuumed once a week. The kitchen floor was swept daily and scrubbed once a week, with all spills and drips wiped up immediately. Small babies were always put on a blanket or somesuch, instead of directly on the floor, however.
Hardwood floors can take being walked on by shoes. Maybe not spike heels, which can dent the floors. A good wool area rug cleans up from spills better than most synthetics and can last for decades. My great-grandparents' dining room rug, an Oriental, is still in use in my brother's living room, and it's got to be at least 90 years old.
I think a lot of it had to do with being properly dressed. Both my parents were brought up in fairly formal households, and going barefoot, except at the beach or occasionally in the back yard, would have been frowned upon. You never knew who was going to come to the door, so you had to be properly dressed at all times. They were also of Irish descent, living in a Boston that was not always friendly to the Irish. A great many of the Irish worked very hard at fitting in. Going barefoot would have been taking a step backwards.
Wearing shoes all the time was the norm. Taking off their shoes in someone else's house would have left them feeling quite literally undressed.
Miss Cellane
10-13-12, 3:37pm
To add, I cannot think past the smell and filth that would cumulate over time. How would one even keep up with the professional cleaning costs associated with such a lifestyle? The soiling alone... Ground in dirt and grit, not to mention the premature wear of fine finishes and materials.
Before polyurethane became popular, hardwood floors would have been washed yearly and a new coat of wax applied. And they can always be refinished if necessary. Area rugs would have been taken out and hung on a line and beaten until all the dirt was removed. And they could be washed/cleaned if necessary. Polyurethane floors scratch more easily, and may be a factor in the growing number of shoes-off households.
However, I can certainly see why someone with wall-to-wall carpet would take their shoes off--there's no way to completely clean that.
Miss Cellane, please don't get me wrong, as I am not here to criticize/judge anyone, just that I cannot grasp (get my mind around) the concept of.
Being brought up a certain way definitely changes the perspective of how one views such ways. My upbringing was, "no footwear in the home, not even a brand new pair of shoes". I remember for the start of each new school year, we kids would get brand new shoes/boots, and we were so excited! We'd don our footwear in our bedrooms, away from the eyes of mom and dad, knowing full-well we were breaking a cardinal household rule.
Likewise for classic movies. Whenever I sit down to watch a classic movie where the backdrop is set around an elegant old mansion (inside), I think, "look at you all with your outdoor footwear on", and a while ago there was a 5/6 part series on related to the Queens private residences, and I was flabbergasted to see everyone traipsing around inside with shoes on! The Queen, too! My first thought was "really"... I could not believe it.
It's always interesting hearing about others peoples ways/beliefs, this thread no exception.
Miss Cellane
10-13-12, 3:56pm
Mrs. M, I admit I'm wondering how all you Canadians keep your feet warm all winter without shoes. My parents always kept the house at about 60* during the day and lower at night. Without shoes and socks, our feet would have been freezing.
Slippers and cozy-warm socks do the trick. We keep our home a good 8-10 degrees warmer than your parents kept theirs, so that more than likely makes all the difference.
As frugal as we are, one household rule (our home) has always stood, "no jackets or sweaters required". LOL! It's one area where we don't scrimp.
Just as a side-note, Miss Cellane. Often when I come in from gardening, I'll make sure I bat myself off (outside) beforehand, but low and behold, the floor-washing cloth always comes up dirty when I give the floor a quick once going over after I'm done bathing/cleaning-up, and I'm never really dirty.
Additionally, added warmth in our house (no doubt) is the result of having carpeting throughout, aside from hallways, kitchen, and bathrooms. I'm no lover of carpeting by any means, but it does make for a more cushioned/padded walking surface, and for surely warmer than what tile would be.
Touching on the baby thing, I definitely know I've taken on much of my mothers traditional ways, particularly when it comes to clean floors, hence why I'm struggling with this thread so bad. As kids (babies), my mom was overly fussy when it came to ensuring floors were spotlessly clean all the time, and I absolutely practiced the same with my kids.
Living here in the desert, our wood floors are always dusty. I like to live barefoot so my shoes come off as much as possible. I live in flip flops most of the time I'm not working. But my feet turn black with dirt ... From my own floor ... By the end of the day. We learned to think of our floor as an extension of the patios and sidewalks of the desert climate. Like a really nice cabin when camping. We could swiffer daily and it would still be dusty.
OK, Tammy, note to self. I will NEVER move to the desert! :)
I thought that might bother you! :)
I just swiffered, damp mopped, and then washed my feet. I'm good for about 24 hours ..... Ha!
Beijing is also very dry -- basically a desert-like climate -- and the dust builds up quickly here, too. I really notice it in the summer when we have the windows open. Between dust blowing in from outside and the cat getting stuff stuck on her feet and tracking it out from the catbox (ewwww!), we have to sweep/mop the hardwoods in our house at least once a day to stay on top of it. My DH likes to mop, so he will often do a run around the house a couple of times a day just for the fun of it. But hardwoods make it SOOOO much easier to stay on top of it, as you can actually see/feel where the dust/dirt is. At some point if we are going to stay here long term we will rip out all the carpeting in the living room/play room/office and bedrooms and replace it with hardwood. Future homes will likely get all hardwood floors before we move in (much easier to install/refinish when a place is empty rather than after you have already moved in -- wish we had considered that more seriously before we moved here....)
lhamo
Mighty Frugal
10-14-12, 2:15pm
Another minus of leaving shoes on-they're uncomfortable. I am far more comfy without footwear.
For those that keep their shoes on-when do you remove them? Right before you slip into bed? And then in the morning will you put them right back on? Or carry them to the front door and put them on before you leave for the day?
My feet aren't cold-I keep my socks on and also have slippers
I agree with Mrs. M. I'm not sure where I read it but a good amount of toxins like lead and hmmm...now I forget but anyway most of it is brought in on your outdoor footwear. Same with spit (gag) and squished bugs and bits of gum-ick
ANDDDD my kids roll around the floor and I like to keep as much of the ickiness off my floors
Anther question, for those Americans in wet or snowy climates, when you enter your home or another person's home and your footwear is wet I am assuming you then remove it? If so, what do you wear on your feet and do you feel naked without your boots?
rosarugosa
10-14-12, 4:23pm
If I'm going to visit someone in the wet snowy weather, I bring my clogs in a bag and change out of my boots and into my clogs when I arrive.
My clogs are very comfortable (Merrell).
Originally posted by Tammy.
I thought that might bother you!That it did! LOL!
Well, Lhamo, that about dashes any hope of ever having me as a neighbour! LMAO!
Me, too, Mighty Frugal! I do hate walking on floors barefooted, ones feet always sticking and smacking against the floor surface, but when my footsies are all bundled up in a pair of thick warm socks or a fluffy pair of slippers, I'm in heaven, and so are my feet.
Rosa. If you ever come visit us, I'll have a pair of thick cozy warm socks for you to wear! :)
Miss Cellane
10-14-12, 4:33pm
Where I live, it is pretty easy to avoid stepping in dog poop, or spit, or gum. You just have to watch where you are walking.
Honestly, most days are like this: sidewalk, driveway, car, parking lot, sidewalk, office building. Reverse to go home. There's just not all that much dirt, poop, gum and spit where I walk. I also take a daily walk in the park across the street. There are some dirt paths there, and some paved paths. But even if I spent the entire time on the dirt paths, I have to walk on sidewalks and streets to get home. By the time I'm home, the friction of shoe against pavement has removed most of whatever dirt was there. Then I wipe my shoes on the outside doormat, and step onto another, inside, doormat right inside the house. There really isn't much dirt at all on my shoes by that point. Today I did have to reach down and remove a wet leaf that had stuck to my shoe, but that's the first time all year I've had to do so. Growing up in a house with nine people, we vacuumed once a week, and I never felt that the floors were dirty. Far from it, I used to argue that there was no need to vacuum because the floors were still clean from the last vacuuming.
I always feel weird walking around barefoot in someone else's house. I worry about picking up athlete's foot or some other skin disease. Not every keeps their floors spotless, even with a shoes-off policy. One of my SIL's tried a shoes-off policy for a while. While walking on her kitchen floor in sock feet, something stuck to the sole of one sock. I was never able to get it off and had to stop wearing the socks. Her kitchen floor was always dirty and sticky. It was disgusting to walk on it barefoot. You never knew what you would be stepping into.
As for wearing shoes indoors. Ever since I developed plantar fasciitis, my feet do much better when I wear shoes most of the time. I get up, shower, get dressed and put on shoes. At night, I take my shoes off when I get ready for bed. If I go even half a day without supportive footwear, my feet will hurt for the next few days.
Diabetics are warned to wear protective shoes. People with back and foot problems need to wear shoes. Wheelchair users have no alternative but to wheel around the house with the same wheels that have been outside.
Might Frugal--yes, of course I remove my shoes if they are wet, snowy, or muddy. If I know I am going to visit someone and the weather is bad, I'll wear boots and bring a pair of shoes to wear in the house.
Yes, there are germs on shoes. I'm not going to deny that. I just want to read a scholarly, scientific, peer-reviewed article that clearly proves shoes are deadly before I decide to eliminate them at home. There are germs on my skin, in my mouth, on my cell phone, on my keyboard. I can't see that my shoes pose any particular risk.
Oh, boy, Miss Cellane, do I ever have a funny story for you Re: dirty, sticky, icky floors and barefoot/stocking feet (walking on them).
In our old neighbourhood, we had this one neighbour who was a stay-at-home mom with a house-load of babies/toddlers, and her floors were a disaster! Sippy-cups tipped over on the floor, contents spilled out, baby bottles lying around, remnants of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches still gracing the exact area/location where they crash-landed from the hands of a carefree child, Cheerioes, and other varieties of dry (and wet) breakfast cereals, and a whole slew of other foreign materials, objects, and matter, one could imagine.
Anyhow, the poor thing (the mom) was crying-out for company, and she found me. She wanted a coffee friend, someone to talk to, and being the person I am, I was there for her, but it came at a cost let me tell you! I learned quickly to double-sock my feet before visiting her, that way, after the visit, I could strip-off the outer pair, and have a clean pair to slip into my shoes when I left.
But soon, having a coffee companion/friend wasn't enough for the mom, and she took to calling over to ask me to babysit for her, which I absolutely dreaded! Spending hours over at her house was not my thing, but I did it for her knowing her situation. I'd take up residence on one of the kitchen chairs, away from all the mess, and just sit there like a statue, while the kids ran wild! LOL! I was afraid to venture past the linoleum flooring and onto the carpeting, out of fear of what the carpeting was hiding and holding!!! At least with the linoleum flooring, I was able to side-step around messes and spills, carpeting would have been a whole other issue.
SteveinMN
10-14-12, 5:10pm
for those Americans in wet or snowy climates, when you enter your home or another person's home and your footwear is wet I am assuming you then remove it? If so, what do you wear on your feet and do you feel naked without your boots?
I do remove my footwear under those circumstances. I never wear shoes without socks (unless it's a mad dash to get the trash out before the garbage truck arrives!), so I always have good socks to wear in the house. I haven't yet stepped in something i regretted or could not clean off in the washer. If I've been to that house before and know that the floors are cold, I may bring slipper socks. Otherwise regular socks do me fine.
SteveinMN. My experience related to wearing shoes without socks, bad foot odour! Really bad foot odour!!!
Miss Cellane. P.S. if you ever come visit us, you can be rest-assured the floors (in our house) will be spotlessly clean. You won't get any surprises stuck to the bottoms of your socks. That's my Good Housekeeping Guarantee to you. :)
Just found another fun floor thread, which by the way, also touches on the neighbour with the messy floors.
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?198-Floor-washing-%28frequency%29&highlight=washing+floors
This thread reminds me of when I was a kid, and how you didn't dare think of venturing past ones vinyl carpet runner/protector with shoes on, and just in case the thought was in your mind, the woman of the house was usually right there (or very close by), closely critiquing and watching your every move with a hint of a suggestive evil eye to ensure you got the picture. SHOES OFF!
What can I say, we're Canadians! ROTFLMAO!
Mighty Frugal
10-14-12, 5:47pm
For the women here who wear high heels to work-do you keep those on until bedtime? Or do you take them off and then put on another pair of outdoor shoes?
Sorry to keep asking but it really is baffling to me. I can understand parties, heck I can even understand leaving shoes on when visiting (no chance anyone can spot your big toe peeking out of the big hole in your sock) and shoes seem more 'civilized' than sock feet. I get it, still don't do it, but get it
but in your own home. Not counting people with issues with their feet where they must wear shoes, why would you keep your shoes on? Isn't it comfier to remove them? Hell, I remove my bra first chance I get too;)
Anyone remember these (http://media.dorothyperkins.com/wcsstore/DorothyPerkins/images/catalog/12201862_large.jpg)?
Slipper pumps, were a staple in many of the homes I visited (immediate family homes as well). They were the cross between streetwear/outdoor footwear and inside home footwear. A happy balance if you so wish, where the woman of the house was still able to feel her feet were covered and comfy, yet without having to wear soiled outdoor footwear inside the home.
My mom and a few aunts, still wear them to this day!
Mighty Frugal. The whole high-heeled thing sure is glamorized in the movies, isn't it? Traipse around the entire house in your high heels all evening, then kick them off into the corner just prior to stripping-down for the night to bath and go to bed.
I don't think I've ever seen so much as a single movie where stocking feet were shown. Everyone always has shoes on no matter how elegant and palatial the residence is.
I do not want to rub anyone the wrong way Re: this topic, because it's been so enjoyable (and informative), but for those who do wear outdoor footwear, inside, I'm wondering why so many don't think of such options as having two sets of footwear, one for inside, the other for outside... Just a thought.
I would have no problem buying myself a pair of cheap sneakers or a pair of slipper-pumps to wear inside, knowing that my effort was going to the preservation of the cleanliness of indoor flooring.
Miss Cellane
10-15-12, 6:28pm
Mighty Frugal, I don't really wear heels. I do have one pair of pumps with a 2 inch heel, but they are very far from stilettos. They have a nice, broad, solid heel on them.
I just don't buy shoes, or clothes for that matter, that aren't comfortable. I change my clothes and my shoes when I get home from work. Even before I had to wear shoes most of the time, I just felt better in shoes than barefoot, except in the summer heat. If I was barefoot at home, I'd still put on shoes to do housework or to answer the door. in and out of the apartment frequently. I'd have to put on shoes to go to the laundry room, come back, take them off, put them on again to go and move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, come back, take them off, put them on again to go get the dry clothes. Put them on to go check the mail. Take them off again. It just seems simpler to put on a pair of shoes and keep them on.
Slippers never fit right. They are always a bit loose and make me shuffle along and I don't like that. If I could find some like the ones Mrs. M posted a link to that actually fit, I might wear them. Women's slippers really annoy me, with the furry ruffs around the ankle and the silly bows and whatnot.
And there's the time I broke my little toe because I was at home barefoot and bashed my foot on a table leg. Hurt like heck for several days. And I have a very odd looking pinky toe now.
I guess what it boils down to is that I don't think my shoes bring in that much dirt.
Gardenarian
10-15-12, 7:48pm
Hi -
Thanks all for your input! This is just a personal preference of mine. I don't mind if friends and neighbors come by and leave their shoes on. It's the constant in and out that drives me nuts. I'm always running out to the garden or taking the dogs for a short walk. Yes, it is warm where we live - freezing shoes would not be a problem.
Mighty Frugal, to answer your question, I usually walk to the bedroom and take my shoes off as soon as I get home. My dd (AKA "Imelda") tends to kick her shoes off wherever she lands - sitting room, hall, whatever - and she has lots of shoes. Dh works mostly at home so goes barefoot most of the time and slips on a pair of sandals to go outside.
I like that cabinet that Tussiemussies posted on another thread...I think I could fit something like that in the living room, just at the edge of the foyer.
I do have door mats on both sides of the door, and of course anyone with wet or muddy shoes takes them off immediately. (Though it rarely gets wet or muddy here. I think that is part of the problem - our shoes seem clean enough to walk through the house but there is a lot of invisible gunk on them.)
Our back door is not conveniently located and we rarely use it.
Miss Cellane, I agree that in just going from work to home you probably don't pick up much dirt on your shoes, and if your floors are clean than you don't have to worry about it! In fact, now I think about it, I have two dogs that are running around and bringing in junk on their feet all the time - and they just jump right up on my bed! So I don't know how much taking off our shoes is going to make that big of a difference.
I'm fussy about clean floors. I do a lot of yoga and also prefer to sit on the floor. I vacuum almost everyday and mop the wood floors at least once a month. (I use the Bona (http://www.mybonahome.com/iWantTo/clean-my-floor/clean-my-hardwood-floor) system for cleaning.)
Well, more to ponder on....
Originally posted by Miss Cellane.
Women's slippers really annoy me, with the furry ruffs around the ankle and the silly bows and whatnot.LOL! Me, too! Classically traditional, is what I like when it comes to most things, slippers being one of them.
Gardenarian. This has been such a super-enjoyable thread topic! Thanks muchly for starting it! :)
Touching on the baby thing, I definitely know I've taken on much of my mothers traditional ways, particularly when it comes to clean floors, hence why I'm struggling with this thread so bad. As kids (babies), my mom was overly fussy when it came to ensuring floors were spotlessly clean all the time, and I absolutely practiced the same with my kids.
I live in a rural area on dirt and gravel roads and have no pavement or lawn at my home, just gravel and dirt. I also am on a corner lot. I sweep the floor daily and mop frequently to combat the continual dirt. I take off my outside shoes and put on inside shoes/slippers, but my dog hasn't figured out how to do this yet.:idea:
When I downsize, I'm dreaming about only having to sweep and mop the floors once per week.
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