Ok...I get you - HB did tell me just now when we were discussing this. Although can you tell me which countries exactly so I don't commit this faux pas? XD

Reading many posts here has reminded me of the main character of Along Came Polly - he was concerned about hygiene and avoiding risks, too...

Personally, I prefer to not wear shoes at all - and have at times forgotten to put them on when taking the rubbish out, even just two weeks ago. The ground's not that cold overnight in winter, here, really...

As to wearing shoes inside or not, we generally do not wear shoes inside our apartment. This isn't because of any hygiene issues, but just going along with the practice at school - the children (and staff) have hausschuhe (house shoes, or slippers) that stay at school. On arrival, the children change from their outside shoes into their slippers...
Back in Australia we rarely wore shoes inside the house either, but that was just because we rarely wore shoes... my children have my enjoyment of wandering around everywhere barefoot, although they still need to toughen up their soles a bit...

When visiting somebody, I'll just follow their lead... but naturally prefer to lose the shoes as much as possible.

Oh Gosh, that was a nice thread! I bring it back because we have now so many new people on the forum, I want to know their opinion!

I have to admit I only read the 1st and last page as there are too many!
But I was surprised to read many people in Switzerland also take off their shoes at home... I thought it was more of an Asian thing.

Growing up in Holland, we kept our shoes on on the 1st floor of the house, but 2nd/3rd floor with the bedrooms were strictly off... and I liked it that way.
Having lived in Asia for the past decade, I am so used to wearing slippers and it's so much more comfy. I remember when I had new Russian upstairs neighbors....wearing chunky heels on marble floors all day long, you can imagine my annoyance. Thankfully they soon found out why one should take off their shoes in condos!

At my Swiss friends' homes (I say Swiss, because here in Asia, it's a basic rule to take them off), I follow their rules, if they keep them on and the floor is not parquet, I keep my heels on too, otherwise I just ask, and wouldn't be offended at all if asked to remove them. Mutual respect and politeness go a long way

What I don't get is people who mix it up. They wear shoes all around the house, but after a shower also walk bare feet where they've walked with shoes on and then hop into bed? But then again, I might be one of the few people who washes my dog's paws after each walk outside? If I take off my shoes, it's logical to keep my dog's paws clean too, right? Can't make 'm wear shoes!

I think it is so disgusting to wear out door shoes inside!
I am quoting a TV show (Criminal Mind) so maybe the stats aren't totally correct, but the geeky guy on there said 95% percent of people have feces on their shoes at any given time, even if you can’t see it. Other things that you can trail in with you are ecoli bacteria (yummm, how nice if you have little ones who crawl around on the ground, or your pets who run around the house then jump on your bed, and pillow...)

and from a real source (there are many newspaper articles on this topic): Besides E. coli, which is known to cause intestinal and urinary tract infections, the soles of the shoes picked up Klebsiella pneumonia bacteria, a source of wound and bloodstream infections as well as pneumonia, and Serratia ficaria, a rare cause of infections in the respiratory tract and wounds.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08142/883364-114.stm#ixzz0voPM2g3i
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=5177409&page=1


and this same article says the bacteria’s last longer on the soles because they are fed with food and other things you step in during the day!!

Ahhh, the thought makes me nauseous.
We never use our out door shoes in bed. We always walk around in either slippers (winter) or indoor only sandals (like flip flops).
I agree with above poster, how gross is it one would walk around their house, spreading all their germs, then walk barefoot after a shower and hop into bed….doesn’t bare thinking about!

Oh for goodness sake stop getting so bleeding paranoid!

We take out shoes off - and always ask when visiting. We also tell (and expect) visitors to do the same. It makes a huge difference to how often the floor needs vacuuming and mopping.

Well, better not touch a mobile phone, then ... they have more bacteria than your shoes!

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2007/01/cell_phones_fil/

In Switzerland it appears to be the normal thing to remove your shoes when visiting someone. I just do it automatically now.

The thing with tradesmen is that they normally wear protective non slip industrial foot wear, if they don't wear them they can invalidate their workers health and accident insurance (e.g. the regular sign on building sites 'No hat, no boots, no job'). So a plumber/ electrician will normally keep his protective equipment on while he is working, they don't mean offence and this is universal.

when you come to my house i want you to put your shoes off.
end of story. if i come to your house i will automatically put my shoes off. if you insist that i have to keep them on-> i will do so, though i feel not comfy.

Although this is all true, it is quite alarmist, as countless others have pointed out we are all covered in bacteria, we are inherently dirty animals. Our immune system has developed brilliant methods to prevent such bacteria from getting a firm hold, and it is advisable to allow ones child to play in mud and dirt, it has been proven to strengthen the immune system in later life. Viruses that effect humans generally denaturalize very quickly outside of the human body.

Totally correct: studies have proven that kids brought up in a very clean hygienic environment have a lower immune system and also higher chances of allergies! Of course hygiene is important, but to overdo it is just as unhealthy on the long run!

Kids for instant need to get a lot of colds, to build up the immune system. That why you see a huge difference in kids first school year. Generally, kids that have been in pre school or day care are not ill very often. Kids that did not are very often ill (this what I've seen around me). I can even recall a study that kids who are brought up in a house with pets are much less likely to pick up an allergy then kids without.

Back to the shoe thing: dirty shoes need to come off. Period. Otherwise as much as possible (kids shoes need to come off cause they are always sandy). But f.e. if I have to run back into the house to get something I won't remove my shoes.

ya, I know....
but I am normally a bit dramatic in most areas of my life . but I suppose I can admit that I don't follow my own advice to the T.
when it is getting closer to cleaning day, I often end up running around the house after putting on my shoes, like when I am late for the train and remember I forgot my phone...so I run in to get it....
I just ignore the fact my shoes are dirty...though most days I do a quick clean of the floors anyway as it helps keep feet and socks clean.

indeed, I have stopped using the gel sanitizers since moving to europe. what's the point when you see some guy making sandwiches with no gloves on and then rubbing his hands through his hair or worse (one guy I saw - at a pizza joint - had a nice afro and had his hair pick in the back, and he grabbed his pick and started combing his hair, then went back to making the pizza...) just gotta learn to ignore these things since it likely won't have any effect on you.
still grosses me out though. I guess that's the basis of my first post...that it is gross but life goes on...if I thought about these things more I'd end up never eating anything!

I with you on this one sister! I am from Canada (Alberta) and I cannot stand shoes woren past the front entry of the house. My boyfriend is from England and doesn't really see a problem with tramping all over the hardwood floors with his out-door shoes on (while I am sitting in the living room dry-heaving and shanking at the thought of all the dirt and bacteria that he is dragging in the place)

Whats worse, is when is English friends and family come for visits and they just waltz right in; not even thinking to ask if they can wear their shoes in the house. It has to be my biggest pet-peev.

But also its just plain gross. You wouldn't pick up a piece of food you dropped on the ground and eat it? NO! So why bring that kind of filth and trap it around your house?

Coming from the US, we always kept shoes on. My first flat in Swiss- Lausanne- my neighbors below asked me to remove my heels when coming back after a night out because I'd inadvertently wake them up!

Now I'm used to removing the shoes because it keeps the floors much cleaner and if you are lucky to live in an old building with nice wood floors, keeps them maintained!

Good luck!

Interesting thread. My partner's Asian so have gotten into the habit of taking my shoes off indoors. It's quite catchy, and now I ask everyone who comes in to take them off (tradesmen and others who just pop in briefly excepted).

It's not really a hygiene thing, and to reference a comment made above, I *would* pick something I've just dropped on the floor outside and eat it. I also eat in any dodgy food stall I see in my travels around Asia. My body seems to cope with all sort of crap. Probably literally.

However, it's a cleanliness thing. I've got wooden floors now but before that I had carpet. It looked clean enough but one time I had to wipe out a stain with a wet cloth and wow, that white cloth turned black. The main thing for me is that I always shower shortly before going to bed (another Chinese habit, although I haven't lost my UK one of showering as soon as I get up as well) and then walk around bare foot.

I don't like the idea of getting into bed dirty and hence don't want dirty feet. So this would mean quickly washing the floors after people had visited. And I'm too lazy.

That's exactly something that my mum will do. I think I've picked up that habit which is why I seldom entertain at home - too lazy to clean up and mop the floor after

Shoes definitely off in my house. The Asian in me never got used to having people wear their shoes into my house. The amount of rubbish they step on outside unknowingly

I think this is the important point for tradesmen.

For those who are that worried about it:



...is always an option.

In deed, normal. If you want to fight the norm, you will always be considered as rude, because the norme of being polite is the contrary of your wish. Facts speak louder than words, there is no nice way to ask a question that is culturally not nice.

Just try your luck by asking the way you like it, people do not have to like you when they do their work. And taking shoes off in not unseen in Swiss homes either, so you will just belong to the minority. Ever belong to a minority? Now is your chance.

Firstly, my experience is that taking shoes off in CH is not such a biggie. In fact most Swiss homes I've been to, taking shoes off was the norm. Put it this way, we've learned this habit it from the locals.

Secondly, she is part of a several minorities already. Not my place to tell you which though.