Leave your shoes at the door

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Leave your shoes at the door

by Patricia Mayville-Cox (Subscribe to Patricia Mayville-Cox's posts)
Jan 4th 2008 @ 1:01PM

Filed under: Home, Tips

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Here's an easy thing you can do to make your home a little cleaner; leave your shoes at the door. A simple, but great reminder from Cool People Care.

Besides not tracking in all those germs and toxins that can travel on your shoes, you'll reduce your need to clean your floors and carpets. Always a good thing, reducing your use of electricity, cleaning products and your precious time spent cleaning.

Also, if you have carpets, they will last a lot longer if you only tread on them in your socks. Good for the earth, and your wallet.

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Comments [21]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

1-05-2008 @ 3:33PM

web said...

That's all well and good until you factor in the pets with four feet and no shoes. Drat.

1-07-2008 @ 3:44AM

Max Hanson said...

Having diabetes for 42 years, my health care team, as all health care teams do, says it is dangerous for a diabetic to walk without shoes. Not even in the shower! This is due to a lack of sensation in the feet and lessened healing power in these extremities. Uncontrolled infection due mostly to injury, is often the cause of amputation. So carrying an extra pair of sox will not work. Do I need to buy a separate pair of shoes...(they are fitted to my feet by a podiatrist, complete with inserts for the arches, and are very expensive)? I don't think so. Have any other ideas?
MHanson

1-05-2008 @ 4:09PM

ELIZABETH said...

Hi, In response to your mail, I also am diabetic and I do not allow anyone to wear shoes from outside into my home. For myself, I keep a pair of house shoes that are NEVER worn outside by the door and I change my shoes when I go out or come in. As for guests, visiting family members usually leave a pair of house shoes for visits and other company can use hospital booties which I supply and have handy at all my doors leading outside. When they leave, I just throw the booties away. I started doing this no shoes from outside thing in my house years ago after one day waiting outside a mall for a ride. I saw a man spit and then a few minutes later a group of kids walk thru it and then it went off in my head, we lay around on the carpet and the kids play on the same carpet or flooring that our shoes have stomped all over who knows what in the outside. After that I shampooed every carpeted room in the house and cleaned every piece of tile in the house and then told all---no shoes from outside in my house, no matter whose feet they are on. Some went along with me and some didn't. The ones who didn't started inviting me to their houses or we met in parks or restaurants, which my family was fine with. And by the way, when I go to someone else's home, I do take off my shoes for them, even if they won't do it for themselves!!!

1-06-2008 @ 9:29AM

Karen Wolfe said...

Max, I can relate to your problem. Although I do not have diabetes, my feet are hypersensitive to touch on the bottoms, and I have neuropathy in the one foot, caused by a huge lumbar disc rupture nerve damage. In short, it is painful for me to go barefoot or just sockless. I am only half way comfortable when I wear orthotics and athletic shoes all the time I am awake and up and around. Family members who remove shoes when in the house do not press me to do likewise, as I am uncomfortable doing this!! I paid $230 for the orthotics to fit in my athletic shoes so I would have to remove them from outside shoes and put them in house wear only athletic shoes. This is not practical for frequent trips in and outside. It's not as easy as kicking off ones shoes and then slipping them back on. The only alternative I can think of is to wear paper "boots" over ones shoes when inside and remove them when going outside. Years ago doctors and nurses wore these paper "boot" in surgical suites/operating rooms and maybe they still do.? Would like to hear any other suggestions. Karen Wolfe

1-05-2008 @ 3:25PM

SKW said...

Web: This works better for places without pets. Or you could put a rug at the dog door for them to step on before they enter and wash it daily. We do that because we have a terrier mix who digs like nothing else and otherwise would track mud everywhere.

1-05-2008 @ 4:06PM

VanGOghEar said...

Most Asians remove their shoes before entering the home also for sanitary reasons and as a show of respect. Nice to see others finally catching on. Pets? prb. a personal reason why most non pet people opt to not have them. Not necessarily because they don't like them, but because they don't have time for the maintenance...

1-05-2008 @ 4:11PM

Sarah said...

As for the pets thing...have an indoor pet.

1-05-2008 @ 4:48PM

yinka said...

Thats a funny article!
Africans, Middle Easterners and Asians have been doing that forever.

1-05-2008 @ 5:24PM

jessica said...

Too funny! Some how I never thought about it! It is complete common sense! I'll be leaving my shoes at the front door

1-05-2008 @ 5:28PM

INGRID said...

When i was a little girl my mother always made us take off our shoes when we came home. So this is nothing new to me and my children now grown up do the same in their own homes...My carpet has always looked a new as the day I put it in...and my socks are always white cause there is no dirt on my floors as well as germs..

1-05-2008 @ 5:27PM

a girl said...

i don't wear shoes in the house either.
i buy cheap socks for people to wear, and they can take them home afterwards, so they can't say that somebody else had them on.
it keeps the house much cleaner.

1-05-2008 @ 6:50PM

Eddie said...

I have a problem with people not taking their shoes off at our house when entering. I keep a mat at both doors and I do take my shoes off at everyones house no matter the season. However, I was brought up that it is rude to ask people to take their shoes off so, I do not ask them to.

1-05-2008 @ 7:26PM

Sjmstates said...

Being raised in the South, we always felt this was a rude concept, to ask others to remove shoes when entering our home. Even though we removed our shoes, we didn't want guests to feel uncomfortable and would just clean up after they left. Now, as an adult, after being in a severe car accident where my right foot was crushed, it is virtually impossible for me to walk without a shoe. Socks or slippers just don't give me the support that I need and the bottom of my foot has no padding on it and is just bone against skin. Thank goodness my friends like me more than their carpet! If they didn't, I wouldn't be able to visit all the friends that I cherish so much. Sometimes there are physical reasons for keeping shoes on and you should consider your guests before asking them to remove shoes. (I guess I could remove one shoe!)

1-05-2008 @ 7:02PM

Rudy said...

I am Albanian and we ALWAYS take off our shoes when entering a home. I always found it so odd when I went over a friends house and they told me to leave on my shoes. For us, it shows respect and it keeps the house a lot cleaner. We dont have any pets to worry about either.

1-05-2008 @ 8:14PM

Dhira said...

Yep! We've been doing this for years. Now that I own my home, I've taken it to the next level: in the tiled entryway I have a 3-level carousel shoe tree. Not only do family members keep their footwear neat and out from "under foot", it also sends a very distinct message to visitors that that is what's expected of them, as well. Also, we have two dogs that must visit the outside on occasion. Their tracks are cleaned by an outdoor carpet mat on the porch and a piece of carpet in the entryway. For the really snowy or muddy days, we keep a "dog towel" by the door and wipe paws individually before letting them in.

1-05-2008 @ 8:14PM

Kaden Ashe said...

I work in a nursing home where all kinds of gross stuff may be on the floor. I always leave my work shoes at the door, remove my uniform and shower before interacting with my family.

1-06-2008 @ 9:28AM

budakhutan said...

it's a habit... When you are living in Asia , everybody leave their shoes outside... Good attitude come with a good health.. yaiks
http://budak-hutan.blogspot.com

1-07-2008 @ 9:11PM

Urbanfrugal said...

I dislike shoes and the minute I enter my home or the home of someone I know well, I take my shoes off. My carpets are a lot cleaner because I keep a small washable rug just inside the door and leave my shoes there.

http://www.urbanfrugal.com

1-08-2008 @ 7:54AM

rhenkelman01 said...

taking shoes off before entering a home is polite, but i would never ask a guest in my house to take off their shoes because i would want them to feel comfortable. Sometimes its almost better if the ones that do not wear socks keep their shoes on! yuck

1-08-2008 @ 7:54AM

Rachel said...

then you get the ones that do not wear socks with their shoes...and you almost want them to keep their shoes on! yuck

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Leave your shoes at the door