I'm wondering... if you're going to someone's house, when you walk in the door, is the first thing you do is take off your shoes? Do you take off your shoes in your own home? Does it depend on if you know the person, like it's a friend or family or not?

(this probably seems pretty stupid, but for the longest time, when I was younger, I always noticed on TV how people never took off their shoes, and thought it was an 'American thing" LOL ... Then when I finally knew someone who was American, I asked him, and he said NO WAY would he take off his shoes in someone's house that he didn't know. I just thought that was bizarre, and have always wondered if it's a common thing)

Anyways, now that I have access to all you wonderful people, I have a good way to find out this thing that has bothered me forEVER!

Thanks,

Mandi

Are youg uys kidding me? Unless I'm going right back out, my bra is off within the first 5 mins of getting home. Usually the first 5 seconds. And sometimes, it's off before I'm home. I hate bras, and I really don't like clothes all that much. I will compromise with a knit house dress, a big tshirt, or a bathrobe/nightgown. I NEVER understood the point of being dressed and trying to lounge in jeans and a shirt when I'm in my own home and no one is coming over.

Okay, last post, I promise!

I HATE my bra. I had a good two years solid at one point in my life when I never wore it - I worked from home so could get away with it. And I HATE wearing jeans at home. I'm always in stretchy things at home. Totally agree with you Wheetsin!

Doesn't it get a bit cold in Canada without shoes? I live in a hot climate and wear my Canadian sheepskin slippers all year round. I love those things. Of course, I have cold feet. I'm like my dad. Mother always complained about his cold feet. But I just don't understand folks who think their carpets are more important than people.

Okay, ONE more post. I didn't think of it that way - that the carpet was more important than the guests. I just don't like dirt getting tracked in, that's all. Is that why Americans don't take their shoes off, because they feel like they're guests, ergo more important than carpet? What is the reason?

I think it's rude to ASSume it's okay to leave your shoes on in anyone's home. Had I just washed my floor and some jackASS came in and walked all over my dirty floors, he'd get a punch to the nose to have his blood dirty my floor. If I'm going to have to clean them again then it will be well worth my while to do it. I think it shows a lack of respect NOT to remove your shoes.

Very interesting poll.

I'm never been asked to take off shoes at someone's house. It's just not something we do around here. However, if someone asked me, I'd have no problem with it. The thing is you'd have to ask, because it doesn't cross our minds around here, cause it's just not something we do. It's like eating mashed potatoes and gravy with a butter knife. We just don't do it that way. So you would have to show us your way.

Another interesting poll I was part of in a class once was:

Do you bathe or shower at night or in the morning?

35 people were polled and 4 said at night. I was floored and a bit grossed out. 31 people admitted they spend the day getting dirty and sweaty then get into a bed dirty, sleep dirty, then wake up and wash the dirt off. That absolutely is not allowed in my house. Our beds are clean, but our floor ain't.

In have 2 labradors, 2 newfoundlands and six kids!! In my house I use my shoes to protect me! You would have to be barmy to take your shoes off at my front door(mainly cos the the hounds will eat them to be fair)

When we moved in I tiled through the whole of the downstairs for obvious reasons

If someone wanted me to take mine off I wouldnt have an issue, but equally I probably wouldnt rush back, I like to feel totally comfortable with someone to spend time in their house, and I would just worry myself sick about spilling or messing something up.

If

Oh my god, it is sooooo rude to leave your shoes on in somebody else's house! You'll get their floors dirty! I would flip if somebody left their shoes on in my house. I spend too much time cleaning to have to clean up after somebody else's dog poo/outside gunk mess inside my house. I have small children and the last thing I want is for them to roll on the floor where somebody had their outside shoes on.

The only time to do it is when the owner specifically states that it is OK as the floors are really dirty (i.e. doing major work in a home, wood floors, etc., or just walking in and out). If they tend to not care if you have your shoes on or off, then that means their house is really dirty.

Do Canadians keep cleaner houses than Americans? This is just a non-issue! You don't do that here.

Talk about cultural differences, EH???

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=mhf_ybBM6Ek]YouTube - Cheeky Girls - Take Your Shoes Off[/ame]

I am a Canadian who always took my shoes off at the door. Now that I have been living in South Texas and have come across several SCORPIONS crawling around on the tile floors NO ONE has to take their shoes off. My hubby & kids are free to walk on the floors all they want. (apparently newly constructed homes set those little buggers free and they can get thru the smallest of cracks in your door frame)

My mum was a fanatic when it came to us wearing our shoes on her new carpet and eventually not so new carpet. Of course I always took them off but in my own home I don't bother with that as long as my shoes aren't muddy or wet. My ex used to make me take my shoes off when I went to his house and boy did that peeve me. There were times I was so stubborn I would nearly not go in. I think it was more to do with him peeving me than the actual shoe thing. Anyway, I don't expect people to take off their shoes when they come into my home so I would like the same in return.

The following is from grist.org - an environmental news group. A good reason for taking off your shoes. I found it looking into some things I should if trying to get pregnant, to reduce the chemicals in my body and possibly passing them along to the fetus.

6

Substance: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Fun fact: Although made up of only hydrogen and carbon, there are over 100 PAH compounds.

Have I been exposed to them? Chances are darn good that if you are reading this on a computer, you're in an environment where you've been exposed to PAHs.

How the hell did that happen? Because they resist degradation in the environment, PAHs are sometimes grouped under POPs. PAHs are typically products of incomplete burning of carbon-containing fuels like wood, coal, oil, and gasoline -- that's soot to you and me -- and are also found in coal tar, which is often used to make pavement sealer. Burning tobacco -- those veils of secondhand smoke we all walk through these days -- also creates PAHs. And they're in charred meat.

Risks: Exposure to PAHs in utero has been shown to cause damage to DNA, chromosomal changes, and increased risk for childhood cancers such as leukemia. One study found that such exposure might trigger prenatal development of leukemia.

Scary! So how do I avoid this crap? Common sense suggests taking off your shoes at the door to avoid tracking PAHs into the house, doing your best to not inhale secondhand smoke, eschewing charred meat, and taking whatever actions you can to support clean energy generation. The EPA only regulates discharges of PAHs into waterways from industrial operations. Watch for action at the state and local level, such as the Austin, Texas, ban on coal-tar-based pavement sealants enacted in January 2006. (Asphalt contains a far lower concentration of PAHs, and some newer sealants are touted as virtually PAH-free.)

This is a really interesting post. One of my closest friends suffers from industrial disease. She is highly oversensitive to chemicals. When she was at her very worst she had to read books through glass because of the chemicals in the print and could not be out in public. This is because she couldn't be around perfume, perfumed products, clothing which has been dry-cleaned, etc. I have learned a lot about environmental contaminents through this friendship.

I have learned for instance that synthetic broadloom and broadloom underlay emit chemical vapors. Apparently mattresses do as well. In my house there is very little broadloom. We mostly have hardwood and oriental (pure wool) rugs.

If I see them sans shoes then I take mine off. I cant often go barefoot due to foot issues and if that comes up, I just explain why.

This is a really interesting post. One of my closest friends suffers from industrial disease. She is highly oversensitive to chemicals. When she was at her very worst she had to read books through glass because of the chemicals in the print and could not be out in public. This is because she couldn't be around perfume, perfumed products, clothing which has been dry-cleaned, etc. I have learned a lot about environmental contaminents through this friendship.

I have learned for instance that synthetic broadloom and broadloom underlay emit chemical vapors. Apparently mattresses do as well. In my house there is very little broadloom. We mostly have hardwood and oriental (pure wool) rugs.

Yes, chemicals are everywhere - pressed wood products, glues for home projects, carpets, anything with foam (chairs, couches, mattresses). Anything in your personal care products - soap, toothpaste, deodorant, gel, shampoo, etc, have bad bad chemicals. The list just goes on and on. It's all around us but thank goodness everyone seems to be getting on the green bandwagon and catching onto all this.

Yes, chemicals are everywhere - pressed wood products, glues for home projects, carpets, anything with foam (chairs, couches, mattresses). Anything in your personal care products - soap, toothpaste, deodorant, gel, shampoo, etc, have bad bad chemicals. The list just goes on and on. It's all around us but thank goodness everyone seems to be getting on the green bandwagon and catching onto all this.

Yep, you are right. I have been reading that researchers are finding that there are disturbingly high concentrations of chemicals in babies and small children because of our home environments.

My DD got very concerned during her pregnancy with the chemicals her baby would be around. They had all hard wood floors---but she worried about the crib mattress, and bedding all the time!

She cloth diapered with wool covers--both for the less chemical exposure, and keeping them out of the landfill. In fact she help support them making and selling wool diaper covers --making more than she did as a medical assistant! She has relaxed some, but still frets when she sees Kinsey playing on my carpet!

To be 100% honest, I had never encountered anything like it, and had never thought of it.

Kat