Is it rude to expect that people will take off their shoes . . .

[Hippychickali]

I've been following a rather fascinating thread on the community board about taking off your shoes when you enter your home and if you expect others to do the same. I think you should check it out. I might be wrong but this doesn't seem to be an issue in Canada. We all just seem to instinctual take off our shoes.

How Do I Get People to Take Off Their Shoes When They Enter My Home

Ali

 

[cabmom]

People tend to wipe their feet when they come in my door! I say if you've not walked in anything than you can keep them on! (this is in the summer)
In the winter it's a must! So I will ask them to if they do not. OR I will look at them and then look down at their feet. This tends to get them to ask if they should take them off or for me to say something.
I thought it was like a custom here to take your shoes off when you enter someones house!!
Marilynn

 

[Hippychickali]

Cabmom, would you mind posting that on the thread that I mentioned? I need all the help I can get.

Ali

 

[Bea]

We used to live in the States and the first time we went to a friend's house we removed our shoes and they said, "you must be from Canada". I found alot of American's didn't take their shoes off when coming in our house. It didn't bother me though.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

I agree with Bea. People think we are weird because we immediately take our shoes off. So, I just say it's a Canadian thing.
No one here takes their shoes off. I think it might have to do with what the weather is like because we don't have the snow, slush and mush that happens in the North so generally shoes stay on. Plus with the hot weather I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with hot feet and shoes off......
It used to freak me out, but now I'm used to it.

 

[PhotobearSam]

If I ever left my shoes on in a house in front of my mother, she would clock me upside the head and remind me that manners dictate that you don't mess up someone else's home...

If I ever left my shoes on I would feel weird. I would bring a pair of slippers or nice shoes to wear in the house if I needed shoes on. (ie like having a nice dress on)

It must be a Canadian thing.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Ali - I just helped you out over on the CB.......I think

 

[Hippychickali]

Right on! I knew I could count on my fellow Canadians to set the world straight. Not only did we invent peacekeeping but we uphold the common courtesy to only use our outside shoes - outside.

Ali

 

[Sandyincanada]

Shoes off here too. My Mother actually brings a clean pair of shoes with her when she visits, lol. My European inlaws never used to take their shoes off unless its winter. I've "trained" my MIL but no one can train my FIL lol.

Shoes seem to dirty to me, why track all the outside dust all over the house, I don't get it.

 

[sammi]

It's always been a "for sure" thing in our home and in every other home we've been in. I agree it's a Canadian custom, and I'm glad that we take shoes off at the door as I can't imagine what our floors and carpets would look like after all the tracking of shoes.

I keep thinking of the first time my family came over from Scotland for a visit and I had a house full of family and friends to welcome them and there must have been 30 pairs of shoes laying at my front door and my cousin's husband actually took photos of all the shoes at our door as they also never take their shoes off when inside the house. They think we're a little weird with our "custom"!

I guess this is what makes the world round!

 

[wasabi girl]

We remove our shoes...guests mostly do the same without being asked.(I think it is the shoe row by the door ) Who wants all of the outside dirt tracked through your home?
DH is Japanese. No one ever leaves shoes on inside homes in Japan. In public buildings they even have these odd little green foam slippers (that will not stay on your feet) so you shuffle around in them in the buildings. I didn't know it was a Canadian thing too!

 

[Parkerpooh]

Hippychickali, I tried to help you out last night but I don't think it helped much I guess us shoeless canadians are just a bunch of weirdos to other folks!!! Jen

 

[tinkerbeth]

I had the same problem when I lived in England. People were always coming into our flat with their dirty shoes on which I thought was so rude! DH is British and I've had to train in-laws to take their shoes off in the house.

I go to a chiropractor and a naturopath and in both places, everyone takes their shoes off in the vestibule of the office and it's so clean and cosy inside. I really like it.

My father is a real estate agent. One time he went into a particularly dirty house to do a home inspection, and the woman said, "Aren't you going to take off your shoes?" And he said, "Sorry, ma'am. Not in this house." I don't think he got that listing!

I for one and glad that there are things we do that differentiate us from our friendly southern neighbours. With all the US tv and other media we get, it feels good to do something that's "Canadian". Anyone for Timmies?

Beth

 

[barb45]

I think it is a great custom - easier to keep the house clean. Think about what's on the bottom of your shoes?? It grosses me out - dog poo, bird poo, road kill, people spitting on the sidewalks YUK!! My daughter's inlaws live in Michigan - they have the same crappy weather we have and they think we are nuts when we take our shoes off - I just wouldn't feel right tracking dirt through someone's house. When we were in Hawaii we stayed at a timeshare condo and they had a little frame sign that said "In Hawaii we have a charming custom of removing our shoes when we enter someone's house". Of course we took off our shoes anyway because we are used to it but a sign like that could help you if you didn't want to say something to people.

 

[barb45]

I forgot to mention - the floors were so dirty at the condo in Hawaii that I felt like leaving my own sign "In Canada we have a charming custom of washing our floors so our guests feet don't get dirty"!

 

[Hippychickali]

Thank you all for backing me up on this. There are quite a few people who can't believe that we do this. I think it is a wonderful custom, as well.

Ali

 

[tinkerbeth]

I forgot to mention - the floors were so dirty at the condo in Hawaii that I felt like leaving my own sign "In Canada we have a charming custom of washing our floors so our guests feet don't get dirty"!

 

[calena]

This is very Canadian. I am a transplanted US Citizen married to a Canadian. It drives my mom nuts when we go to her home in the US and we all take off our shoes and she has a pile of shoes at the door. I must admit it also drives her nuts when her other grandkids bring muddy shoes into the house. She has already replaced her carpets in her 6-year-old house once!
When I lived in Switzerland this was also the custom, so I think it must have to do with the snow/slush we would be dragging around if you wear your shoes inside in the winter. One thing I do not do is take my shoes off at the dentist or doctors office and wear those slippers. No way!

 

[pumpkinboy]

I dunno, maybe it has spliied over the border. Tho I am from Maine and live down here in the Deep South now (Massachusetts) we always took our shoes off in the house, as I remember it. Of course I am a McGill alumnus so perhaps I have an excuse to observe this charming Canadian custom. Then again, maybe since over a third of Mainers trace their roots to Canada (mainly Québec, but a good number of Maritmers too), it perhaps came with our neighbours of Canadian stock.

Then again, my neighbours here in Mass also observe this custom, perhaps out of practicality; but the hubby is from England and the wife from Oregon, so they have no Cdn connection at all (save for the St Jean Baptiste party they attend at our house every year).

Then again, many New England houses (including ours) have a feature called a "mud room" which is perhaps where folks traditionally took off their muddy boots or shoes.

 

[tony64]

Hi,
This is a fasinating thread! I hope you don't mind a Brit posting on your board.
We are English and our family always take our shoes off in our own home and other peoples. It's so annoying when other people don't. I would feel so awful treading mud and dirt through someone elses house. Even our children's friends all take their shoes off in our house (there's always a big heap of shoes by the door when I get home from work! ) Now all I need to do is train the dogs to take off their paws...