For the entirety of my adult life, I have been a No Shoes in the House person. And yet I have been wearing shoes (sneakers) (sneakers that have never once been outside) in the house since Thanksgiving. I thought I would report on how that’s going.
Pros:
- My feet seem to hurt less when I wear shoes than when I go barefoot.
- I have new empathy for my in-laws, who keep slippers at our house so they can wear them when they visit, and for my mother, who also needs to wear shoes in the house to prevent foot agony.
Cons:
- I hate wearing shoes.
- I keep forgetting to put my shoes on, and have yet to develop a good spot to keep them so that when I inevitably forget to put them on, and then find myself in agony, I don’t have to go traipsing all over the house to find them.
- I am less aware of the crud on our floors, which seems like a pro but is not.
- I keep catching the heel of my shoe on the bottom rung (?) of the kitchen table chairs, and knocking the chair over onto the floor, which makes a horrific banging noise and also cannot be good for the health of the chair or my floor.
- When people come over, I still want THEM to not wear shoes, but it feels a) as though I am cheating or stingy when I get to wear shoes but no one else does or b) ridiculous and princessy.
- Lying on the couch to watch TV or in bed with my daughter while I read to her feels so clunky and dumb and just wrong with shoes on.
- My laces come untied ALL the time. All the time. Even when I double knot them.
- When I go to friends’ houses (all our friends have shoe-free homes), I am not sure if I need to bring my only-in-the-house shoes or if I should just suck it up and go barefoot, and I have defaulted to the latter so far but then my feet are in agony. Good thing I don’t socialize much.
- My husband and child seem to be slightly more relaxed about taking off their own shoes at the door, even though there is a clear! difference! between wearing shoes that have literally never been outside and wearing shoes that are both outdoors and inside public spaces every day.
Conclusions:
- I need to continue wearing shoes.
- I should get over myself and order some easy-to-put-on orthotic sandals or Crocs or whatever; I have a whole list of recommendations and just haven’t bought any yet (which is because I have already committed to buying a new pair of snow boots, which is expensive, and I have also needed to replace two coats this winter, so I feel like I’ve already crossed the threshold of buying things for myself).
- I remain, crankily, but perhaps more staunchly than ever, Team No Shoes In The House.
Do you wear shoes in your house?
I wear Crocs (bright purple ones I might add) every single day I am home. I also struggle with foot pain and the Crocs have been a great solution for me. They slip on easily, but also stay on my feet well. They are the first thing I put on my feet in the morning, and I have them on 90% of the waking hours I am home.
They might not provide enough support in your case, but I love them. They keep my feet warm in the winter, they’re non-slip, and they have little rubber dots that “massage” my feet slightly while I walk. Love, love, love my Crocs!
I just love that your crocs are purple. I think you posted about them awhile back and that is so charming to me!
NEVER. I am a no-shoes-in-the-house person, and I’m always kind of shocked when people wear outside shoes in the house. I do wear slippers in the winter though. My husband has orthotics and wears orthotic sandals in the house – but they are indoor shoes only, obviously. I think wearing shoes in the house seems so uncomfortable, mostly because curling up on the couch with shoes seems weird, like you say. BUT. Foot comfort is very important and I know you’ve passed your threshold but mayyyyybeeee a pair of orthotic sandals that you can just slip on might be an idea? I think R has had his for at least five years, if not more, and so they are an investment that will last a long time. And easy to put on!
I have had friends come over and bring slippers or indoor slip-on style shoes to my house, and it doesn’t seem weird to me at all. In fact, I always wish that I have done that when I go to people’s houses because my feet tend to get cold, even in socks.
I really do need to look into orthotic sandals. I am just dragging my (shod, indoors) feet.
I have literally no understanding of anyone who has a shoes-allowed policy for their home! The thought of trekking in all of the delights that are available to be trodden in in the Great Outdoors is bizarre – I just think that some shoes-in the-house people never really given it any thought, because surely nobody could think that it was a good idea if they had 🤷🏻♀️. My absolute go-to when I go to anyone’s house for the first time is simply to just say ‘are you a shoes off house?’ as I am crossing the threshold as it takes the onus off the host. Obviously, if you can, gathering some hotel slippers or similar to be able to offer guests can be very much appreciated.
Yes! We definitely have hotel slippers to offer people, and my in-laws have special slippers that they keep at our house.
Birkenstock EVAs– save me from horrible neuroma pain, come in great colours, have good arch support and i call them my ‘inside shoes’– they never leave the house.
I am going to look into these as an option!
In theory I’m Team No Shoes and I always take my shoes off when I go into someone else’s house UNLESS IT’S SUMMER AND I’M WEARING SANDALS. But that’s because I have the luxury of not having PF. My husband and his sisters all have it so a few years ago at one of our family gatherings I noticed that I was the only adult not wearing shoes. I took my husband aside one time and told him that he didn’t need to take his shoes off when we go to my parents’ house because not being in pain trumps politeness.
Boo to laces that won’t stay tied and an Amazon search for shoe lace replacements will fix that problem. It’s basically elastic on a bungee cord so that you can just slip your shoes on without having to untie them.
I figured there would be some sort of laces solution! Thanks for the idea!
I enjoy wearing shoes inside the house. We both grew up in homes where that was the way so it seems normal to me. However now I do keep a pair of Birks that I wear exclusively inside the house. They give my feet the support I need + are super easy to slip in and out of.
You are the second person to recommend Birks! I need to look into this!
You look like Wilma Flintstone but they’re comfy especially if you buy the soft bed ones. Just saying…
LOL
I do not wear shoes in the house (though I probably *should*, as I have an extra navicular bone in my foot that causes tendon issues and I was told by a podiatrist that I needed to wear orthotics all of the time. I refuse. I do wear some slide on slippers because my feet get cold and our tile floors are slippery when I wear socks.
We are, overall, a no-shoe inside household, because dirt. I grew up in a no-shoe-inside household and my husband didn’t, but he is firmly on the side of no shoes in the house.
I will say that wearing shoes definitely seems to help with the foot pain. So there’s a point in your podiatrist’s favor. Despite all the cons.
I, too, have to wear shoes in the house because of foot problems. However, my problem is that while I have specific shoes for inside, they are just another pair of the shoes I wear outside of the house. SO, if I am running late to pick up my girl or for an activity, my brain does not realize that I have my house shoes on and I just go out into the world and they are ruined for inside the house until a whole cleaning process happens. At some point, I know I will best this situation, but the last 10 months have not been that point haha!
Oh my goodness! Yes, this would be SO confusing! But also hard to change, because once you find a good pair of shoes, you want to wear THOSE shoes and nothing else!
I had the same issue when I tried to wear shoes indoors. It was especially annoying because i was supposed to wear orthotics all the time, so if I was going out, I had to change the indoor shoes, remove the orthotics, and put them in the outdoor shoes and lace them on…it just got annoying. And before anyone says “But why didn’t you get a second pair of orthotics”, it is because my feet are so weird that I got custom made orthotics but insurance doesn’t cover them (OF COURSE) and they were hundreds of dollars. I literally hate them.
I will say that Merrell makes comfy hiking clogs that are slip-on, that do not seem to hurt my tendon, and I may get a second pair of those for around the house. Maybe. I’m thinking about it.
I do wear shoes inside. And not even special, inside only shoes…. I wear the shoes that I’m wearing that day, until I’m wearing bedroom slippers, and then barefoot for bed.
That sounds completely normal for an inside-the-house-shoes wearer! That’s what my parents and in-laws do.
I hardly ever wore shoes in the house until PF. Not for health/cleanliness reasons, and I didn’t require others to take their shoes off, it was just because I preferred to be barefoot (grew up in FL, was always barefoot or just in flip-flops!). But now, alas, I wear my good, supportive old-lady shoes, I mean, Asics, all day if I can. I agree that it’s annoying when I want to sit on the couch for an extended period, and put my feet up. Then I take the shoes off.
Ah, supportive old-lady shoes are where it’s at!
No shoes in the house, but I wear slippers all winter. They are from LL Bean and have support similar to Birkenstocks. I am still looking for a summer solution because too also have old feet and walking around on hard floors is not ideal.
Honestly, I’m mostly shoes off inside, but I’m inconsistent about it. We don’t have a house rule about it. I absolutely can’t wear them if my feet are on a couch or bed, though. It was drilled into me in childhood that We Don’t Do That to the point it would be like not washing my hands in the bathroom. It would make me acutely uncomfortable.
Yes, that is an apt comparison. It feels vulgar and dirty!
Have already written about this here? Maybe it was on Swistle. I am firmly, dramatically against shoes in my own house and my husband DID NOT REALIZE. He thought our house was agnostic. He kind of drifted from no shoes ever to ‘I’ll just run in for something’ to ‘Why take them off if I’m leaving again soon’ to ‘I wear shoes in the house a lot.’ I didn’t notice and when I complained about one of our kids not taking their shoes off once he was like…is that a thing we do? Always?
It was a shocking afternoon.
Oh. My. Gosh. That is… wild!
I recommend getting a pair of those cloud slides or whatever the hideousness teens are wearing are called (they’re very cheap) and write in big letters in Sharpie HOUSE SHOES. That will eliminate the angst around other people feeling miffed if you ask them to remove their shoes!
When we lived in the Midwest we were always shoes off but in California it’s very lax. My family all prefer to be barefoot but I cannot leave my bedroom in the morning without socks and shoes or slippers at the very least. We have a dog that’s in and out and kids constantly running through so I just accept that my floors are always kinda dirty and move on. This is much easier now that I don’t have crawling/toddling kids anymore.
I feel like having a dog would change the equation. Because dogs don’t wear shoes ever (presumably). They also probably are less likely to be tramping around public restrooms, though, the detritus of which is what I envision on the bottoms of everyone’s shoes.
I don’t wear shoes in the house and am usually barefoot. Inside shoes sounds like a good idea though. I’ve always hated the idea of tracking what’s on the ground onto my hardwood and carpet. Spit, dog poop, whatever garbage people throw onto the road, etc.
It is too horrifying to think about, Margaret! So much yuck on the bottoms of our shoes!
I have a pair of Nature is Future slippers that I wear in the winter and I just wear sandals or flip flops during the summer. It is honestly the only thing that has kept my PF under control. I am contemplating getting shower shoes because sometimes even the few minutes that I’m in the shower end up hurting my feet. I’m not on board with people suggesting cheap footwear for inside the house. Especially since you primarily work from home, you need supportive footwear inside. (Nature is Future has the same footbed as my beloved Mephisto sandals and that really gives me the support I need.)
In terms of visiting other people’s houses, we rarely do so. If I am required to take off my shoes, we will be very short-term visitors unless I can sit down 100% of the time. If it’s a party, though, and shoes are off, I’ll be in pretty bad pain within 5-10 minutes. I guess I could bring my slippers with me, but that seems like more planning than I would ever remember!
Anyway, I know there are NO SHOES INSIDE people and I get it, I really do. But foot pain is no joke and will impact me for DAYS and if shoes aren’t allowed, I guess I won’t be there. Sorry, no shoes inside people. (I feel like me wearing shoes inside is analogous to stores allowing services animals inside. My shoes are medically necessary!)
I wonder if I need to buy a pair of Inside Only flip flops or something I can keep in the car. Just in case I am invited to someone’s house. Because I would not remember in the moment, either!
I have 3 dogs and a very muddy yard, so dirt is just everywhere anyway. The rest of my family removes their shoes near the door about 75% of the time, and we ALL have mud boots that stay by the door.
My husband would prefer if I didn’t wear shoes in the house, and I do wear slippers much of the time, but I can’t walk around barefoot or even in socks. My feet freeze! I know it’s healthier with germs and such, but I rarely go out, no one is crawling on/eating off our floors, and the dogs are so filthy, lol. Maybe if we put heated floors in our future addition.
I am team “no shoes in the house.” I thought this was a regional thing but nearly all of your commenters are team no shoes in the house! I do wear slippers in the house during the cold winter months – so basically half the year. 😉 I have Ugg slippers that are kind of moccasin-looking? They are so very cozy and last forever. I think I had the last pair for 5+ years!
When my MIL visits, she wears shoes in our house, otherwise she is freezing. I think you could ask your friends if you could wear your shoes in the house and explain that they are indoor-only shoes. I would 100% let someone wear indoor only shoes. Actually, I’d let them wear any shoes if they asked me and explained they needed to prevent pain. But it’s an especially easy yes when they are indoor only shoes!
No shoes house here. It probably keeps some dirt out; however, my family loves to pile their shoes by the front door or leave them NEAR the front door somewhere in middle the foyer. Over time the pile just keeps growing and growing. Maddening. I’m also on Team Foot issue so I have to wear slippers or supportive flip flops in the house. Add a check in the column for Birks from me. Also love my Oofoos (very soft, yet supportive flip flops for people with foot problems).
This would be a no shoes inside household except my husband insists on wearing shoes and if he’s wearing them, I’m not about to ask other people to remove theirs. I should probably wear shoes when I’m home (I have mild foot pain; apparently mild enough that I can’t be forced to wear shoes…yet) but it just goes against who I am – someone who despises wearing shoes in the house if for no other reason than comfort.
NO NO NO to shoes but SO TRICKY when you want OTHER PEOPLE to not wear them and YOU appear to be wearing them! Listen, you need to get the super ugly Vionics slippers I posted–they are the perfect inside shoe and so freaking ugly no one would EVER THINK you had shoes on. But! I did feel like my floor was cruddier when I was wearing slippers and didn’t notice the constant crumb level. Totally get that.
(https://www.vionicshoes.com/relax-slipper.html?color=808&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=cpc&crtp=paidsearch&aid=2829&gclid=Cj0KCQiAic6eBhCoARIsANlox86WjVdMwIiFKfA3Ef5Boj0GE6dVnPBlgoDzNf2YPUIkAluq39wWxA8aAt7xEALw_wcB)
LOL, those are UGLY. I also wear Vionic, and they save my feet for sure.
THESE: https://www.vionicshoes.com/relax-slipper.html?color=808&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=cpc&crtp=paidsearch&aid=2829&gclid=Cj0KCQiAic6eBhCoARIsANlox86WjVdMwIiFKfA3Ef5Boj0GE6dVnPBlgoDzNf2YPUIkAluq39wWxA8aAt7xEALw_wcB
No one will ever think you are wearing shoes (LOL) and be confused about the rule because they are HIDEOUS. But also delightfully comfy and fixed my foot issue after a few months of ugly but constant wear.
My previous comment disappeared but now it’s back so I just seem REALLY REALLY into these slippers. Sorry– I’m a weirdo
Definitely no outside shoe in the house, ever! But when we moved to our house with only hardwood floors/polished cement/lino and I started working from home – my feet felt terrible. Plantar fascitis and knee pain like crazy. I always felt like Crocs were beyond ugly but I tried them at my Mom’s house and wow – total difference. Now I wear them every minute I’m in the house. I pack them on every trip. If I ever accidentally wear them outside when I fill the bird feeder etc. I can put them in the dishwasher and clean them. Total convert.
Hmm – if you really want to do more than using washing up liquid or similar in the sink (which usually suffices), put Crocs in the washing machine on a gentle cycle, but NOT in the dishwasher as the heat will eventually break down and warp the foam of the Crocs.
In Germany it is normal to take off the shoes in the house. So yes no shoes team. Even when we have company over the majority of times it is no shoes. Only in huge huge gathers (like 50 people) or when it is an indoor-outdoor affair shoes are worn.
I have my “horseshoes” a special category of shoes you can get here. Not sure if that is existing in the US. Probably not that common.
The foot pain with. wearing no shoes I can understand. Hope you find a solution that works for you.
Also Team No Shoes here. I’ve always worn slippers inside – these days it’s rubber bottom wool Glerups – and I feel weird if I don’t have slippers on – I think this is a large part my Taiwanese upbringing. My Husband doesn’t wear wear slippers around the house, just bare feet or socks and, to your point about the crud on the floor, unswept floors bother him way more than it does me. I was always irked that he was a compulsive sweeper, but then I realized that it’s because he’s usually in bare feet and can feel all the little bits and things on the floor. My father in law had feet problems and I remember my Husband telling me very specifically not to make a big deal of him wearing his shoes in the house.
My parents have slippers by the backdoor for when they have to run outside quickly. I always thought it funny at my Grandparent’s apartment in Taipei, they have a little balcony and outside the balcony door are a variety of rubber/plastic slippers, which are donned for something as minor as stepping out on the balcony. Same thing with my grandmother’s house in rural Taiwan where the bathroom is outside. There is a row of plastic slippers in a variety of sizes by the back door. So even if it’s just to go out back to hang up the laundry or go to the bathroom, you can just slip on the slippers and not have to find your own shoes. I finally caved and got a pair of Crocs for this kind of thing, but then they are never where I want them – at the back door when I’m going out the front door, at the front door when I’m going out the back door. I should just get a second pair.
Our carpets are so old and worn, and we’ve had pets, so we wear our shoes in the house. For the first 5 or 6 years, though, we took off our shoes and did NOT wear them inside. It may have even been longer. I feel like our carpet is almost 20 years old at this point, and inertia is the only thing keeping us from replacing it. (Well, inertia, money, the pain of moving furniture in our overcrowded bedroom/home office, dog who barfs periodically, blah blah blah…plus I know once we get new carpet we will then need to paint, and so on…Inertia sometimes has a lot of sub-text.)
I have arthritis in my feet, which means going barefoot would be agony for me. I like your solution of having a separate pair of shoes that don’t leave the house. My solution is that I buy slippers (Vionic) with arch support, that I wear in the house. I have been known to take them with me to other people’s homes, especially if they are ‘no shoes in the house’ type people. I felt stupid the first time, but I gave that up after I realized that no one cared, and they just wanted me to not be in pain.
Ha, WELL, once again I’m wondering if we’re actually twins separated at birth. We used to be a no-shoe house, but since I also have plantar fasciitis I have to wear them all
the time. i do have a specific pair of sandals (Crocs) for in the house, and they somehow feel more like slippers even though they’re not. The problem is, now I’m so used to always having shoes on, the lines are getting blurred. Like sometimes I”ll come back from a run and go straight to the bathroom, which involves walking through the bedroom, STILL WEARING MY RUNNING SHOES. Which on the one hand feels so wrong, but on the other hand doesn’t really seem as wrong as it once did. Sigh! i still have hopes of someday begin PF free, and being able to be shoe-less in the house again.
One of the biggest culture shocks of moving to Atlantic Canada was actually that there’s a surprising number of places that request you go shoeless (really, bootless) in winter. Nothing like padding around the doctor’s office in your stocking feet. 😂 It does make sense though when you are the piles of salty slush by the boot deposits.
I’ve been wearing Finn Comfort Jamaica sandals inside ever since I was diagnosed with PF more than 10 years ago. They are expensive but they last a long time and you can replace just the footbed if needed. They were recommended to me because they have good solid arch support and a slight heel elevation so your calf muscle isn’t strained as it is with a flat shoe. I’m on a trip right now and really wishing I had brought the sandals for walking around the hotel room!
Podiatrist told me that foam soles like Crocs wouldn’t be as good because the arch support gets compressed when i stand on them.
//www.stegmannusa.com Not only does our production method produce a smooth, seamless, and lasting shoe, our shoes are built to relieve and prevent pain. We know, because our customers tell us so and podiatrists themselves wear our shoes. From Plantar Fasciitis sufferers to hard working professionals, our shoes have helped many people discover comfort and find relief. No matter which style, all Stegmann shoes have an anatomically shaped sole that promotes foot and back health. The low heel-to-toe slope encourages spinal alignment and can alleviate lower back pain.
Our shoes also offer an orthopedic level of comfort with features like interior padding, arch support and a metatarsal pad to help your foot spread naturally inside the shoe. They’re constructed with a wide toe box to eliminate squeezing and a heel cup to help keep the shoe on. Our WoolFlex and Sport soles offer a softer, more cushioning feel, while our cork soles will adapt over time to the shape of your foot. With either sole construction, each step is cushioned and fully supported.
Well, I swear by my Birkenstocks. Just sayin’.
I definitely do not wear shoes in the house, but it’s not really an ingrained rule around here. I think it might be a Florida thing? I don’t really know, but it’s not a rule we really follow. In fact, sometimes I feel weird if I’m at a friend’s house and I take off my shoes because I feel like I’m being TOO familiar?!?! It’s such a weird feeling because I know my friends want me to be comfortable (and also probably want me to take my shoes off, haha).
90% of our floors are tile, and my feet are not allowed to be barefoot because of the pain that ensues. Even while wearing my vionics or other orthotic-type shoes, I developed pain after a while. We are a Shoes if you want family and always have been.
There are too many rules to follow outside the house, and i don’t enforce too many inside the house.