Is it rude to wear shoes in someone's house?

The case for Team Shoes Off

In much of the world, Team Shoes Off is simply the rule. In Japan, the genkan entryway marks a boundary between the inner and outer worlds, and visitors leave their footwear there and put on slippers if they are offered. Wikipedia's overview of the custom adds that taking shoes off at home is also customary in Korea, Turkey, Canada, and much of Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia and Finland.

Even in the US, shoes come off at home more often than not. A 2018 YouGov poll found that 87 percent of Americans take their shoes off at home at least occasionally, and 31 percent always do.

Then there are the germs. A widely cited study co-authored by University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba found fecal bacteria such as E. coli on many shoe soles, and found that most of it transferred when the shoes touched clean flooring. Gerba says the first three or four steps inside the door are the most contaminated part of the floor.

The case for Team Shoes On

The germ study has limits, and Team Shoes On will point them out. It was not peer reviewed and was funded by a shoe company that markets washable shoes. William Schaffner, an infectious disease professor at Vanderbilt, says no scientific literature shows shoe-sole germs reaching people's noses or mouths in amounts that cause infection, which is why there are no public health recommendations to sanitize your shoes.

Plenty of American hosts do not care, either. In a 2022 YouGov poll of 1,000 US adults, 59 percent said that guests should do whatever they are most comfortable with. Only 24 percent preferred that guests take their shoes off, and 17 percent actually preferred that guests keep them on. In the 2018 poll, half of Americans said they never ask visitors to remove their shoes.

Some guests have good reasons to keep shoes on. A Johns Hopkins foot and ankle surgeon told the Boston Globe that people with neuropathy, poor circulation, or a risk of falling may need the protection shoes provide.

The court's ruling

Team Shoes On wins the science argument on points: a guest's sneakers are unlikely to make a healthy household sick. But this case is about manners, not microbes, and in someone else's house, the house rules.

A host who keeps a shoes-off home is not being fussy. They are following a custom shared by much of the world, and a line of shoes by the door is a clear notice. Team Shoes On is guilty of trespassing past the shoe pile, and is sentenced to ask at the door and wear clean socks to every party this year.

How to settle it at the door

Guests: look for shoes lined up by the entrance or a host in socks, and if you are unsure, ask. If you need shoes for a medical reason, say so. In a home that follows Japanese custom, put on the slippers if they are offered.

Hosts: if you want a shoes-off home, mention it before guests arrive, and keep a basket of clean slippers or socks by the door. If your household still disagrees, file both sides and let Judge Whiskerton rule.

Questions people ask

Is it rude to wear shoes in someone's house in Japan?

Yes. Japanese homes have a genkan entryway where shoes come off, and guests put on slippers if they are offered.

Is it disrespectful to wear shoes in the house?

Only where the household takes them off. In a 2022 YouGov poll, most American hosts said guests should do whatever is comfortable, but many homes do keep a shoes-off rule, so ask.

Do shoes in the house spread germs?

Shoe soles do carry bacteria, including fecal bacteria, but an infectious disease expert quoted by the Boston Globe says the scientific literature does not show shoe germs making people sick that way. Taking them off keeps floors cleaner, but it is not a public health requirement.

Should guests take off their shoes?

Follow the host. In YouGov's 2022 poll, 55 percent of Americans said that as guests they do whatever their host prefers.

Sources

1. YouGov: Most Americans take their shoes off at home, but don't expect their guests to (2018)
2. YouGov: Where Americans put their feet down in the shoe debate (2022)
3. Boston Globe: Can shoes spread germs to the floors in your home?
4. Nippon.com: A basic guide to Japanese etiquette
5. Wikipedia: Removal of footwear indoors