http://www.care2.com/greenliving/remove-your-shoes-on-entering.html
Remove Your Shoes on Entering? 7 Reasons Why
Adapted from Japanese Style, by Sunamita Lim (Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2007).
Do you remove your shoes on entering your home? Many of us who are not culturally predisposed to this activity avoid thinking about it because we are conflicted about starting a daily routine that you would then need to impose on others.
There are many kinds of sanctuary this routine can bring, and here are seven:
Natural Style, Easy Grace
From Dutch homes of the 15th century, where it was not permissible to set foot in a room without first removing one’s shoes, to removing shoes at the front door in most Asian homes as a mark of respect to the house and to honor its cleanliness and purity, taking off one’s shoes at the front door can be a deeply ingrained cultural habit.
For those of us who don’t share this habit, a good reason to consider initiating it is grounded in the pollutants they carry in from the outside world.
The benefits of removing shoes are many, including:
- Taking off one’s shoes at the door can be a simple celebration of everyday life, as easy as kicking off your shoes at the front door to symbolize leaving behind the harried outer world, then lighting incense and being soothed by the subtle aroma of lavender wafting through the house.
- Less dirt and small rocks gouge our floors, gently buffed by bare feet in the warmer seasons and by softly slippered feet in the cooler months.
- Bare feet are treated to the comforting sensation of walking on smooth wood, or other flooring, an uncommon experience in itself.
- Less time is spent cleaning the floor.
- Infants and young children with more sensitive immune systems inhale cleaner indoor air.
- A healthier home is ensured because shoes track in lead, pesticides and other pollutants, contaminating carpets and floors, turning a home into a toxic place for pets and young children, especially, who spend more time on the floor.
- Shoes in Japan are left in the foyer, and traded for house slippers, with the gesture being both symbolic and a conscious desire to leave behind the outer world by shedding, literally, the first obvious steps—shoes.
- Home is seen as a separate, special place, a sanctuary.
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145 comments
add your comment »I've always taken off my shoes in my home. It's more about comfort than anything else. I understand the variety of reasons why people would or would not want to take off their shoes. What it comes down to is respect for one another. If a person does not want shoes worn in their house, they should be respected for that. On the other hand, if due to medical reasons, a person should keep on their shoes, well, that needs to be respected and they shouldn't have to go into detail about why they need their shoes on, unless they want to talk about it. It's all about respecting one another.
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Sounds like M.V. is almost on target regarding my initial concerns on this issue. At least M.V. cleans the household pet (dog) before allowing it to roam freely in the residence. However, we must remember that even though a pet dog is cleaned it still will stretch out on the floor (rugs, etc.)and perhaps on beds and furniture allowing its private parts to brush upon the fabric or flooring: that is also touched by any human in the residence. We must remember that pets (dogs/cats) do involuntary discharge fluids from their orafices and no matter how much sanitizing is performed prior to allowing them to roam free in the domicile a discharge (even a drop of fluid or smear of feces, etc.) will occur. Clearly, if any homeowner restricts shoes in the residence there must be a total sanitary mindset; consequently, cleaning up the dog's or cat's feet/body is the first step: a complete sanitary measure must then include having the pet wear waterproof undergarments for the genital areas and also some sort of "SARS" type of mask that will also retain all fluid discharges that involuntarily eminate from the nose and mouth of the pet. Once all this is performed it would be obvious that the shoe removal process is not merely a "token" effort to prevent bacteria within one's domain. My key point is still this: if anyone asks humans to remove shoes at the door, then let's be practical on insuring that such sterilization practices extend to the entire scenario (i.e., non-humans also).
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16yrs ago I was fine w/company entering my home w/their shoes on. Since then I had my beautiful daughter, who unfortunatley has no accessibility 2 her wheelchair on the 2nd. floor. Therefore when she has 2 get around on the floor, I have 2 make sure I vacum/shampoo the rugs wkly. As for my 9lbs dog? When I take her out...I wash her paws AND privates! : ) ....so heck yeah, I expect SHOES OFF
please & thank you
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Taking off shoes at the doorway of American homes seems to have become popular over the past decade and some of the rationale does seem practical. However, sometimes I believe some of those that practice this caveat really are not "walking their talk" relating to the sanitary essence of this "keeping their kingdom sterile."
Case in point is this: a family member and others that I associate with employ this "shoes off" policy for their well kept abodes. Human visitors must remove their shoes to enter their house; however, they have several dogs (house dogs) that reside there and as I sit there shoeless I discern these pets lying with their private parts on their floor (rugs, tiles, etc.). It especially soaks in (no pun intended) when the pet just returned from a "potty break" from their being taken outside. The pets are escorted inside and begin to lounge all over the house, couch, floors, etc.
Oh, I guess this is okay for the pet; however, the human friends must purge themselves of their shoes which carry unspeakable bacteria? Something is wrong with this picture? I'd like to hear from some that enforce this policy but still allow their pets to perform as mentioned above.
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I have been obsessed with shoe removal all of my life. My family did it before me. My grandparents did it to. So when anyone visits they are just used to removing there shoes automatically on the deck. We live in the country with 3 indoor cats. 1 mamma cat with 4 kittens,and 12 outside cats. So it not only cuts back on wear and tear on the carpet and rugs. It cuts the dirt and fur from coming indoors by about 75%.
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Hi all. Apart from cleanliness (walking straight into living room, (studio flat) All my rescue/rehome pets have been as free as possible. We don't want to hurt their little paws, (they've never shown any desire to hurt us) in fact once they've learnt to trust humans we've not known such gentleness. Lots of love (a V tired) Sas
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I live in the country in two separate locations. At the one home I don't worry about it very much we are in and out all the time and don't have any little ones crawling across the floors. However in our other home we have a little one who comes in on a regular basis and I feel very concerned for him when he crawls on the floor and people don't take off their shoes, so in that home I do insist people take off their shoes.
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I think that providing a clearly visible place for shoes just inside the door lets guests know that that is the custom in your home. If they choose to respect it, fine. If not, or if they simply are oblivious to the hint, let it go. Life is too precious and the positive things a friend brings to your home may be of more importance than whatever "incidentals" come along on their shoes.
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I visit friends who own indoor cats on occasion. I never gave much thought before, to what my effect my shoes might have on them. If fleas or other bugs from the outside could be brought in, is that why removing socks and putting on slippers might help. I find I have been more sensitive to new born babies crawling around on the floor than animals. However this opens up a whole new door about how to honor my friends in a better way.
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I don't mind but my husband has orthopaedic(sp) shoes. Removing them causes him pain in the process as well as in trying to walk without them. It embarasses him to explain. He stays away if he knows that removing his shoes will be expected.
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