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Canadians and Scandinavians rarely do.
Americans and Western Europeans are more likely to wear shoes in the house, and yes, it is baffling. There's dog poop and vomit on the streets.
Streets are generally cleaner in the U.S than in Europe, so I find it particularly gross when Europeans wear their outdoor shoes at home.
Canadians and Scandinavians rarely do.
Americans and Western Europeans are more likely to wear shoes in the house, and yes, it is baffling. There's dog poop and vomit on the streets.
OK. I was referring to Brits, French and Belgians. Maybe Dutch, but I don't know any Dutch folk so I don't know if they do or don't wear shoes at home.
PS: Wikipedia (which I know is not the most authorative source) lists only the aforementioned countries plus Spain, Andorra, Monaco and Luxembourg as comprising Western Europe.
I don't care. If my floor gets dirty, I'll clean it. I certainly won't force guests to take their shoes off - they probably don't want to, and I don't want them to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arctic_gardener
Canadians and Scandinavians rarely do.
Americans and Western Europeans are more likely to wear shoes in the house, and yes, it is baffling. There's dog poop and vomit on the streets.
I would expect any reasonably sane person to remove their shoes if they stepped in dog muck, as I would myself. It's called common sense.
Most of the time, you'd never know if you stepped in it.
Dog muck smells, in general. I think most people would be aware - I certainly would. I've never not noticed dog muck on my shoes on the few times I've stepped in it.
It literally makes no sense. Ask anyone who owns a home that has hardwood floors, just wearing shoes in the house a few times gets the floors everywhere very dirty. So why do people wear shoes in the house with carpeting? It's much more difficult to clean.
So one cleans their floors more frequently. Why is that a problem if one doesn't have children playing on the floor?
I don't care. If my floor gets dirty, I'll clean it. I certainly won't force guests to take their shoes off - they probably don't want to, and I don't want them to.
I would expect any reasonably sane person to remove their shoes if they stepped in dog muck, as I would myself. It's called common sense.
So the restaurant washroom urinals or stalls you all visited before heading home had completely dry and clean floors beneath them so you wouldn't track whatever home for your 18 month old to crawl through on the carpet later?
Your friend who owns a dog that slobbers on his car floors and who regularly gives you a ride home from work; you don't mind tracking that into your home?
Riding on the subway or in taxis with whatever has been deposited on those floors doesn't cause you to consider what you might be tracking into your carpeted areas. You steam clean those regularly enough to remove the filth you cannot see?
It's a courtesy with long ago historical roots that still serves to show respect for someone's home. If visiting for an evening meal or whatever; we take a pair of house slippers to put on after our arrival. We consider that no different than the bottle of wine typically taken to a friends house.
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