Farmers have always done it, but does your family take their shoes off before coming into the house? In some cultures, it is a sign of respect, while for others, it’s a way to reduce traipsing in dirt and germs from the world outside.
Data from the ABC’s 2021 Australia Talks National Survey showed that 74% of Australians from non-European backgrounds expect guests to take their shoes off before entering their home, compared with just 21% of Australians of European ancestry.
Apart from cultural reasons, an increasingly popular reason for removing shoes is to make the home easier to keep clean. They might look clean, but shoes often carry tiny particles of dust and dirt that are hard to see and which contribute to the gritty debris on floors and carpet. Stilettos and hard-soled shoes can also be pretty rough on polished wooden floors, especially when there is a pebble stuck in the tread.
If you want to instil the practice, make it easy for everyone to conform. Have a shoe rack or cabinet inside the front door with indoor footwear readily available, and schedule a time for the family to ‘pick up and put away’ the excess pairs that will invariably accumulate.
Place a chair or bench nearby for comfort when removing or putting on shoes.
Remember, we live with spiders and they love to nest in warm, dark places, so it is not advisable to leave shoes lying around outside the house.
What about visitors? It’s one thing to take your own shoes off, but asking guests to do the same can feel awkward or even rude. Have a basket for holding colour-coded slippers for regular guests (such as grandparents) and a basket of clean socks for random visitors.
