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Keeping Your Home Dirt Free

All over the world, it is a sign of respect for the household when guests and visitors remove their shoes before entering a home. Most widely accepted as a cultural norm of Asia, it is also a courtesy to remove shoes in other areas as well.

For instance, it is considerate to remove shoes before entering a Russian or Scandinavian home. There, guests are given shoes to wear while in the household. In an effort to keep sand from the beach out of homes, Hawaiians also practice the ritual of removing shoes before entering a home. Even in America, more and more people are opting to remove shoes as a courtesy and for basic cleanliness. If you choose to have guests remove their shoes there are polite ways to let them know this, either by posting a fun sign outside the door stating that removal of shoes is appreciated or simply asking them to leave their shoes in the entry when they come to your home.

More than just a nicety or a national custom, the habit of removing shoes before entering is just good sense. After walking into public restrooms, city streets, yards where there are animals, etc., the amount of bacteria and filth in the home is not only carried into the home on the soles of shoes of well-meaning visitors, but that same dirt and grime is also trapped in your home. That’s because the dirt, bacteria, and filth gets stuck in the fibers of carpeting if you have throw rugs or wall-to-wall carpeting. Whether you live in New York City or out in the country you know there is good reason to remove your shoes after being outdoors. Doormats can help with keeping the dirt at bay when first entering the home and should be cleaned frequently to keep the bacteria from spreading from the doormat.

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