Wear Shoes in The House: Is It a Bad Habit? [4 Reasons]

Wear shoes in the house? Why do people wear shoes indoors? Is that your culture? Are you afraid your feet will get dirty? Do you want to protect your feet when they get infected? Whatever the reason, the truth is that many people think that wearing shoes at home is a good idea. This may seem trivial, but many people wear shoes at home for several reasons.

Wear Shoes in The House: Is It a Bad Habit?

Most people think that wearing shoes is just American culture.

But it’s not limited to just one region now…

I don’t think it’s a bad habit to wear shoes in your own home, as long as you don’t wear them outside to keep your home, carpeted or uncarpeted, clean and tidy. Some people like to wear shoes around the house because they want to protect their feet from dust and hard floors. On the other hand, in some countries such as the United States and other European countries, wearing shoes indoors is also considered a cultural practice.

Why Shouldn’t Outdoor Shoes Be Worn Indoors?

Outdoor shoes carry a lot of bacteria and other microbes embedded in the soles. A study was conducted to analyze the soles of outdoor shoes. Researchers have found that when your shoes wipe off the surface while walking indoors, a variety of bacteria and viruses from outdoor surfaces can stick to your shoes and eventually infect your house floor. Therefore, it is bad practice for Americans or people in any region to wear work shoes at home.

Reasons for Wearing Shoes In the House

If you have special indoor shoes with clean floors, you can wear them around the house.

Here are the following reasons to wear shoes indoors:

1. Wearing shoes indoors – a cultural practice

Wearing shoes at home is a culture in European countries such as the US and the UK. Brits and Americans wear their shoes at home. There’s probably a reason their city is clean, which is why they don’t bother to take off their shoes when they enter the house.

But I think it’s still bad practice. For the reasons above, I agree that the shoes provide great comfort. So, American, British, or from any region, if you have separate shoes to move around the house, it is OK to wear shoes around the house.

So, if your house has hardwood floors and you want to wear shoes indoors, be sure to buy comfortable shoes with non-marking outsoles that won’t leave marks and damage on the hardwood floors in your home.

2. Protect feet from infection

Many people wear shoes to protect themselves from dust and tiny insects like spiders or ants that can harm them or get sick from the diseases these tiny insects carry. These people believe that if they don’t wear their shoes at home, they could catch many different diseases that can make them very sick for a long time.

Walking indoors barefoot carries many risks. Studies have shown that bacteria and fungi can be found in house dust when moisture is present and house floors are not cleaned properly. Because of this risk, most people prefer to wear indoor sneakers at home to prevent infection.

Additionally, tiny insects like ants and spiders on the floor of your house can also carry bacteria and fungi that can cause itchy skin on your feet and infect your toenails. Because of this, people avoid bare feet and prefer to wear shoes at home.

3. Protect feet from shock

If your house is not carpeted and has hard tile floors, walking around the house barefoot can put a lot of stress on your feet. Shoes play an important role here, as they provide comfort to our feet by absorbing surface pressure and cushioning the shock of walking.

There are two situations in which people like to wear shoes around the house:

• Very high foot arch
• Collapsed arch

The human foot has a natural arch, which is responsible for absorbing shocks due to its natural spring properties. However, if you have a high arch, when you stand or walk barefoot, the balls of your feet will be in extreme contact with the hard tile floor of your home. Because of this, these people prefer to wear shoes around the house to protect their feet from strong impacts. 

People with flat feet have sagging arches, which means that the feet are in full contact with the floor, supporting the weight of the body. Especially if you’re a heavy person, flat feet are the icing on the cake, making it extremely difficult to walk around the house barefoot.

Since flat feet are not strong enough to absorb shock, they naturally pronate to spread out the effects of body weight. However, this can worsen with prolonged pronation, which can lead to other problems, such as bunions and poor posture, which can put extra stress on the ankle. For this reason, you will find those wearing shoes that provide support and stability in the house. 

Also, some people with diabetes avoid going barefoot indoors because their circulatory problems can weaken their nerves and blood vessels. For this reason, even small foot bumps on the dining table at home can cause them some problems.

4. Avoid slips and falls

This reason is unique to the elderly. Research shows that more than 52% of older adults report that they have fallen barefoot, with slippers or socks without shoes. This is because older people have softer feet and feel weaker feet and cannot maintain balance when standing or walking barefoot indoors.

Hannan, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, recommends wearing low-heeled, well-fitting non-slip shoes around the house to prevent falls.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve cleared up the confusion about wearing shoes around the house. It’s not limited to Americans; as I mentioned above, people from different regions own indoor shoes for several reasons.