'It's not something I'm willing to budge on' – shoes on vs. shoes off, what type of household are you?

We've all experienced the dismay and trepidation of heading round to a friend or family member's and being told in the entryway 'We're a shoes off household.' Holey, mismatched, or stripey socks on show it is, then.

But, with more than half of the world's cultures agreeing that shoes off is the only way to go, where does your household fit in?

While we normally rely on them for cleaning tips, here we've spoken to our cleaning professionals to finally settle this age-old debate once and for all. And, we've found one resounding conclusion.

Shoes on vs shoes off – what type of household are you?

It turns out you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who does keep their shoes on at home, with every expert we spoke to agreeing to a strict no shoes rule.

Our very own Punteha van Terheyden, head of Solved here at Homes & Gardens is one of them. 'I grew up in a strictly shoes-off house,' she explains. 'As with anyone growing up in an Iranian household, shoes off is was status quo. That meant we were never allowed outdoor shoes in the house beyond the entryway, and we immediately put on house slippers for walking around indoors.

'All our floors were hardwood, so even though mopping floors the right way and sanitizing them was straightforward, my parents never budged on this issue, and I can understand it.'

As Punteha highlights, there's so much dirt, bacteria and dust outdoors, which can easily sneak it's way into your house on the bottom of your shoes, often without you even noticing or realizing. In time, this can make creating an achievable cleaning routine more and more difficult, with additional scrubbing and sanitizing needed on top of your regular chores.

'Since I've had my own home, it's been strictly 'shoes off,' adds Punteha. 'Even if I go to someone's house and they keep their outdoor shoes on, it's such a habit for me, I take mine off anyway. It would be so much easier for me and my household if I could get over this, but it gives me the ick, so it's sticking around.'

Karina Toner, cleaning expert and operations manager at Spekless, agrees. 'I'm proudly a "shoes-off" household – no exceptions or else!' she jokingly warns. And, as someone who regularly cleans clients homes for a living, who better to advise on the effects?

'Not only does it help keep floors cleaner and extend the life of my carpets, but it also feels more relaxing and respectful, especially for my husband and kids!' she continues. 'Shoes track in everything from pesticides to street grime, and I’d rather not bring that into our living space.'

This trend among our cleaning professionals continues with Will Cotter, founder and COO of DeluxeMaid. 'I'm team off all the way,' he asserts. 'I don’t want the outside world all over my floors. I’m not trying to bring all that into my living room where I sometimes sit down, or where my cats nap. And honestly, it’s just more hygienic. There’s less mopping and vacuuming too.'

After all, who doesn't want to ditch bad habits in honor of enjoying some time-saving tweaks for chores?

Carolina Kazimierski, co-owner of president of Sophia's Cleaning Service, concurs, adding 'This is not something I'm willing to budge on, either,' while Ashley Kidder, cleaning expert and COO at Dashing Maids, recommends, 'We offer comfy slippers or sandals for our guests to use when they visit to make it easier for everyone to honor our shoe-free home.'

If, like Carolina, you prefer to provide guests with some slippers when they arrive at your home, the Spa Slippers available at Amazon are a great option, as they're washable, reusable, and available in a range of sizes.

Personally, my household falls a little way over the other side of the debate. We have four dogs in our busy household and are constantly in and out of the house with shoes on.

We do have a mudroom to keep the worst of the post-walking mess under control, but it's not too realistic to ban shoes inside overall. However, we have a strict no shoes upstairs policy as a middle ground between cleanliness and convenience and mop, and vacuum thoroughly daily. Having hard floors throughout the lower floor makes it easy to clean.

So, where do you stand? Do you agree with the experts and always go shoe-free at home, firmly keep your shoes on, no matter what or fall somewhere in the middle like my household?

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet our experts

Punteha van Terheyden

Punteha joined Homes & Gardens as head of Solved last year, and was previously the editor of Real Homes, with 16 years of experience writing lifestyle and consumer pieces across print and digital newspapers and magazines.

Karina Toner

With numerous contributions in Homes & Gardens, Real Homes, The Spruce, and many more, Karina is a seasoned expert when it comes to keeping a clean and tidy home, with a strict shoes off approach!

Carolina Kazimierski

Sophia's Cleaning Service was founded in 1984, since becoming a trusted, local and family-owned cleaning company located in La Grange, Illinois. As co-owner, Carolina has lead the company to double in size, with high-quality work reflected in countless 5-star reviews left by satisfied customers.

Will Cotter

DeluxeMaid offers professional house cleaning services in Indianapolis, with a 4.9 out of 5 star rating on Google, and over 600 positive reviews. As a cleaning expert himself, Will operates a shoes off household, and encourages his clients to follow suit.

Ashley Kidder

As a small but growing business, Dashing Maids champions using green cleaning products for a spotless and sparkling home.

Do you keep shoes on or keep shoes hidden in your small entryway, like our experts? Let us know in the comments below!