My parents are the exact opposite of clean freaks, but I was raised in a pretty strict shoes off home. To me, it makes perfect sense. No matter how careful we are, we trudge through all manner of dirt and grime in our footwear when we go outside. Why on earth would we be OK with bringing that into our personal space? For as long as I can remember, I have cringed at the idea of not putting my shoe rack to good use. I always feel guilty when I forget something just after I go out and then run inside for it without untying my laces.
However, I realize that not everyone is in agreement on this. Plenty of people find shoes in the house to be both normal and logical. One of the few instances in which I grudgingly admit it makes some sense is if you have a lot of visitors, as with a dilemma that Twitter has been arguing over recently. When one man complained about being invited to a party with a strict no shoes policy, it elicited some strong reactions. Listen, you never know where all those soles have been.