This is Day 4 of the Green in 365 series!
Okay, so now that we’ve got all the basics of the Green in 365 series covered, let’s get started! I’m excited, I hope you are too!
The Entry Way
What better place to start greening our homes but at the front door, or wherever you most often enter your home?!
Did you know that one of the biggest ways that toxins, chemicals, and other nasty stuff enters your home is on your shoes? One small change you can make that will have a big impact on your home is to start a “No Shoes in the House” policy.
Get your family together and talk about the importance of taking off your shoes at the door, and not tracking everything from outside into your home. Work together with your family to begin a “No Shoes in the House” policy.
Now, if your family is anything like mine and everyone has been become accustomed to wearing their shoes in the house, this may not seem like such a small change or easy transition. We just made this change recently as a family, and it took us a LONG time before to finally institute this rule in our home, so here are a few tips for making it work.
Have a designated place to take off your shoes
This may take a little rearranging, but you need a spot to take your shoes off and store them, which also serves as a good reminder for everyone that shoes need to come off before they walk into the house. Here is the DIY shelf and bench my hubby made for our entryway!
Have “Inside Shoes” or “House Shoes” for those who like to wear shoes in the house
My hubs was the hardest one to convert over to the no shoes in the house rule. He just likes to have something on his feet all the time, even around the house. The truth is, so do I. The way we worked around this is that we both have a pair of good slippers that we wear inside during the winter, and designated insides shoes for warmer months when we don’t want to wear slippers, for me it’s a cheap pair of Old Navy flip-flops. Just because there’s a no shoes in the house rule, doesn’t mean you can’t wear anything at all on your feet, it just means you can’t wear your shoes that you wear outside, into the house.
Starting a “No Shoes in the House” rule will have a big impact on the amount of toxins and chemicals, such as lead, cadmium, pesticides and more, that you track into your home.
Do you have a “No Shoes” policy in your house? What keeps “No Shoes in the House” from working for your family?
Find all the Green in 365 posts.
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We do not USUALLY wear our shoes in the house–exceptions can be made for “I left the shopping list in the kitchen!” and things like that. We don’t require guests to take off their shoes, but seeing a rack full of shoes right by the door encourages them to think of it.
I’m more comfortable in sock feet (or bare feet in summer) around the house, but my feet get cold easily. I prefer wearing 3 or 4 layers of socks in winter to wearing slippers!
Such a good point that seeing a rack full of shoes at the door encourages guests to take off their shoes! Thanks for sharing ‘Becca!
We have always had a no shoes in the house policy, or at least I have! Definetly harder to get my husband to comply, but he does the house shoes thing too and that seems to work ok. Except when he starts wearing them outside! Bonus for not wearing shoes in the house is less cleaning the floor for me!
Yeah, my hubs sometimes wears his slippers/house shoes outside too. Doh! I wish it helped my floors stay clean, but with a dog, I’m just not really sure that possible LOL!
We also have a no shoes in house policy. I babysit so I have lots of feet! lol We put a huge rug in front of our front door, and I have a “shoe box” for the kids, and my family to put our shoes in. It works very well for us. 🙂
We have always taken our shoes off in the house, even going to other peoples houses we do the same. It wasn’t until I met my husband’s family where they didn’t always take their shoes off, did I even consider wearing shoes in the house! It seems to cut down on my cleaning anyways if we take them off in the entryway instead of wearing them around the house. And now that we have chickens…well there is a take shoes off before you enter the house rule 🙂
While we try to have a no shoes in the house policy – the dogs tend to make the matter moot.. sigh..
I know, that is kind of the trouble with dogs, huh!? I figure that at least my dog is just in our yard that we don’t spray with fertilizer or pesticides, but it definitely doesn’t help with keeping my floors clean!
We’ve been doing this for years, but I didn’t realize why it was a good practice until a year or two ago when something posted on a blog about it. I love the idea of indoor shoes! My kids are so used to taking off their shoes and socks when they come in (they just love being barefoot), that they will feel odd if they don’t do it at a friend’s house or at an open house or another party. They’ve been known to do it at doctor’s offices and church, too! But yeah, what do you do with dog’s feet? We wipe them the best we can when they come in. Thankfully, he isn’t walked on the street often, but goes out back. This is an easy one to do!
My kids love to be barefoot too, even in the winter! We usually have our dog lay down on her dog bed for at least a minute when she comes in from outside, and I do figure that at least our backyard isn’t sprayed with fertilizer or chemicals, but dogs do complicate the problem of keeping the floors clean, don’t they?!
Thanks for starting with an easy task! I live in Alaska and we’ve been a shoes off in the house family for years and years as have all our family and friends. After you’ve stepped in a puddle of melted snow and ice melt in your socks a couple times, it makes complete sense. To make it clear to first time guests, we keep cotton mats inside each door, along with baskets of slippers for folks to slip on if they want.
This is an especially important activity for use as we have disabled son who spends a lot of time on the floor scooting around the house. I don’t want him exposed to all the stuff that gets on shoes outside.
That’s a great idea Cheri to have a basket of slippers for guests, so thoughtful! I guess in Alaska that extra important to help keep your feet warm! 🙂
I grew up in a house where you took your shoes off at the door and changed into slippers. Many years on I still do this. My fiancee also prefers to take off her shoes and wear slippers. We do ask our guests to remove their shoes and workmen are expected to wear shoe covers. We live in a semi-rural area thats very wet and muddy so shoe removal is essential. When visiting we automatically remove our shoes. I feel its a little rude not to at least offer to remove your shoes.
Thanks for sharing Mark!
We live in Alaska so a no shoes in the house is a standard policy in 99% of the homes here. We just don’t allow the option of shoes in the home. If our front porches/steps are covered some will leave them outside the front door, others will have a designated spot when you first walk in (whether we have a mudroom or not) It’s just a way of life for us here.