Should you wear shoes inside the house?

Every visit to somebody else's home contains a small moment of diplomacy on the doormat. Do you bend down, or do you walk in? Guess wrong and the evening starts with an apology.

This is one of the few arguments on the register where the two sides are often not even from the same tradition, which is why it produces such confident indignation in both directions.

The hygiene point is the plain one. Shoes spend the day on surfaces nobody would willingly touch, and taking them off at the door keeps all of that at the door.

Carpets and wooden floors also last longer without grit and street water being ground into them, which is a maintenance argument as much as a cleanliness one.

It is the normal custom across much of the world, and in a great many British households too. Guests who find it unusual are encountering a convention, not a personal accusation.

An outfit is put together as a whole. Removing shoes leaves a guest half-dressed, sometimes in socks with holes in, and often noticeably shorter than they arrived.

There are also practical and physical reasons people keep shoes on: cold floors, foot conditions, orthotics and support that slippers do not provide.

For a short visit the balance is different. Twenty minutes on a hallway floor does not justify a doorstep negotiation with somebody who came to drop off a parcel.

Shoes-off is the standard indoor custom in many parts of Asia, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and among many British households as well. Shoes-on has remained common in parts of Britain, Ireland and North America.

The reliable signal is the hall. A row of shoes by the door, a shoe rack, or the host removing their own footwear is an instruction, and does not need to be spoken.

The considerate host makes it easy either way: say so warmly at the door, and keep a few pairs of clean slippers or socks available for guests who would rather not go barefoot.

Is it rude to ask guests to take their shoes off?

Not if it is asked kindly and in advance, ideally when inviting them. It becomes awkward only when it arrives as a surprise instruction at the door.

How do you know whether to remove your shoes?

Look for shoes lined up in the hallway, a shoe rack, or what the host does with their own. If there is no signal, offering is polite and takes one sentence.

Which countries take shoes off indoors?

It is standard custom across much of Asia, in the Nordic countries and much of Eastern Europe, and common in many British and Canadian households too.

What if you have a foot condition?

Say so. Supportive footwear or orthotics are a straightforward exception, and most hosts would far rather be told than have the request declined silently.