Should you take off your shoes in the house? Scientists weigh in. – CBS News | Hacker News Reader

Should you take off your shoes in the house? Scientists weigh in. – CBS News

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9 pointsthedday20 comments

HVAC quality in a house is nowhere as good as in a well-regulated office. The first thing I do at home is take of my shoes (from my culture) but also my socks. Working from home, I can't even think clearly in long sleeves most of the time. If the floors are particularly cool, I'll wear thin and loose fabric slippers.

Yes. I grew up on a farm nothing but agriculture. My parents taught us to take shows off in the laundry room before coming into the house. Dad was very adamant about this because he stated to us children “ There’s no telling where you walked so make sure to take your shoes off. Don’t walk in other people’s homes with your shoes on. It’s not polite because your shoes aren’t the cleanest thing you wear.” I’m glad I learned this from my parents and I’ve taught my sons this as well.

Some of my family are Chinese and they walk around in sandals or shoeless. In the kitchen they often use a large Chinese cleaver. I warn them endlessly not to use those knives

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=chinese+cleaveR&iax=images&ia=imag...

without wearing shoes b/c, if dropped, such a knife can sever part of a foot! But to no avail.

At times there are other hazards indoors, ranging from merely banging a toe in the dark to stepping into water that is carrying 120/240 volts of electrical AC power. The latter can kill you where you stand if you, say, reach for the faucet.

Wearing shoes is safer.

> stepping into water that is carrying 120/240 volts of electrical AC power.

Why would you have "water that is carrying 120/240 volts of electrical AC power" ?

Frankly this is an argument for govt enforcement of not wearing shoes in the house so natural selection can take care of some of the problems that society cannot.

Water leak or flooding. Many electrical wires run at or below ground level where rainwater can reach even w/o visible above-ground flooding. Electrical appliances or tools and/or their AC plugs may be in low areas and present a hazard. Many large appliances (stoves, refrigerators) are 240 volt.

Risk increases in areas and times prone to overflowing rainwater or outright flooding, e.g., during hurricanes.

Walking in floodwaters is dangerous b/c of risk of electrocution and also b/c you can't see where you're stepping. Then wearing shoes becomes even more important for a different reason. But one of the first things we learn is, when flooding occurs, turn off electrical power at the main switch.

Sorry but this is hilariously paranoid.

Ever used a cleaver? Even picked one up? Perhaps you've dropped a freshly sharpened cleaver on your bare foot and it bounced off w/o any visible injury?

I don't think so!8-))

It isn't paranoia, it is human imagination. It saves bright people and, in its absence, cripples dummies twice over.

Paranoia is basically overactive human imagination to no useful end. Cannot imagine going around your own house so afraid all the time.

I have been well-trained in safety and have worked in a variety of environments (laboratories, chemical plants, etc.) where a "safety first" attitude is necessary and economical. My father, an engineer, did woodwork in his spare time and while doing so, taught me safety well. Did you have someone who taught you?

"Cannot imagine going around your own house ..."

No problem at all: feel free. But I recommend that you wear shoes while doing it! [The snake will bite if you step on it, although it is not poisonous.]

Oh I see, so you have been taught to be paranoid. Apparently this is a special type of paranoia that is more legitimate.

I can be carefree or I can ramp up to paranoid as necessary - that has kept me alive and healthy. I don't consider wearing shoes inside paranoid - only convenient and typical.

As for you, your workmates are complaining: it is time to empty your boot. No paranoia, just good manners.

Lol, good luck with whatever weird norms you have I guess. I'll go on living happily not worrying about cleavers falling on my foot every second.

I personally won't have a bath or shower with first donning my drysuit, wearing a hard hat and steel toe cap boots is mandatory in my kitchen, and I keep said boots next to my bed at night so I can put them on when I need the bathroom at night.

Save yourself the trouble and piss into the boot.

In my culture we don't keep a live current in pools of water around the house. To many that may sound bizarre but it's how we've always done things.

It isn't a cultural thing if course. But you'd be a fool to trust the safety of your home to cultural trends or even to building codes. That aside, be honest: you probably don't know where all the electrical wires in your dwelling lie.

I was surprised to find that an entire condominium (many units) had 120 VAC wires running 2" above ground level at the front picture window of every ground-floor unit. We have had hurricanes where rainwater has risen in the courtyard above that level, entered the walls and beyond. Ergo know how to cut the main power!

You mention pools so I will punish you with this anecdote: we got rid of the condo pool years ago. It was a maintenance hazard b/c of pool lights, pumps and a chlorination system that broke down as well as drunk fuckers (I mean that literally) who accidentally broke beer bottles around the pool and didn't clean up.

If you have a pool or hot tub then have it checked annually for electrical and child safety. The only cure for the drunk fuckers is to buy more insurance and charge it to the condo owners' association (or better, get rid of the damn pool).

I adopted the shoeless policy at home long ago. I remember in high school, one of my friends was shocked to find that we all wore shoes at home. Now, grandma's home was built by someone from Back East, and it included a "Mud Room" which contained junk and never used for its intended purpose, because there was never any mud to contend with. Due to a continued lack of mud, and comfort in my bare feet, I adopted the shoeless policy and I keep all my shoes by the door, or in the closet for rarely-used pairs.

My fiancée was, in turn, shocked by my steadfast barefoot stance, and she coaxed me into wearing sandals around the house. This was a firmer and kinder coaxing than the hints I get from Mom, which come indirectly: gifts of moccasins and slippers that I hate, and pre-shaming me for dropping fingernail fragments on the floor before I even start cutting my nails.

I have no such issues living alone, so I'm comfortable in my own skin here. Fight me.

> Fight me. Why would I want to do that? There is a lot of aggression in your writing, are you OK?

Falls, falls, falls!

You can avoid falls by not wearing socks or slippery slippers inside. Bare feet are less of a problem than wearing socks but wearing shoes is safest.

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