Why You Should Never, Ever Put Shoes On Your Sofa

After a long day of work, you may be itching to veg out on the couch with a cozy blanket and your favorite TV show. But before you go curling up and getting comfy, you may want to think twice about your footwear. Look down: If you’re still donning the shoes you wore to the office that day, it’s time for a little change.

Why You Should Never Put Shoes On Your Couch

There are several reasons you should never put shoes on a sofa, but the biggest is that it’s about as unsanitary as it gets when it comes to letting germs into your house. Next to your bed, your couch is probably the place you spend the most time in your home. It’s the venue for weekly movie night and where you host company for coffee and dessert. It transforms into a sick bed when your kids catch the flu, and it’s a landing ground for every member of your family at one point or another during the day. Now think about all the places your shoes travel before arriving back home. Public restrooms, busy sidewalks, muddy soccer fields—if you wouldn’t want to lay down in any of these places, then you should probably slip off your shoes before putting your feet up on the couch.

Jackie Vernon-Thompson, etiquette expert and owner of From the Inside-Out School of Etiquette, says the same rules apply when thinking about putting shoes on a coffee table. “Consider the fact that everything you step on outdoors is to some degree on the bottom of the shoes,” she says. “Imagine gathering all that dirt, germs, and bacteria, placing it in a bag, and dumping it on your coffee table. The coffee table is where you may place your cup of tea or coffee, your drink, and even a snack on a plate. I definitely would not place my shoes on a surface where I may eat from.”

Another reason to keep your shoes off your couch is to preserve the life of your furniture. Whether you’re wearing sneakers with a rubber sole or stilettos with a sharp heel, introducing your couch to non-soft materials puts your furniture at risk of wearing down faster than it should. Not only could you tear a hole in your sofa’s upholstery, but if your couch is light in colored, your shoes could create scuff marks or other stains.

"We teach our children to keep their shoes and feet off of the furniture," says national etiquette expert Diane Gottsman. "It damages the wood or upholstery, it is unhygienic, and most often off-putting to those seated around you."

Is It Ever OK For Guests To Prop Their Feet Up?

As a guest in someone’s home, you should never do something that you wouldn’t do in your own home. In this case, even if you put your feet on furniture in your own home, you should refrain from doing so in someone else’s home.

“Even in the most informal setting, and even if it’s encouraged by your host, planting your feet up on someone else’s furniture appears disrespectful,” Gottsman says. There are, however, a few exceptions, she says. “If you have a broken foot or are in a cast and you were sitting for an extended period of time, your host might prop pillows up on the coffee table to make you feel more comfortable.”  

Vernon-Thompson says this rule applies whether you’re wearing shoes or not and whether the furniture in question is a coffee table or couch.

“In your own home, if you have not walked outdoors barefoot, feel free to get comfy on your sofa,” she says. “However, this practice does not apply when you are visiting someone's home. Keep your feet on the floor, shoes or not!”