Hehe, that's all true Bitte. I know som exchange students, and they also commented about that swedish people always take of their shoes off at the front door.

It's funny how quickly things become second nature. When I first moved to Sweden it took a while to get used to this after a lifetime of stomping around UK houses with my boots on. But before long I found it felt more and more natural, and found myself looking disapprovingly and tut-tutting at my friends when I went back to the UK to find everyone else in their normal habits.

Nowadays, having been married to a Swede for 5 years, it wouldn't occur to me to do anything else. Which is a bit of a problem sometimes now that we've moved back to the UK where the stereotype about cold houses is, generally, pretty much true. Luckily my wife's grandmother left a legacy of a lifetime supply of home-knitted woolly socks.

On a connected note, the other thing that I used to love and now can't stand is carpets. I used to think of them as cosy, welcoming and comfortable. Now, after those nice fresh Swedish wooden floors, they just strike me as rather dusty and a real pain to clean.

Ah well, next I'll start thinking it's strange to have two separate taps in the bathroom... 

I think this is for not to bring home the dirty from outside, specially when snows. At first it was very strange to me but i liked it. Everything is so clean!. My father also loves sweden and he wanted to use the same tradition here in Argentina... i told him, is not going to work here, people is not used to do that.

I think is a very intelligent idea!

ha ha ... perhaps if he aired is feet more often they wouldn't smell so much. 

I love the idea of Guest slippers (if the guests also keep their socks on for hygiene purposes). I saw a giant slipper in a store window yesterday. One that you could hang by the door and use as storage for the guest slippers. Really cool!

I come from an area where this practice is very common.  I was surprised to see this in Sweden.  In the tribal belts of my country this is very normal to take off shoes.

I've always been teached that habit of taking outside shoes off both from my dad who is french and my mom who is Quebecoise. I also did it while living in france, Netherlands and Montreal (Canada). I find it respectfull both for the floors and the tenant of the home! :-)So is that enough to seduce a swede man? hihihi

Funny how this subject is so much disussed here, isn´t it? Seems like we should found a club - the International Association for Really Nice Socks?

Anyway, I thought of a situation where it is more common to use shoes inside. If invited to a private party that is more of a festive occasion, like New Year´s Eve parties, you could bring a pair of nice (high heeled) shoes to go with your clothes. But it is not compulsory - at the party with friends that I visited, half of the guests had shoes and the other half had put their money in a pair of really nice socks that they wanted to show off... (I wore some really high heeled pumps, but that was only because my trousers were too long...)

Just remember - it is never OK to use the shoes you wore outside.