I have always removed my shoes when I come into a house. I was taught this as a child on my aunt's farm - no one wore the shoes they had worn out to the barn in the house. In fact, we had to leave them on her back porch, not even in the kitchen. I always had pets - the cats seemed able to understand that one cleans their feet before coming inside - the dogs - not so much. So there was always a mat by my back door with a cloth to wipe the dog's feet before they wandered all the way in. It's not about 'germs' - floors are not exactly sterile surfaces, but about keeping the outside dirt/grim/manure outside & not tracking it all over which just made for more work in the sweeping & mopping of the floors. My 20 year old carpets look very good because no one tracks dirt through my house.

However, having said all that - I know that my diabetic friends will be wearing their shoes in my home. They need to protect their feet and they get a buy. I have slippers I wear on my hardwoods - but that's for warmth. As a nurse for nearly 30 years, the right footwear is so vital to the health of our feet. I wore Dansko clogs for most of my nursing career & they literally have made all the difference in the health of my feet. I know they prevented me from having so many of the issues my colleagues dealt with.

Everyone must do whatever is necessary for their own health. If there's a physical reason why you should keep your shoes on, I don't have a problem with that even in my own home. But everyone else leaves their shoes at my door. :)