House Shoes Vs Slippers – What Is The Difference?
Today we’ll look at the difference between house shoes and slippers; which best fits your needs? Continue reading to discover the essential distinctions between these two footwear options and discover the best option for you.
What’s the Difference Between House Shoes And Slippers?
The main differences between house shoes and slippers are that:
- Slippers are easier to get on than house shoes.
- House shoes are just for the house, while certain types of slippers can also be worn outside and are more durable.
- House shoes are seen as more hygienic.
There are exceptions to these rules, as some shoes can be classed as both slippers and house shoes. For example, there are slippers that are only suitable for indoor use and are more of a comfort shoe than anything.
We go into more detail below.
Benefits of House Shoes
House shoes serve as an elevated version of socks, providing more comfort and protection for feet while inside. This footwear never goes outside. Instead house shoes offer a consistent shoe option that is always comfortable and clean.
Sanitary
This footwear offers a reliable option to protect and comfort your feet in all situations. When you think about it, the floors in your home are often dirty. That’s just life! Kids, pets, and guests add to the inevitable build-up of dirt, hair, and germs on the floors.
Choosing house shoes for everyone indoors keeps household surfaces more sanitary. Bare feet and socks can pick up and embed grime from carpeting and hard surface floors. Family members and guests then can track dirt and germs onto upholstery or into bedding.
When everyone wears house shoes, all of the residue from the day stays where it belongs and never follows you onto the couch or into bed. Kick off house shoes before putting your feet up as an easy way to keep your home cleaner.
Washable
Many kinds of house shoes offer designs that are easily washable. Many people use simple athletic slides as their house shoes. Spot clean vinyl or foam, athletic slides with a damp cloth and soap to clean these house shoes.
Other house shoes appear more like socks and are made of wool or cotton. Check the machine wash instructions to view how to launder and dry these sweater-like house shoes. It is much more rare to find a pair of machine-washable slippers.
Inexpensive
Compared to slippers, house shoes cost significantly less. Because you ask much less of your house shoes, they are much less durable and therefore cheaper. House shoes do not feature expensive details like a thick rubber sole or a durable fabric like suede. Instead, house shoes can be as simple as something that resembles thick slipper socks.
Because of this comparatively low expense, feel free to choose a wide and diverse range of house shoe options. If you decide to become a house shoe household, consider investing in inexpensive options frequent guests can take home with them. This way your loved ones always have house shoes in your home.
Endless Variety
There is no one definition for a house shoe. The only widely agreed-upon detail is that a house shoe is not durable enough to wear outdoors. This translates into a nearly endless variety of house shoe options, ranging from practical footwear to fashion accessories.
House shoes range from utilitarian gardening clogs to feminine slides decorated with a feather boa. This footwear option gives the wearer an opportunity to adopt a house shoe wardrobe! Consider using different house shoes in warm months versus cooler months.
When to Wear a House Shoe
House shoes offer a luxurious level of comfort when indoors at home, relaxing in a hotel or bed and breakfast, or when visiting someone else’s home. House shoes provide an especially comforting option when first exiting a shower or bath.
Pregnant women can pack house shoes into their bags for the hospital. Or buy a pair of house shoes for the college-bound student in your life. Both situations use house shoes to protect and comfort feet in unpredictable environments.
Benefits of Slippers
Slippers provide a versatile footwear option that easily transitions between indoors and outdoors. A pair of these next to an exterior door protects feet during short trips answers the question of what to wear when picking the newspaper up from the driveway.
While utilitarian, slippers also offer a cozy footwear option and are often lined with plush fabrics like fleece or faux fur.
Versatile
Slippers blur the line between legitimate, wear-everywhere footwear and shoes that should not leave your property. Many slippers feature a hard, rubber sole to encourage wearers to wear them when enjoying a cup of coffee on your deck or filling bird feeders.
Because slippers cost significantly more than house shoes, their versatility helps justify the expense. If you plan to wear your slippers inside and outside, consider the sanitation of the practical slippers you chose. Do they have a fabric that is easy to clean? Is the sole durable? Develop a procedure to clean the soles of your slippers so you do not track dirt and germs into your home.
Long-Lasting
This footwear option can last several years when not worn outside of its reasonable limits. Slippers do not fare well with strenuous activity like any fast movement, running, climbing, or jumping. If you reserve your slippers for casual excursions only, a solid pair of slippers will last much longer than a simple pair of house shoes.
Look for solid construction within the slippers if you desire a long-lasting pair. Choose fabrics that age with grace like wool, leather, or shearling.
Easy to Wear
The name implies an effortless way to wear these shoes and they do not disappoint. In contrast to house shoes, slippers often feature a slip-on construction. House shoes often require you to insert your entire foot like a sock or have a back to the shoe.
Slippers provide a terrific option for people with mobility issues or who need reliable slip-on shoes. Those who need specialized insoles or other orthopedic cures can usually slip them effortlessly into any pair of slippers.
When to Wear Slippers
Slippers can take you to a diverse array of activities, given they are not too strenuous. As fashion trends continue to become more casual, slippers increasingly blur the line between standard footwear and bedroom gear.
Choose slippers for a quick trip to the mailbox or to meet a delivery person at the doorstep. Slippers can easily do the trick for an early morning dog walk or to run a simple errand. Keep slippers nearby to enter an unfinished basement or patio space.
These cozy shoes can be worn inside too, making them a more versatile option than house shoes. Slippers are ideal for lounging on the couch or to wear after taking off formal shoes worn at work.
To help slippers maintain their versatility, smart slippers wearers will make sure the soles are cleaned after extensive wear outside. Slippers with a rubber sole are the easiest to clean. Use a damp cloth to spot clean slippers and wipe away any mud or other residue.
Importance of Wearing Shoes at Home
Experts now recommend wearing shoes at home for a variety of reasons. Shoes designated for indoor use cut down on grime and germs. And house shoes and slippers can support overall body health.
If you have transitioned to working from home and no longer wear structured shoes regularly, stress on your arch, tendons, ligaments, and joints may be occurring simply from going barefoot indoors.
For those with foot problems, the benefits of choosing supportive footwear are even more profound. According to Yale Medicine, those with the following ailments should seriously consider wearing shoes at home:
- Flat feet
- Plantar fasciitis
- Tendonitis
- Arthritis
Choosing to be barefoot while at home can cause flare-ups of chronic conditions and make them worse. Doctors claim an increase in tendon, ligament, and joint issues stemming from an increasingly sedentary society wearing improper shoes.
Not wearing supportive footwear over a long period of time may result in critical concerns with joints like your hips, knees, and ankles. Going barefoot indoors too long can affect your gait or how you walk permanently.
A few essential characteristics of house shoes or slippers will help promote healthy and happy feet. Choose a pair of house footwear with a thick, rubber sole. This will distribute the weight evenly after climbing stairs or walking on hard surfaces all day.
A good rule of thumb for choosing a pair of supportive shoes for home use is to consider if you could wear them around the block or down a few aisles of the grocery store. If the fluffy, soft, and adorable option you are considering won’t help in that scenario it is not appropriate to wear it at home all day.
Difference Between Slippers And House Shoes, Closing Thoughts
So that’s the showdown of house shoes vs slippers. House shoes and slippers serve distinct purposes to keep our feet cozy and clean. For some, the wear-anywhere slippers are best, allowing wearers to easily transition between inside and outside. House shoes provide necessary boundaries for others, providing a comfortable footwear option guaranteed to be sanitary and easily laundered. Explore both house shoes and slippers to discover the best way to pamper your feet.
