The prosecution: Mindy
He’ll wear them in the garden and then drag all these bits of mud on his soles into our home
I believe that slippers should only be worn in soft spaces: the bedroom, around the house, maybe the bathroom if the floor isn’t wet. But they are most definitely not meant for doing odd jobs outside or stepping beyond your front door. My husband, Jim, however, wears them all the time and it just makes me cross. We’ve been married for 34 years, but the slipper habit has only started to affect us as we hit middle age. We are both 56 now, and I guess it’s a very middle-age conundrum.
What I hate the most is Jim wearing his slippers outside when he gardens. He will be out there for hours, mowing the lawn and weeding, and then he will drag in all these bits of mud on the bottom of his shoes. I will say “slippers off please!” before he comes inside, but he will only sort of tap them together and tell me it’s fine.
Jim also wears his slippers to take the bins out and run errands. He will drop our eldest son off at the station in his slippers or do a supermarket run while wearing them. It’s unhygienic. I don’t like the idea of him bringing all the outside stuff into our home. Jim’s slippers are also really smelly and he doesn’t replace them enough. I will get him a new pair every Christmas or so, but if he doesn’t like them he will just store the new ones under our bed until the pair he’s wearing falls apart.
I also don’t like Jim wearing them in our bedroom because we have cream carpets. He pretends not to understand and says: “Why can’t I wear my slippers in my own bedroom?” in this forlorn voice. But the carpet in there is soft enough – you don’t need to wear shoes on it, especially not if those shoes have been outdoors.
I don’t really win on this issue. Jim seems to ignore me all the time. But I get irritated if I see bits of mud in our bedroom. We have wooden dining room floors and tiles in the kitchen. I don’t mind if he wears his slippers there, but I think socks on the carpet are adequate. And he should wear his trainers outside. I would like Jim to listen to me on this one, but I also realise I’m fighting a losing battle.
The defence: Jim
A slipper is a casual shoe and is made to be worn both inside and outside the house
Mindy runs a tight ship, but I’ve been a happy passenger for more than 30 years. However, I do sometimes wonder: can’t a man enjoy his slippers in the comfort of his own home?
I wear my slippers all the time, I admit that. But that’s what they are there for. A slipper is a casual shoe and it is definitely made to be worn both inside and outside the house. I don’t want to keep swapping shoes to do little jobs around the house because it’s inconvenient. And I’ll only go outside in my slippers if the ground isn’t wet, so it’s not as though I’m dragging dirt and debris through the house in the way Mindy makes out.
Mindy is definitely a stickler for cleanliness so she notices every little crumb or speck of dust. She’s always been this way. She cleans our house about twice a week. I think it’s a bit too much. When our kids were young, she worked part time as a school careers adviser – I was the deputy headteacher – but still managed to make sure the house was spotless. Now we’re both retired, she’s got even more time on her hands to obsess over the cleaning. My slippers are falling into the zone of criticism. I feel surveilled at times.
I am not opposed to switching my slippers every now and again, but Mindy wants me to throw away a pair before I’ve got good use out of them. I always think: “I’m not done with these!” I like to keep wearing them until they have fallen apart, and I don’t like wearing a new pair in. If it were up to me, I’d never really change them.
I like a classic slipper, with a real back on it and a good sole. I think Mindy’s rule that you can’t wear slippers on the carpet is ridiculous. That’s what slippers are for. She says it’s because I am always outside in them, but I do try to clean them off. I can’t see myself putting my feet in trainers every time I pop outside or drive up the road. It’s impractical and unnecessary.
Slippers are good foot support, and in the cold months I really like the insulation. Socks around the house just don’t cut it.
The jury of Guardian readers
Should Jim slip on a pair of shoes?
Jim is making out that Mindy’s request is dramatic, when it is very reasonable. His slippers are dirty, and Mindy has to clean up after him. It’s wasteful to buy new slippers, but if he didn’t wear them outdoors she wouldn’t feel the need to get clean ones.
Edie, 18
This is an open and shut case: Mindy’s request is totally reasonable. She does not want mud tracked through the house and into the bedroom, and Jim needs to recognise this. He should treat himself to some nice new step-in work boots and keep them by the back door.
Tom, 53
Perhaps I’m a slob but I think the obsession with having everything spick and span is a bit of a time waster. You only have one life. What’s a bit of dirt on the bedroom floor? Mindy needs to loosen up a bit.
Loretta, 33
Slippers are for the house, not the garden! They are definitely not for nipping to the shops or driving … That’s pretty unsafe. Mindy may be a stickler, but she has a point if Jim is trailing garden muck into the house. Come on, Jim, get some trainers for the garden. But please … no Crocs!
Rory, 47
Guilty as sin. The idea of old manky slippers under the bed is what haunts me about this case. Horrible! If Jim is wearing his slippers outside the house at all, they cease to be slippers and start to be shoes. Slippers are for inside only. Those are just the rules.
Anna, 45
Now you be the judge
In our online poll, tell us: should Jim change out of his slippers before popping out?
The poll closes on Thursday 18 July at 10am BST
Last week’s result
We asked whether Rupert should help his mother get ready to move house
89% of you said Rupert is guilty – He needs to get a move on
11% of you said Rupert is not guilty – Mum should get her own house in order
• This article was amended on 12 July 2024. Due to a production error, the poll and last week’s result were omitted from the original version.
