Like many here, we never wear outside shoes in the house, water hog mat in mud room ( which I vacuum several times a week) and steam mop once a week.
LOL - Everybody is different regarding hardwood preferences.
Kitchen (and downstairs hall) is where we have hardwood floors. I never want them elsewhere (especially not in bedroom or bath!), but I’ve been surprisingly happy with them in the kitchen. Originally didn’t want them, but my husband talked me into it (by agreeing to be in charge of their care, which lasted until our housekeeper years started… now he has a bad back so I clean kitchen floor, he cleans countertops). When we renovate our 1993 house’s kitchen, we will likely just refinish the floors again. I care for them via sweeping, spot cleaning with towel, and Bona.
When I babysat my sister’s dog at her house, I wiped down the dog’s feet after he went out. The dog never complained. 
My sister was like, “What?! And he let you?” The dog knew better.
Just posting here in case anyone else actually wears shoes inside their house. We have mats outside and inside, and take off nasty shoes, but we do wear shoes inside the house and nothing has been irrevocably ruined by that.
Thanks everyone! Looks like I just need to be mindful of the shoes. But there are times I can’t take them off, and buy one of those big mats.
In HI most people are barefoot in homes. I think it reduces dirt and grime and wear on flooring.
Bare feet tell me if my floors are clean or not. In shoes, I can’t feel a few spilled coffee grounds, tiny crumbs, or the daily detritus of life. For me, it’s not enough to think the floors are clean, I need my feet to confirm. Damn these aging knees and the need for house shoes!
We don’t have a no shoes rule in our house but most of us take off shoes as a matter of course once we get home. We have hardwoods throughout and would never consider actively installing carpet. I suppose someday I might move to a place that had carpet and that would probably be ok.
@Singswimsew , I actually love the feel of carpet, but we really want to update. The upstairs is carpet and I would never change that in the cold Midwest. Just got new carpet last year, so plush!
We have site finished hardwood in entire first floor other than back hall/laundry/bath. And in upper hallway. Carpet in bedrooms which will be replaced with wood when we replace. Hardwood shows dust/dirt more than other floor surfaces. But the dirt is still there. Including in carpets. Easier to clean with hardwood.
We don’t tell people to take off their shoes when they visit but they normally do. Its just not necessary. And in the cold of winter, a lot of people prefer to keep their shoes on.
We mop hardwood once a week. Golden retriever makes sure there are no crumbs or other food items anywhere. Though in return she sheds a ton. Vacuuming dog hair off hardwood is easy. Just gets imbedded in carpet.
I think we had a whole thread not too long ago about the shoes off/shoes on debate.
We are a 'whatever you prefer" house and both H and wear shoes in the house (on our wood floors) unless we’ve been working in the yard or it’s wet outside. I hate being barefoot and don’t like slippers! I don’t think we had a shoes off rule when I grew up - which is sort of surprising to think about because my mom was pretty strict about mess in the house. Of course if our soles were obviously dirty…
Is this “hog mat” a style of rug or a brand???
We don’t wear shoes in our house, but it has everything to do with comfort and zero to do with maintaining the floors.
The minute I get home, I’m taking off the shoes.
In our remodel, we sanded and refinished the floors. They are currently covered with paper. Once the house is finished, I’m going to ask the floor guy to expand on his statement that “most people have no idea how to properly clean food floors.”
We have hardwood floors on our main level and don’t require shoes off. I had four kids less than six years apart - it was simply impossible in their younger years to require them to remove shoes every time they came inside. They were always in and out while playing outside, whether it was for a bathroom break, a drink of water, or to grab a forgotten hat, etc. Tying and untying shoes at that age was too time consuming so just made it easier to leave their shoes on. That said, in bad or wet weather, shoes were kicked off either in the garage or mudroom.
Now that everyone is old enough, it’s too hard to change those habits. Most of the time, if coming inside and staying inside, shoes are taken off, but typically after already walking through the main part of the house. I occasionally go barefoot, but due to a bout with plantar fasciitis years, I need arch support so don’t stay barefoot long. In warm weather, I wear supportive flip flops. Otherwise, I wear slippers in cooler weather. I also have bunions so don’t like wearing close toed shoes any longer than I have to so don’t usually wear regular shoes inside. I have a 4’x6’ decorative indoor/outdoor rug inside our front door for wet shoes if we come in that way. I don’t require guests to take off shoes, but in bad weather, kids’ friends always kick them off there.
We have a Roomba that runs several times a week to pick up grit, dog hair and human hair that my daughters and I frequently shed from our very thick hair. I have a shoulder vac with attachments that I also use once a week or so to get the areas the Roomba misses. I clean the wood floor with a damp mop as needed. The floor is 17 years old and still looks great.
We have hardwood floors (maple) throughout our house with the exception of bathrooms and the mudroom. The floors are 16 years old and we are just now thinking about refinishing. H takes his shoes off; I don’t (I have a bad ankle and need support.)
All of the rooms with wood floors do have area rugs; the rugs definitely help protect the floors. In the mudroom room entry I have a Chilewich mat. I love these mats–waterproof, sturdy, and they look great. https://www.chilewich.com/store/floor/shag-mats.html?___store=store
As for cleaning floors, my housekeeper uses a mop with hot water (it’s a mop that comes a bucket has mechanism to squeeze out the water). She adds a few ounces of Aunt Fannies Vinegar floor cleaner. (Gets a good rating from EWG for NOT having toxic stuff in it.)
Thank you for the rug recommendation- I have placemats from that company but didn’t realize they made rugs- love the rubber backing.