How many times have you been to your friends' house, ready for an enjoyable evening only to be told at the door by your smiling friend "take your shoes off"? Well, one of the dirty little secret of the carpet industry is just this...keeping your shoes off might actually result in you shortening the life of your carpet when compared to your guests wearing their shoes.
Here is why....going shoeless on carpets actually transfers bodily oils into the carpet fibers that over time cause dirt to attach to the carpet fibers, and even regular vacuuming and steam clean won't remove the oils. The results is that repeated use only builds up a mix of oils and dirt that eventually weakens carpet fibers, and yes, eventually shortening the true life of your carpet.
Now, usually for hardwood, the opposite is true. Taking your shoes off will prolong the life of your hardwood as it substantially reduces scratches.
So the next time you visit a friend, and they ask you to "take your shoes off", look down at their floors first to see if they have carpet or hardwood.
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Addendum based on comments - this was meant to be a bit off the cuff. I'm not suggesting getting into an argument w/ your friends and certainly there are many cultural reasons for removing shoes and that trumps all. Just trying to provide some advice to help you all preserve the life of your own floors.
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