Tested: The Best House Slippers for Hardwood Floors & Tiles
Hardwood floors are gorgeous, durable and an amazing long-term investment.
Along with tiles, they can also be quite inconvenient – if you don’t pick the right slippers. Not only are these surfaces hard (duh), but they do get slippery too. Uh-oh!
I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m wearing a pair of Acorn’s Digby mules indoors. My laminate floor is extra hard and my feet get sweaty. They do a great job in solving both issues.
Kate loves these ultra cute slippers that seem to achieve the same.
What you don’t want to have on hardwood floors are slippers like my previous ones. Look at their bottom:
You can guess where the harm lies, right? The lack of grip and proper rubberized sole makes it so easy to slip. Plus, the fabric material gets destroyed in just a few months.
Bearing this in mind, what are the best house shoes for hardwood floors? Here are a few recommendations from me:
- Acorn Digby
- Materials:
Wool (66%) & Polyester (33%) - Interior comfort:
★★★★★ - Outsole durability/grip:
★★★★★ - Design:
★★★★½
- Acorn Forest
- Materials:
100% boiled wool w/ berber lining - Interior comfort:
★★★★★ - Outsole durability/grip:
★★★★½ - Design:
★★★★★
- Blizten III Clog
- Materials:
Rubber w/ fleece lining - Interior comfort:
★★★★½ - Outsole durability/grip:
★★★★★ - Design:
★★★½
- Moxo Coral
- Materials:
Woolen fabric - Interior comfort:
★★★★½ - Outsole durability/grip:
★★★½ - Design:
★★★★
1. Best men’s house shoes for hardwood floors:
Acorn Digby gore mule
Click on the image above for pricing info
I won’t ever get tired of praising the Digbies. Once again, it starts with the perfect blend of 67% premium Italian wool and 33% polyester.
These materials make the slippers flexible, breathable and quite lightweight. With proper moisture-wicking and warmth, you can use them all year round.
What matters the most here is their rugged outsole. It won’t slip on hardwood flooring, providing you with the grip and security you wanted.
Being from extra durable rubber, it’ll also remain intact for quite a long time. You shouldn’t worry about them getting worn out after a short amount of time of you enjoying their comfort.
Peeking inside, you’ll have the pleasure of tasting Acorn’s famous Cloud Contour tech. Essentially, this means the insoles will wrap your feet in soft, cozy support and enough space for breathability.
Bonus points: you can use them for that quick outdoor trip too. I wouldn’t if I had a high quality hardwood floor, though – the dirt might scratch it.
Last but not least, the designs. Men’s inhouse slippers tend to be quite boring in terms of appearance. Digbies spice it up a little, and I definitely love their exciting styles.
Also recommended for sufferers of the sweaty feet hell, like me!
2. Best women’s slippers for hardwood & hard tile floors:
Acorn’s Forest mule
Click on the image above for pricing info
Kate loved these and one quick look at how cute and gorgeous these slippers are will let you know why.
Seriously, even for a more picky person like her, their appearance was flawless. I don’t think I’ve seen more attractive indoor shoes for women.
But that wouldn’t mean a thing if they didn’t provide your feet with warmth and coziness, right?
These soft and quiet slippers for hardwood floors are made of 100% boiled wool, with moisture-wicking berber lining. You’ll feel warm in the winter and cool during the summer with such an amazing blend of materials.
Oh, and for those of you who just want to slide into their slippers – these are the fully slide-on style. No hands needed whatsoever!
On the outsole, once again – it’s sturdy and provides a great grip for some anti-slip countermeasures.
What’s very distinctive here is how flexible it is. Kate mentioned how she feels the sole bending with her foot to match its motions for additional comfort.
Since this is pure wool, you’re probably wondering whether it itches and scratches, right?
No worries. Acorn always focus on softness and comfort without irritation, and these women’s hardwood flooring slippers are the same. You’ll be fine!
A small remark on these is that they don’t provide the best arch support. There is some, but it might be insufficient if you’re looking for something more substantial.
Also, if you wear thicker socks with them, consider going about half a size up!
3. Best unisex crocs for hardwood:
Blitzen III Lined Clog
Click on the image above for pricing info
Yes, I know.
Crocs are the butt of the joke, always. But don’t underestimate them, because they’re one of the best solutions to the challenges a hardwood floor puts up for your feet.
The Blizten II run a bit more expensive than regular crocs, but I have a specific reason for recommending them to you.
It’s the fleece lining.
Hardwood floors can get cold during the winter, and that fleece lining will keep your feet toasty and comfortable. You can always remove it during the summer for more breezy strolling around your house.
If you don’t need it, grab a pair of the classic clogs for some extra affordable prices.
Anyways, as you can guess, there’s a whole lot of rubber going around here. 100% synthetic, the crocs don’t win any design awards with their looks.
However, their sole is absolutely wonderful for shielding your feet from the hardwood flooring. Not to mention that they do have a bit more arch support than the Acorns.
The heel stands at around 2″, which is slightly higher than usual house slippers. Good if you value more support and more elevated slippers for indoor use.
These tend to run a bit small, so you might consider ordering one size up. The liner is also washable, but please wash it by hand to prevent damage.
The drawback here is that crocs are never as comfy and versatile as quality wool slippers. They don’t feel as premium and beautiful either.
However, their strength lies in being practical, functional, and not that expensive!
4. Budget indoor slippers for hardwood flooring:
Moxo unisex coral fleece
Click on the image above for pricing info
That’s inarguably the most budget pick that combines acceptable comfort and an affordable price. Moxos have a standard design and come in several colors for men and women.
Welcome to the world of plush coziness!
As coral fleece slippers, these are very gentle on your feet and wrap them with cloud-like comfort. There’s quite a bit of warmth being provided too, as well as some breathability.
The insole comes with some high-density memory foam (cotton) to soften your feet aching from the perils of hardwood flooring.
In terms of outsoles, things aren’t looking bad either. Sturdy rubber with some grip, though not as grippy as the Acorns for sure. It should last through quite a bit of walking on harder surfaces like hard tile floors too.
A welcome bonus are the anti-pilling properties of the materials. We’ve mentioned how much we hate piling and the need to use lint removers…
There’s no arch support here, so keep this in mind. Also, these might run a bit wider than usual.
If you’re on a budget, Moxos are the most sensible pick for you. While they don’t stand out from the crowd too much, they’ll provide you with the comfort you wanted!
Some basic tips on walking on hardwood floors & tile floors
Both floor styles look amazing and when properly taken care of will have that WOW factor for your guests.
(I’ve talked about how much I love my laminate flooring too.)
However, you need to be extra considerate with your feet given how hard these surfaces are. It’s easy to get stuck in the chronic feet ache rut.
Forget about walking barefoot
I know. During hot summers you want to take it all off so you tackle the killer heat. I’ve done this too…
…or at least I did, until I realized how laminate floors absolutely destroyed my feet should I go barefoot on them.
Some people say that your feet will “get used” to treading on the hardwood. I found it very dubious and advise you to not test your feet’s health and comfort for such theories.
Don’t wear your outdoor shoes
Yes, sometimes it’s tempting to enjoy the ultra durable outsoles of your outdoor shoes. It makes sense, right?
Probably.
But the grit and dirt on these outsoles will ruin your hardwood floors in no time. Grime acts like sandpaper for both laminate and hardwood (and sometimes tiles too.) What was once shiny and gorgeous will be now full of scratches and bruises.
Don’t try to wear your standard shoes indoors, please. It might make sense, until it actually doesn’t.
Get the right house shoes for hardwood/hard tile floors
I mean, given the topic of this post, pretty self-explanatory.
I just wanted to remind you that you can’t just go with any kind of slipper if you’ve got one of these premium, but hard beauties
Get a good, sturdy rubberized sole with extra grip. Add some cushioning and warm, cozy insole and you’re set.
The rules here are actually surprisingly similar to what you’d want from a pair of nice nursing shoes.
Your feet will adore you, and you’ll surely love the lack of feet ache that plagued your well-being before.
Ex-digital nomad, DIY enthusiast and an appreciator of cozy foot wear. Always ready to give lifestyle tips for men. Tea, not coffee is my fuel for writing.
They all look very noisy. Do you have any quiet recommendations?
Hi David!
Clogs are definitely on the noisier side of things, yes. But Acorn have good sound dampening, to be honest.
The problem with hardwood floors is that you simply can’t skip on a rubberized/harder sole. So more muffled, quiet slippers of softer construction will just send you into a slippery experience.
Check Acorn’s Romeo – it still has a thicker sole, but it should be a tad quieter.
Cheers!
Greg
Are any of these anti-slip on hardwood and tile when these surfaces are wet?
Thank you
Hey Shannon!
Hmmm…now, we haven’t tested our Acorns on ultra wet floors. However, during cleaning sessions or when the surface was damp, the rubberized sole did pretty well. You’re talking about water, right?
Cheers,
Greg
Hello,
I am a male and work in healthcare and stand for long periods of time during the day, but what causes foot pain for me is when I come home and walk on my hardwood and tile floors. As I wear shoes all day, I will admit that I enjoy just wearing socks around the house after work. I will wear a breathable sock vs. straight barefoot when at home; however, I am beginning to notice pain after walking on the hard floors. I do have a concern or perhaps reservation with obtaining house slippers: That they will make my feet hot and sweat etc. Any suggestions on a remedy here? Will the above recommendation for men make your feet hot etc? I appreciate any feedback in advance!
Thank you,
William
Hey William!
Your reservation is with a reason, as there are a lot of synthetic, low quality materials that can be pure hell for your feet.
I suggest you pick a pair made of wool, or even better – merino wool. The more % you see, the better. The Digby I recommend are woolen and generally should keep you cool enough, while providing the hardwood floor support needed.
Cheers!
Greg
My wife is all about protecting our hardwood floors from being damaged/stained by the soles of house slippers. What slippers or sole materials are completely safe for hardwood floors?