Shoes on or shoes off?

Shoes off in my home. First time visitors are told in advance o there is no issue when they arrive. I have new slippers for guests who may want them. When I visit someone for the first time, I ask.

Shoes off. I actually like having bare feet but I think I’m in the minority reading this. I never wear socks at home and I don’t even own any slippers. I just like to feel the carpet and floors and I like the feeling of my toes being free.

I couldn't agree more

Shoes off. All the time. Unless there is a good reason that they stay on - such as house is a building site. I think it's disrespectful to wear shoes in someone else's house. But my Husband disagrees so never tells his parents off for wearing theirs and it drives me mad.

Shoes on, although if you're more comfortable with your shoes off, that's ok. Some friends have their own slippers here, and wear those. I'd prefer no-one walks around barefoot- sweaty feet, dead skin cells and potentially various foot disease (veruccas, athlete's foot) being tramped everywhere.

I would never ask someone to remove their shoes - I consider it rude and inhospitable (and tbh, rather prissy).

Plus, I was sensible when considering my floors, and chose hard-wearing, fit-for-purpose flooring.

Shoes on. Floors can be cleaned.

Shoes off and I can't remember the last time I went in a house that wasn't. White British.

Not really, it's just normal dog ownership in winter, which is why we have hard floors and not carpets. Obviously I clean daily but I am not doing it every 20 mins, life is too short!

You don't allow shoes in your home.
And then ask someone else if they're always so inflexible?
Oh the irony

Shoes off here.

I also assume other people are, so have usually removed them before they’ve said I can keep them on 🤷🏽‍♀️.

I’d feel terrible having my filthy shoes on someone’s carpet or rug, and especially in a house with a toddler.

Shoes off, typically a NZ thing …

Someone was on about dirt you can't see 🙄earlier in the thread. Frankly I think too many people have swallowed the cleaning products industry's hard sell uncritically.

Dirt you can't see isn't dirt. 😂

I think some people's standards are unhealthily high. As long as you're not licking the carpet, a hoover every few days is fine and somebody wearing their shoes indoors is not going to make your home disgusting.

I don't mind taking off my shoes if I'm visiting someone, but people visiting me can do what they like.

I have pets, I have a garden, my house floors are never going to be lickable. And I don't have the patience or germphobia to attempt getting to that level. 😂

Have you misunderstood what dirt in this context means? A little bit of soil. The thing that's been under our feet for the millenia we've existed on this earth.

I am the outlier. I'm completely comfortable with people having shoes on downstairs (no carpet) but I immediately take my shoes off in other people's houses.

Usually I have my slippers on for comfort but I'm fine with wearing shoes when doing chores, in and out to garden etc.

I think it is rude to insist a guest removes their shoes.

We remove ours, and are always happy for guests to do the same if they feel comfortable to. We don't ask people to unless they are actually muddy.

We have two regular guests who can't go without shoes for medical reasons so that's fine.

I have noticed lots of tradesmen now remove their shoes and the safety of this really concerns me.

Shoes off always. Guests take their shoes off and those who don’t would be politely asked to. However all my friends and family are shoes off households also so it’s never awkward. The only exception are meter readers/workmen and the like but the majority now bring their own shoe covers.
I think shoes in the house are dirty. I couldn’t imagine going straight into my house with god knows what on the soles of my shoes. I’m not talking about stepping in a massive dog shit of course, which would be more than obvious, more the grit, dirt and grime, muddy patches etc.

The world isn’t sterile. A bit of dirt on a floor is hardly grim.

Agree agree agree

Shoes off. But I would never ask a guest to take theirs off (I would judge them for not doing so though). We have children, no pets. The only room downstairs with carpet is the lounge and children are not allowed to eat in there so the carpet is clean.

Family always bring their slippers over. Just like I always take ours to their house. Same with close friends.

Only one visitor has ever left their shoes on; he's the most self-centred person I've ever met though and he makes a right song and dance about it. I reckon he only leaves them on to be difficult. So I've brought him shoe covers and when he starts on about leaving his shoes on I just give him those and ask him to wear them.

Shoes on. Dog keeps getting dirt from the garden on the floors so I wouldn't guests to get dirty socks/feet. We always wear slippers once we have taken off shoes.

We are shoes off and that's the norm around here - but it's a rural farming community. There's mud and animal shit outside the door of most houses, not a nice clean paved drive. Of course you would take off your shoes. That said, I've always lived in a shoes off house, even when living in a big city (I'm not Asian). I have more than once stepped on a used condom coming home from the train 😳and people regularly shoot up in the loos we used to use. Definitely don't want semen or heroin tracked all over my floors!

I wouldn't ever ask someone to remove their shoes, unless they were in muddy boots, though it would be pretty obvious you should. And I don't ever ask tradespeople, and some do and some don't, but we have slate floors all downstairs and I would hoover and mop them after to get up the muddy footprints if necessary.

You disinfect the floor? After people wear shoes on it?!

We always take our shoes off, but we don't ask visitors to do that. I am very pleased if they do, but it's ok if they prefer not to (and I disinfect the floor as soon as they leave).
I always take my shoes off when visiting others' houses, unless they insist not to.