Shoes debate - In or out?!

On the "elderly person" note..

Took my Gran and Grandad to view a new home, told the estate agent beforehand that they were looking to downsize to a bungalow due to mobility problems and falls risks, recovery from recent fractured femur etc.

They arrive with a stick and a rollator, obvious poor mobility. Bright sunny day, no rain or mud. Both in clean orthopedic shoes. They can't leave home without support so those shoes only worn indoors at home anyway.

We arrive at the house and the EA says, "now if it was a do-er upper, I'd let you keep your shoes on but these floors are PRISTINE so I'm going to have to ask you to pop them off."

Gran looked panic stricken as her shoes literally keep her upright and support her ankles. There was nowhere in the hallway for them to hold on to, or sit to remove them. Neither of the two of them can bend down to their feet from standing. The EA watched us struggling, me having to get on my hands and knees to remove their footwear while also trying to steady them (they had to hold on to my back and head!). I suggested maybe we should just leave it and accept they couldn't view but they were both really embarrassed and upset I'd taken a day off to help them and it was all going to be a waste so insisted we went ahead with the viewing. Gran slipping everywhere as she was now in compression stockings with no shoe supports, so holding on to me for dear life.

EA just stood there watching, grinning inanely.

The floors were not pristine. They stunk of cheesy feet and were easy to clean laminate or dirty well trodden beige carpets in the bedrooms. All almost ten years old.

She stood and watched the whole putting the shoes back on rigmarole on the way out with the silly grin on her face and had the cheek to say, "careful you don't topple over now - I used to work for injury lawyers for you! Don't want to get sued by my old boss!"

Have sworn off using that EA ever again!

I've got a dog so my floors get cleaned pretty much every day. Hard floor so quick job. But these threads always make me wonder how often shoes off people clean their floors. Why does no one just wipe their feet? If you've nipped to tesco in the car what harm is there in a quick wipe? I walk the dog in my boots or wellies so obviously they come off at the door but everything else no, i wipe my feet and I've never once had someone traipse dog poo in my house.

I wear mine inside yea as without my feet would be freezing. Kids always take theirs off though 🤔

I live in the countryside.

Wellies off at the door.

Don't mind either way for anyone, family or guest, floors can be cleaned

I take them off, but it's not a hard and fast rule

Shoes off, even though we have no carpets downstairs I still don't want outdoor mud and all else traipsed about. Plus it puts me on edge as I feel they are about to leave or I should be about to leave.

I will ask visiting kids and workmen to take shoes off. Most friends take theirs off having (as pp put it) read the contextual clues. My family take their shoes off as we were also shoes off growing up (in a different culture).

I wouldn't ask elderly relatives or friends to remove shoes if they didn't do it automatically, as I appreciate there can be lots of reasons why people prefer to have them on.

That's said, I did eventually get so fed up of MIL walking about indoors with her outdoor shoes when we first had a crawling baby, that I asked her if we could get her some indoor shoes for our house and now she has some hat live here.

I always take my shoes off and put on slippers. I would never ask a guest to remove their shoes.

Don't like shoes anywhere indoors as a rule. May occasionally walk around downstairs, where we have flooring and tiles, but never upstairs - don't want any dirt and germs from outside on the carpets.
Most visitors know to take their shoes off already, if not, I'd tell them, and I always take my shoes off in other people's houses.

Absolutely not, rude! But lots of people just do.

No, because I love being barefoot (or in socks). I will happily go outside inbare feet or socks too (weather permitting), so it's not a clean thing.

I wear shoes downstairs on laminate flooring and take them off to go upstairs into any rooms with carpet, my instinct would be the same in other people's houses and I sometimes tell guests no shoes on the carpets/rugs in my home.. however for elderly/disabled family members I wouldn't ask them to take shoes off even for carpets. Can't imagine asking my granny to hover on one leg in the hallway to take her shoes off at the door.

Mostly take shoes off at the door and put them in shoe rack but have hard floors so don't mind people walking about in shoes. Mainly I make the family so we don't have shoes all over the house

Same!

Shoes off upstairs but I have given up caring about downstairs. The carpet was old when we moved in and we have a young child and pets, so it's been marked by water, vomit, wine, milk, crayon/ink, cola, cat wee, food.... It's vile and I hate that carpet. But at least I can chill out about it when anything else gets thrown at it!

When I have no pets or young children I will have new carpets and will be shoes off downstairs too.

Shoes off.

I don't think its rude to politely request it at all. I think it's much ruder to wear shoes in someone's clean home who clearly doesn't wear shoes indoors themselves!

We have carpet in our sitting room but amtico elsewhere. Drives me potty when people put their shoes on ready to go then decide to pop to the loo or go quickly into the kitchen without taking shoes off again. They think it's OK because it's not carpet. It's not.

We regularly have guests dressed up to the nines. They automatically take their shoes off as they step through the door. A sea of shoes in the porch.

Yes we are a shoes off house. And yes, of course, guests take their shoes off.

We are Asian household though, we grew up with no shoes in the house. I remember when my white British friends used to come round when I was a teenager and they would balk at taking their shoes off. Now, even workmen don't bat an eyelid at being asked to take their shoes off. Much more common in general.

I'm generally barefoot or in slippers at home.

I don't ask my guests to take their shoes off, I'd feel very rude and see it as part of being a good host to prioritise their comfort over my floors.

I don't have carpet, so I just clean my floors when they've been walked on with outdoor shoes by guests. They get steam mopped most days to be honest regardless of who has been in.

Of course, I remove my shoes at the door in "no shoes households", though I think it's impolite of hosts when invited to a dressy event/party/fancy dinner to expect guests to be all dolled up in a carefully chosen outfit and barefoot. I'd suggest in those circumstances it might be better of them not to host! Or...put a washable rug/runner down. Just my opinion though.

Shoes off and slippers on. Mostly as living in a new build estate and it’s a mud bath outside. But wooden floors so easily cleaned.

guests ok with shoes on downstairs. No to
shoes upstairs as it’s carpet.

We all take them off, I always put on slippers but everyone else tends to be in just socks.

Most people I know take their shoes off anyway, some of them bring slippers. I’ve never asked anyone to take their shoes off, it seems very much the cultural norm for everyone I know to take them off. Which is just as well for me, because I wouldn’t ask.

One family member likes to wear shoes all the time - I store a pair of indoor shoes for them in the cupboard, and they just change into them whenever they visit.

I have hard floors downstairs, so if I did have a guest wedded to their dirty shoes I probably would try and stay downstairs. But it has never really come up.

This is a WW3 question on mumsnet. Soon you’ll have people who purposefully tread in dog shit and sputum etc. and walk around their house.

Shoes off for us. I don't ask guests to but they tend to, mainly because we all know each other well and all take our shoes off in each other's houses. If someone comes in with shoes on I don't say anything.

When we had carpets downstairs I did ask people but again, I didn't really ever need to.

We don't wear shoes in the house but that's just for comfort. If we're only home briefly we'll keep them on.

We don't ask guests to take their shoes off, it would be seen as very rude in both of our families.

I hate visiting friends who have cold houses and make me take my shoes off