No shoes in house people

[Newstartplease24]

if you are absolutist about this -

do you only entertain in loungewear? Have you nevwr had a dinner or a party at which people dressed up a bit, including shoes?

or do you expect people to wear frock, tights and bare feet?

If you are a no shoes absolutist (as I am) and have dogs - do you wash your dogs paws everytime they come in from outside? I'm curious.

Heels can make marks in some wood floors though

I don't know anyone who is a shoes off house, especially at a party etc.

Also used to work in very posh homes, like the cost of a metre square of their carpet would probably pay for my entire living room carpet, not a single one was a shoes off house.

We all wear slippers in the house for comfort. Very occasionally a visitor will go to take their shoes off before they come in without checking, which annoys me but I just tell them "NO, thankyou, please keep them on" trying to sound cheery when really I'm thinking "God no please don't get your sweaty minging feet out" 😬

You sound so relaxed and welcoming.

Shoes off for me but my heritage is Chinese so its a hard and fast rule in every household. My english school friends never asked me to remove my shoes at their houses (I always took them off that said so they didn't need to lol, but some of them kept theirs on). If at my parents I take my shoes off at the front door, walk through the house in my socks and put them on again at the back door if there's a bbq/we're in the back garden. Dinner parties I'd be in my socks/tights indoors, no-one is looking at my feet anyway and I doubt my friends would judge my outfit! I'm less strict in my own house I don't insist that guests remove shoes but then again I have laminate which is easy to wipe down afterwards whereas my parents have carpet throughout. When I was on holiday in Japan in the guest house I stayed in they provided slippers for the main/general indoors and a different set for the toilet/bathroom area. I did find changing shoes just to go to the loo a bit of a faff I'll admit!

I take my socks off at home but still wear shoes. When guests come over I ask them to hover 2 or 3 inches above the ground. At other people’s houses I commando crawl

Off, but anyone who says “frock” is banned from entering anyway.

We have no rule about shoes off but since we live rurally it’s natural to take muddy shoes off when coming through the door. I’m a bare foot fan so take my shoes off at any opportunity.
I’ve noticed that my son’s friends take their shoes off but my DS is also a barefoot fan.

I think that it became automatic when we moved in because our shoes are often dirty from walking the dog.

Most of DS’s friends live on farms or rurally so again it’s just normal to take muddy shoes off as you enter the house. Boot rooms are the norm.
We have a hard floor in the hallway for that very reason. Also always had big dopy labradors that inevitably spread mud and hair through the house.

I think if we lived where there are pavements it would be different.

I have never asked anyone to remove their shoes. Maybe it’s just a rural thing. I do, however, ask if I need to remove my shoes when entering other peoples houses.

I can tell you and your friends are not travelling on public transport and/or walking on the pavement for longish distances if you want them coming inside your house with their shoes on. You sound more like the sort of people who wear fancy shoes to complete their look.

It's very straight forward OP.

Shoes have walked along pavements and across roads smeared with dog poo and oil and vomit and used chewing gum.

Hardly odd then, that I do not want them rubbed all over my carpets that my children play on. Simple hygiene.

And good manners on the part of visitors.

Next !!

I have a shoe cabinet at the front door which has new slippers in if anyone wants them

But if your floors are harbouring dog pee, poo and what ever germs your pick up on your shoes while out and about, isn’t it rude of you to expect people to walk around in that with the shoes off? Maybe tell them to leave them on, it’s cleaner.

I went to a committee meeting in someone's house. I was wearing Uggs (so no socks and winter feet 😬). She asked me to take my boots off. I did protest (which no doubt makes me unreasonable!) but she was insistent. I was mortified.

But I'm sure her nice clean carpet appreciated my embarrassment. It genuinely changed how I felt about her actually.

Looking back, I should just have left and let them take their own fucking minutes.

I don’t really know anyone who has those sorts of parties in their home tbh. I think they’re more likely to go out to a restaurant.

I also don’t really know anyone who would wear their outdoor shoes in the house, so it must be a cultural thing.

My parents wear “indoor shoes” rather than carpet slippers both in their own home and when coming for a visit to us - dad has clean trainers or leather loafers that have never been outside, mum has ballet flats in colder weather and leather flip flops/flat sandals in summer.
DB is similar to parents, dsis usually just in socks.

I take slippers to friends houses if it’s cold. Otherwise I am just in socks. If it’s really hot and I am in bare feet in sandals for outside, I bring flip flops or socks for round the house, I wouldn’t be barefoot in someone else’s home.

If I was invited to the sort of party you describe, I would clean my (flat) shoes, including the sole, and change into them on arrival.

And if I was at a barbecue as pp mentioned - this does often happen at in laws actually - I would have slip on shoes/flip flops for outside and step out of them when needed (at in laws this would be for going on carpet, but would keep them on for the tiles in the kitchen, which is first room from back door). Everyone else does likewise, it’s normal for us all and not an issue.

Most people wear socks day to day.

Don’t you clean after you’ve had visitors? I do. I hoover and mop every day anyway so it’s no issue. And it’s bad manners as a host to ask people to remove shoes. Next!!

It's what goes on 90% of the time that matters really. So in general we're a shoes off house, as are all our friends and family. Most visitors automatically remove their shoes. Occasionally we host a smart party and people keep them on. Our elderly parents tend to also keep theirs on because it's a faff for them to get them on and off. That seems sensible to me.

The whole point is, the floors do not harbour those germs because outside shoes are never worn indoors

Why would floors be harbouring all that when everyone takes their shoes off when coming in?

Shoes off, I know very few people who don't ask people to take shoes off, one friend always reminds us to bring our own slippers! Even tradesmen (not building work) either take shoes off or wear plastic shoe covers, I don't even have to ask. Its not a big deal surely?

I would consider it rude to ask guests to dress up to come into my home. It's a far cry from Buckingham Palace.

I have indoor shoes and take off whatever outdoor footwear I have on when I come inside. I don't expect occasional guests to take off their shoes, but people who visit frequently know I prefer shoes off, and I always ask if I visit someone's home for the first time if it's a shoes off home.

Whoops I was meant to quote the person who was saying it’s rude to ask someone to take their shoes off.

You went to someone’s house for the first time thinking you’ll just walk inside with your shoes on?
And it’s the host’s fault you didn’t put a clean pair of socks on before visiting someone?

Do people not wash their feet?

Really? I am surprised anyone feels welcome in your house.