to ask people to take their shoes off?

[loopyloops]

... just in one room, the one where DD crawls around. She's at an age where she picks up the tiniest little thing and puts in in her mouth.

Responses I've had (I always explain the reason why I ask them to):

"oh, my shoes are clean"
"I'd rather not, I'm not wearing socks"
"a bit of dirt won't hurt"
"oh but I'll have to put them on again when I leave"

...then there are the people who conveniently forget and you have to ask them every time they come round...
...and those who take heir shoes off but leave their kids' shoes on.

Am I being unreasonable? Over the top? Should I just forget the rule and let them traipse dog shit into my living room?

LOL Grace, am investigating little white doilies to put on my chair arms as we speak!!

I think it is normal to take your shoes off in living room if you have a carpet. I don't know why you would want to walk on carpet in shoes that have been outside. I always take my shoes off at other people's houses and would expect people to at mine if they come in my living room.

See, I think it's totally abnormal to take your shoes off in any part of the house unless you actually want to. Carpets are for walking on!

no said, but DD does lick the floor.

I can't believe so many people have such strong feelings about this!

After a brief discussion with DH, we agreed to suffer losing our friends if it means we can call each other Hyacinth and Richard.

We never wear shoes in this house as a) we prefer to be bare foot and b) I have hardwood flooring all over and some shoes make a bloomin racket on there. I don't tend to ask visitors to remove there's as I can mop. Most of my friends do it automatically anyway.

Mind you dd is constantly spilling stuff so they are constantly being mopped anyway.

With Chandon on this one.
I have bunions so bad the doctor said they were the worst best case he had ever seen. The big toes have totally bent over. This means the next two toes have also gotton out of shape and know have weird lumps on them. My feet are so wide and flat they look like steaks. Before any one says sort it out,I can only have them done if they hurt and not for cosmetic reasons as it such a serious operation.
If you really think my feet are a better choice then my closed toe sandals then good luck to you. Personally I'd rather not feel like a complete freak so you don't have to hoover.

Said, I don't ask people to take their socks off too! Tbh, I am being a bit of a hypocrite, because in the summer when it's just flip flops all round, I don't bother unless it's raining, cos we're in and out of the garden and it's a bit of a faff. But the rest of the year there's a big box of slippers and underfloor heating. Most people don't want to leave their clumpy boots anyway.

This wasn't a rule at home when I grew up, but we lived in rural Wales, and I had to do things like feed animals and collect coal, so footwear was always covered in crap anyway!