AIBU to think that workmen should offer to take their shoes off in your house?

[Dollslikeyouandme]

I'm a shoes off in the house person, and always offer to take mine off when visiting. It's not because I'm a weird cream carpet visitor slippers freak. But I have carpet, a ds who likes to play on the floor. And a neighbourhood where the streets seem to be covered in dog shit.

I hate asking people to take off their shoes, so usually don't, and just hope they do anyway.

I've noticed workmen never take off their shoes, and lately I've had to have a few people in and around the house and gave been cringing at their boots standing on my bathmat mainly.

I just think shoes on carpets are gross.

Doesn't bother me in the slightest, carpets can be cleaned. I'd rather people felt comfortable in my house.

Yes if doing a quote, not if actually working, no. Both the plumber and central heating people I've had doing work in the last few weeks have brought dust sheets to protect the carpets.

I guess morguase, I'd hope they'd have clean socks on - naive perhaps?

The HA thing, it's difficult to explain, they always seem to come in with an attitude of you should be grateful we're even here, you're not paying me directly so I'll do what I want.

I've always found anyone I'm paying much more polite and do a thorough job.

Are you this anxious over other things op?

Erm, where does anxious come into it?

I asked if people think workers should offer to take shoes off, some have said yes some said no so I guess it's down to opinion/preference.

Why on earth would people offer go tale their shoes off? I know this has been done to death on MN but it really is a bizarre thing to expect. If your bath mat of all things bothers you that much, OP, guess what, they wash.

Could you get some of those plastic shoe covers like they have at swimming pools or crime scenes? Then you won't have their shoes on your floors and they won't be embarrassed if they have holey socks. Win win.

Is it really that bizarre? Everyone I know would take their shoes off, I always take my shoes off and usually get asked when visiting.

It's not bizarre for when friends are visiting, I think it's becoming the norm but work/trades people is a bit much. If a doctor was making a house visit I wouldn't ask her to take off her shoes.

In fact I even visited one house where someone had special slippers for visitors, I did think that was a bit ott.

I don't understand why some people get so shirty on MN, if shoes indoors don't bother you fair enough, but it's a reasonable enough question why the implications that it's some kind of extremely absurd suggestion that people might actually remove their shoes.

In some cultures it is very disrespectful to even step inside with shoes on.

You think it's a reasonable question.

I'm trying to imagine why on earth I would want someone who has either come to do physical work, or who's been tramping around doing the rest of his or her business, to get their feet out in my home. Unless you imagine people carry little foot-washers and fresh socks for every visit, or you only book them to come first thing in the morning, that just sounds pretty unpleasant.

It is a health and safety issue for workmen. Buy the shoe covers as suggested and give them to wear. M and S use these when they deliver stuff and when I had windows fitted they also wore them. Simple solution. Get from Amazon.

Shoe covers are the way to go. They need shoes for safety mostly.

Come to Australia. All tradies start to take their shoes off at the door, though unless they've been doing plainly mucky work, we urge them to keep them on.

Yup, I'm in the middle of a reno, and they all take their shoes off by the front door, although since the floors and carpets are going to be replaced as the last job, I tell them not to bother. If they have to lift anything heavy or using machinery they need to keep their boots on for safety, which is how it should be really. A few carry a second pair of boots so that they have indoor and outdoor boots.

Well what on earth is wrong with feet? I'm not asking them to take their trousers off, they're feet, presumably covered in socks.

Why are feet worse than potentially trod in who knows what shoes?

Part of the reason I even more think shoes in the house are horrible is because there is a problem with dog not being cleared up round here. We get loads of it on the school run and no matter how much you look where you're going all the kids have ended up stepping in it, sometimes it's been that walked rained in you can't even tell, why would I want that walked into the carpet?

And I have said a number of times that if they're carrying out work At the time i wouldn't expect it for safety. But I've hadn't numerous lately just come with a clipboard to have a look.

Because feet, even the nicest feet that started out clean at 7.30 am, are probably none too pleasant come 5 o'clock, if you've been tramping round working all day. Even if to you it's not 'work', walking around with a clipboard doesn't prevent your feet from sweating, does it?!

Sure, if someone had stepped in something nasty it's different, but, well, I don't think I have stepped in dog mess more than maybe twice as an adult. You can't compare children to adults - an adult will know.

The day I start giving a shiney shite whether people coming into my house with or without their shoes on, is the day I need a wake-up call.

Yes, I duly offer to take my shoes off when I go to other people's houses, and yes, I silently judge you if you say yes.

It really doesn't matter. It's just feet. It's just floors. It's just shoes. Really.

I expect
Coming to look/quote -boots/shoes off.
To do the work-boots need to be on for H&S

Is shoes off/on a p/c parking type taboo that I didn't know about?

you should ask workmen if they have shoe covers my dh does his boots are filthy most of the time he really cant take them off cos they are for safety iyswim but he does have plastic boot covers

We are a shoes off house. But I would never ask a visitor to take them off if they didn't voluntarily.

I have a volunteer job and when I visit homes I always take mine off regardless.

I don't mind what Tradespeople do as long as their boots aren't filthy.

yes there is dolls some folk consider asking very rude, I sort of think it is rude to ask randoms to take their shoes off

I take my shoes off when I get home but that's for comfort. Oh sometimes does and sometimes doesn't. If it's obviously muddy out we and visitors remove shoes, this happens rarely. We have a doormat in the porch which seems to work well.

I have never (in quite a long life) been asked to take my shoes off when visiting friends and neither have I asked anyone to remove their shoes.

It seems so odd and rude.

I was chased up the stairs once to take my shoes off in a friends house, we never did growing up but then my mum and dads house was always mucky, most other people seemed to have a shoes off rule, so I always thought it was the norm.