To ask visitors to take their shoes off before coming into my home?

[moomin35]

Including my MIL who clearly didn't appreciate being asked!

Or perhaps more along the lines of -ok she trusts me there's a reason I'm glad I don't have to explain. "Thanks for the coffee and cake"

Touche Giles

There should have been an accent on that 'e', it disappeared.

If carpet shops stopped selling cream carpets, there would be no need for any of this.

But babies do roll around the floor and mouth at their toys that is a natural developmental stage for them. Dirty floor=dirty toys surely.

And yet everyone I know with a baby operates a shoes on household and none of their babies have fallen victim to floor germs.

I think you'd have to be talking about a seriously dirty floor for the muck to be transferred to a toy and then to the baby - like squoosh, I have never met anyone affected by floor germs. Perhaps the issue is more about over thinking the issue rather than a real threat to the wellbeing of our young.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2118871/How-keeping-children-clean-wreck-immune-systems.html

I know it's the Daily Mail dirty word on here but the premise is true.

Family members all take their shoes off in the porch - if it's good enough for them it's good enough for visitors

Family members however are in and out all the time surely ONE guest is not going to poison your carpets?

But babies do roll around the floor and mouth at their toys that is a natural developmental stage for them. Dirty floor=dirty toys surely.

And its a crucial part of that development to also develop immunity to germs by getting germs.

The only people I know with endless lists of allergies are spotlessly clean PILS< becoming obsessive with cleanliness is causing a multitude of health issues?!

x post ginny.

I asked before and the shoes off brigade ignored.

What do you think of our houses where we keep shoes on?

Do you think our houses are dirty?

I wouldnt think. Your house was dirty.

I'd think. How fortunate you are tat yku have the time money and energy to deal with cleankng all the time.

I'd think how lucky you are to live in a place where avoiding spit, food, and bird/dog pop isn't part of your daily life.

And I'd pity the fact you had friends and family so up themselves that a polite request is seen as some outrageous occurrence. Dealing with their paranoia and insecurities and assumption every thing is about them must he hard work

Ze I'm afraid I would probably assume the house was a bit grubby, and I would also think you weren't very relaxed. If you were wearing comfy type shoes I'd be thinking that you were probably popping out any minute now so I shouldn't get too cosy. If you were wearing fancy shoes/shoes that matched your outfit I would probably assume that you prioritised appearance over comfort.
But I would still be your friend, it's not a deal breaker for me!

Really very much the same thought process I'd have if you kept your coat on.
That's what I was trying to say earlier in the thread, to people like me coats and shoes go together like rhubarb and custard, they are practically the same thing. So it's mind boggling into someone like me if people choose to wear coats and shoes indoors, to me they are for outdoors. But I get that not everyone sees it like that.

Do these children who cannot be exposed to 'floor germs' never sit outside on grass? or the beach?
I doubt some germs brought in on shoes will strike a child down with a serious illness. They are more at risk from peoples hands.
Children need to build immunity to germs - they can't do that unless they come into contact with everyday germs. ( and outside stuff IS everyday stuff)

I mean IS everday GERMS

How fortunate you are tat yku have the time money and energy to deal with cleankng all the time

i dont clean all the time. I am always hoovering main rug purely due to crumbs from small children and so on. main areas get a floor wipe once a week

Ah But Giles, someone else has said they would think our house was dirty.

And other people are not relaxed about people saying no to shoes off either

We dont have visitors that often but if we did I wouldnt ask them to remove shoes even if we had a shoe off policy, I just dont think a guest every now and then is going to ruin or contaminate your carpet.

It's not about contamination.

Did you miss the poster who said that her cream carpets are part of her rented apartment. That she has no choice about them.

To me it's just respect for someone else's property and the not wanting to mark or stain something when I know what I've just had to walk through in town.

No, I wouldn't think your house was dirty, because I don't judge my friends, as mentioned above. I'd think it a bit odd if you had carpets but I'd keep my opinions to myself because, hey, it's your house and your choice. If you gave me tea and biscuits I'd be happy.

In my house I have a shoes off rule. Didn't go down well with my MIL at first either - she also put her feet up, shoes on my sofa and I had to politely ask her would she mind not doing that. My parent's had the same rule for me growing up so it doesn't seem odd to me at all.

My house, my rules. Your house, your rules. That's it pretty much for me :)

To qualify what I said, if the house was obviously immaculate I would probably think that you spent a lot of time cleaning, but if it was just a normal house but with everyone wearing shoes indoors I would think that was a bit grim.

Thing is, mumsnet is an education. Because I was brought up to equate shoes and coats with outdoors, I never used to think twice about asking people if they minded taking their shoes off if they didn't do it automatically (most of my social group, if not all, do it automatically at each other's houses, so it's not a question I've had to ask many times). However now that I understand that some people find it (weirdly in my opinion) offensive/inhospitable etc I probably would refrain from asking. But if a guest asked what my preference was I would tell them.

You don't put feet up on your sofa?

I can't imagine a house where i couldn't put my feet on the sofa! Thats my signal for relaxation time - shoes off, bra off, feet up wine glass full

Do you just sit with your feet on the floor? I'd feel like I was in church or at a meeting.

I think she meant that she was objecting to people with shoes on outting their feet on the sofa.
Surely no one objects to socked feet on the sofa!

Did you miss the poster who said that her cream carpets are part of her rented apartment. That she has no choice about them

No I didnt. She said she wishes she didn't have them.

How many times can a random odd guest really hurt your carpets if all regular house users take shoes off.