Shoes off house rule

[BettyBi0]

So we have a shoes off rule in our house. Mainly because of the grubby London streets and dog poo everywhere locally plus a floor licking toddler.

Every time my parents visit I have to ask them to take their shoes off. EVERY Fing TIME! They act like its such a massive imposition.

AIBU or would you just shut up and put up?

These would be good for a dinner party. Multifunctional.

You wouldn't put your feet on a chair on the bus/tube/train because someone will have to sit there, so why wipe them all over the carpet where the owner's may walk barefoot, babies crawl, and children sit?

I've been a shoes off person since I was about 25 after saving up very long and very hard for my first new carpet for my tiny flat. That was a long time ago but I actually feel really strange now if I do go in to somebody's house with shoes on.

Used to live in the south east Asia and it's second nature there.

People who come to visit us are asked to take their shoes off. We have underfloor heating so it's never cold.

You are not being unreasonable - but it's a generational thing.

Personally I think it's massive control freakery, weird carpet love, and desire to see guests sit there with freezing tootsies.

Love this. I don't blame your parents, I would do the same. i would remove my shoes, but make sure you had to as me every time as my small, useless, futile protest at your irritating request.

The companies that don't allow tradesmen to take shoes off for PPE reasons always (in my experience) provide those blue covers for shoes. So many households expect shoes off these days.

Or decline the invitation. It's nice to give advance warning so people can decline. I'd feel really uncomfortable at a dinner party wearing slippers or socks because I dress up for dinner parties in general

Well no need to give advance warning where I live as its the polite rule in practically every house (possible exception of foreigners though after living here for a while I bet they switch to shoes off) and if someone was to insist on wearing shoes in my house then they wouldn't be welcome for dinner anyway. Only person who ever had an issue with taking shoes off was my ex who some weird religious attachment to his boots...

'The only person I ever got into a Mexican stand off with over shoe removal was one of the removers '

You expected people moving heavy items and furniture to do it in socks?

buy a doormat?
marvellous things, been around for years

Surgical Spirit is your friend, Maryz - rub some on after washing feet. It really does work.

How can you relax properly if you're wearing outdoor shoes? I always take my shoes off indoors for this reason!!

Eww guest slippers make me feel queasy.

My friends being their slippers and I take mine to theirs!!!

I hate removing my shoes in other peoples houses.
It's your home, you do what you like, i'm a visitor and I've been out and about, my feet stink, my socks are dirty with a hole in. i don't need to sit feeling uncomfortable about my feet in a place where i'm already uncomfortable because it's not my home.

In my house i don't care what you do. give your feet a good rub on the mat as you come in, take your shoes off, do what you like.

Within the last 6 months or so I've had a new bed delivered, settee repairman out and I think it was maybe the Virgin Media man (can't be certain whether it was virgin or someone else) two of them wore those blue paper shoe cover things when indoors and the bed delivery people took their shoes off in the doorway. I never asked any of them to do this they just did it automatically. Maybe it's so people can't claim they've stained their carpet or something and get a pay out?

I live in Germany right now. At the beginning of winter it quite common to find sets of "guest shoes" in the shops. You get 5 assorted sizes of slippers for 10-15€. They look pretty thin but I suppose could stand up to a few months washings...

We're a shoes-off house. My son is 10 months old and always on the floor, and I really don't want him licking dirt. A friend (herself from a shoes-off house) recently came round and before I'd realised, walked into the living room with her really muddy trainers on. I felt too embarrassed to ask her to take them off once she was in. I have OCD and once she'd left I cried. I realise I'm an idiot.

Our front door opens straight into the living room and as we are in the country, it's muddy - so most people take their shoes off as a matter of course. Parents normally bring slippers, I always take thick socks to their houses as I hate cold feet too! At some point we'll build a porch onto the house which will make life easier...

It wouldn't bother me too much if someone left them on, but I appreciate it when people take them off.

I don't know where this obsession with dog poo on shoes comes from. It's the norm to clear it up now; rarely seen in the street compared to the 80s when I were a lass. Also most adults are able to walk along the street and avoid stepping on nasty things.

I believe in having a good doormat and trust my guests to offer to take off their shoes if they are wet or muddy, or if they decide they want to curl up their feet on to the sofa. Otherwise they're welcome to take them off or keep them on as they see fit and if I had a drinks or dinner party I would expect them to keep them on.

I tend to keep mine on for the first hour or so in the house after getting home, when I am probably pottering about the kitchen where, frankly, the risk of a dropped knife etc makes it safer to wear shoes. Take them off for comfort, not out of concern for the flooring.

I'm with those who think that "shoes off" houses (unless for religious or cultural reasons) are a bit Hyacinth Bucket I'm afraid.

Don't you people know about doormats?

And no-one has answered the question about official visitors; doctor, mortgage broker, insurance assessor, workman, district nurse?

A man from trading standards came round to view some damage to our upstairs. He saw the stair carpet and said 'I see you have a new carpet. Would you like me to take my shoes off?'.

Workmen generally bring dust sheets when they're doing work. Most other workment we've had in the house (we've had a lot in the house over the last year) ask if they should taken their shoes off.

Anyone else, who wants to keep their shoes on will be confined to the kitchen/dining room. We don't allow shoes on the living room carpet nor on the engineered oak in the family room. The family room floor has UFH so doesn't get cold at all. The whole point of the UFH is that you put your feet on it without shoes on.

You wouldn't put your feet on a chair on the bus/tube/train because someone will have to sit there, so why wipe them all over the carpet where the owner's may walk barefoot, babies crawl, and children sit?

This exactly.

A Lithuanian man recently came round to our house to buy our old car. While filling in the documentation in our dining room he asked if he could smoke. We said no. He looked surprised. He probably felt the same way some MNers do about being asked to remove shoes.

I'm standing by 'my house my rules'. It's not an unreasonable request (medical reasons aside).

If I was having a big party, I'd pay to have the carpets professionally cleaned afterwards.

Also shocked at the PP who made the removal man take his off. This put him at risk of injury. You have to expect a bit of soiling during a removal, but don't movers usually put down carpet protector anyway?