To ask all guests to take shoes off in my house?

[chardonm]

Just that really. A few people seem really put off by that.

My dear sil has to be reminded several times before she takes them off.

I hate the thought of trailing the dirt inside the house.

I just don't understand how shoes on is the comfortable option! People come into my house wearing shoes and I never insist they take them off but there's a part of me that notices and wonders where they think they're going - suggests to me that they might be about to leave at any moment.

Maybe I'm lucky in that the people I know have houses that I can access. None have lowered thresholds and all have one or 2 steps, but luckily my husband can bump me up them.

also lol at the idea that kate and wills meeting the obamas for a photo call is demonstrative of what they do in their everyday life.

Again. Kate and Wills probably take their shoes off in their own home.

What they're unlikely to do, is ask guests to remove their shoes.

well i never said they would!

Well, the discussion isn't around what people do in their own homes. It's around what they expect their guests to do. Or not do.

The Queen didn't ask us to take our shoes off in Buckingham Palace.

well that's me told isn't it. What if they're at Anmer Hall or the Middleton's? Does that change things? I really have no way of knowing if Kate and Wills would want their guests to take their shoes off in their homes but even if they did I don't think they'd be asking the Obamas to do it!

@LaurieMarlow you don't have an impaired immune system. While I have family members with allergies they don't get the random infections myself and my SD get. My SD has been hospitalised for them.

Oh and @Bluelady the allergies can be traced back to my mother, who also had them, as we were brought up with shoes on and playing in the dirt in the garden.

I haven't read the comments but can guess the way the thread has gone....

I commented on a 'shoes off' thread previously & got my arse handed to me.

FWIW I don't think YABU at all, I wouldn't dream of walking into someone's house with my shoes on but apparently in the parallel world that is mumsnet it's rude to ask people to remove them.

I got sick of MIL traipsing mud, dog shit & various other crap all over my cream carpets, she tutted about taking her shoes off so I brought some plastic over shoes home from work & if she comes I give her the option of taking her shoes off or putting those on...... as I say wasn't well received on the previous thread but hey I no longer have to get down on my hands & knees scrubbing the carpet so no shits given

@LaurieMarlow you don't have an impaired immune system.

No I don't. Most people don't.

Obviously those who do have to approach germs differently. I don't see anything controversial there.

Yeah - exposure to dog shit is really good for the immune system

I also have a very robust constitution. I am not overly weird about most germs. I hardly ever get bugs or colds.

I can't, as many are doing, randomly attribute this to a "shoes on" rule.

I think a bit of dirt is fine. But I do draw the line at dog shit all over my floors. How precious!

I really don't know where you're all finding all this dog shit. Round here people pick it up and put it in a bin.

We did when our little girl was at an age where she was crawling all over the floor, putting her hands and have all over it,but now we aren't too worried about the downstairs floors as they're hard/wipeable but still don't like people treading on the rug or upstairs carpets with shoes on, and always offer to take my shoes off at other people's carpeted homes as a matter of course

It's the possibilty of dog shit.

But loads of dog owners don't pick it up. You can't have been on MN long if you think they all do!

And even where it is all picked up, the pavement will have substantial residue. I've not seen many dogwalkers spray or hose down the area

But I do draw the line at dog shit all over my floors

As I said up thread, I've never had people walk dog shit into my house in all my years of keeping shoes on. So this doesnt feel like a big deal to me.

And before someone brings it up, sure, there might be microscopic particles or whatever, but given that it's never been visible and we've never suffered any ill effects (like I say, no one is ever sick) I can't get worked up about that either.

I guess I just don't trust people to look where they're treading - because I am a bit obsessed and I look at the way other people behave.

strugglingtodimybest - I hate taking my shoes off in someone's house, it makes me feel strangely vulnerable

That sums my thoughts up too.

Also growing up, if expecting visitors I was taught to put shoes on.

I hate answering the door with slippers on.

So the opposite to shoes off policy.

I hate the prospect of taking my shoes off when i arrive at someone house, I always wear stiletto type shoes so rarely have socks, and I detest my feet.
But it is someone else's space and they have the right to ask, I can always refuse and leave, not that I would, but you are not making anyone do anything, if they want to come in, that's the rules.
I completely understand why people ask and YANBU at all, I think your SIL is a little rude if she has to keep being asked, surely she knows your preference.

Oh and I drop by about 4.5" with my shoes off, which makes me feel tiny

I don't go back to houses where I'm asked to remove shoes.

The last time I was asked to take my shoes off (a new rule in my experience of that house) and there were no special slippers on offer. The reason was because of baby led weaning. I cringed as I had to navigate food crushed into the carpet, knowing my socks were full of food. Then put my food soaked feet into my shoes. Yuck!

Basically even shoe free houses are not great either.

@Duck90 yuck. I guess they want vermin.

I don't go back to houses where I'm asked to remove shoes

^^ This