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.

Spidey66:

Scenarios 2&3 we’d put dust sheets down
Scenario 1: I don’t have a bbq and I don’t have a large number of visitors all at once. Alternatively, kitchen and toilet are lino floored so let people in their shoes and clean up afterwards. Course, relies on them not being fucking rude and traipsing through the rest of the house for a nosey (am careful who I invite though!)
Re the bike, I’d have a bike in but I would probably not wheel it across an area where small Kids play on the floor. I’d put it on some kind of sheeting or on a stand.

There is frequently dog shit on the pavement outside my house. I don’t think I’m precious to have a shoes off house.

Bluelady of course! I’ll also let him run around and get covered in mud when he’s older. He’ll then come home and take his shoes off at the door and I’ll put some clean clothes on him.

There's going to be a million times more dirt in that sandpit than a floor that's been walked over in shoes. But I guess logic's not in huge supply on MN.

I’m not following your logic, bluelady. My son won’t be smearing the contents of the sandpit all over my floors, therefore there is no comparison.

I think some people would live in a bubble if they could. Dog shit is disgusting and a pain to clean up, we are a shoes on house and we have had it walked in once or twice in 20 years, and that was by our own kids. Regular dirt and germs are normal and our bodies are equipped to cope with them. Homes being surgically clean is one of the things that are screwing up our immune systems. I hate those ads that promote 'hygienically' clean homes, it seems consumers have swallowed it hook line and sinker.

I’m not following your logic, bluelady. My son won’t be smearing the contents of the sandpit all over my floors, therefore there is no comparison

Bluelady's logic isn't hard to follow.

Upthread you compared DS crawling on a 'shoes on' floor with crawling in the pavement (presumably in terms of dirt/germs).

Yet you're fine with him crawling in a sandpit. Which isn't exactly a pristine, germ free space.

Thanks, Laurie, I thought that was pretty easy to understand too.

I actually don't care what people do when they visit my house. I'm more comfortable without shoes, so I'm always barefoot inside my own home and most of my regular visitors prefer to go barefoot as well. But the layout of the main part of my home means that there are some people who can't get over feeling like it's outdoors, so they would hate to not wear shoes. I've never had to stipulate shoes on or shoes off, most people can decide themselves and I don't care either way. As long as you aren't wearing shoes in my guest bed, then I don't care whether you shoe or no shoe.

...and I also stated that I will have no problem with him getting covered in dirt when he’s older. By that time, his immune system will have developed sufficiently and there won’t be a problem.

I still, however, don’t want shoes on my floors!

Let’s turn this debate around - what is the issue that some people on here have with simply removing their outdoor footwear when entering someone’s home?

We have stone floors so I don't insist on people taking their shoes off. I am usually barefoot in the house and dp usually wears his shoes. The only thing I get annoyed about is when he puts his shoes on the sofa or coffee table

His immune system won't develop if he's never allowed to come in contact with any dirt! I don't care whether people don't allow shoes in their house but at least be honest about the reason, it's because they're houseproud or too lazy to clean their floors. This nonsense about bacteria is exactly that.

Really bad manners not to automatically remove shoes when you get to someone's house. I do not know A SINGLE PERSON in real life who doesn't take their shoes off when visiting someone at home!

It's equally bad manners to insist on removing them when expressly asked not to!

What do you mean Blue?

Oh I see! That has literally never happened to me in the 34 years I've been alive!

I have a dog so it would be absolutely absurd to ask people to remove their shoes

I would ask someone and always do when I enter their home if I should remove my shoes. I feel huge relief inwardly if they say to keep them on though.

It would happen if you came to my house, Waitrose. I don't want shoes strewn round my hall.

Then obviously I would keep them on...I have honestly never ever encountered this though, North or South!

The only thing worse is being told to put on guest slippers or socks. That I wouldn't do. I'd rather go barefoot. Don't really care if you tell me they're washed, that's just insulting. Disposable ones, just awful for the environment.

I'd say 'my house, my rules' is rather opposed to the essence of hospitality, which is surely to make the guest comfortable. I wouldn't myself want to embarrass a guest by asking them to remove their shoes - if I were concerned about my carpet or my hardwood floor I'd just hope they'd take the hint when they saw everyone else (or just me) shoeless!

It's because they're houseproud or too lazy to clean their floors

It's neither of those in my case, as I've explained! It's because I have a (weird, disproportionate) fear of people treading shit into my house.

I'm no more houseproud than the next person, and I clean a fairly average amount.

You're being quite arrogant in supposing you know everyone's motivations.

I'm 58 and have only been asked to remove shoes three times.

1. Czech woman living in the UK in rented house. Assumed she was fearful of any damage to wooden floors so as to be sure of getting deposit back. Maybe custom in her home country as well?

2. Daughter's boyfriends parents. Downstairs of house carpeted in cream throughout. Boyfriend's mother said, 'We're a shoes off family' at one point so we took them on. I could see that the carpet would mark rather easily. However, I think we may have kept on at another point when we were having a barbecue in the garden.

3. Some acquaintances we met on holiday and who we visited in the UK. Again the statement. 'We're a shoes off family.' I don't remember the carpets being light, though it was an unnervingly tidy house. I do remember it feeling odd eating lunch wearing my socks. They were warm and friendly and invited us back at an early opportunity. I remember my husband and I afterwards saying we didn't feel inclined to pursue the idea of going back for another visit - they were nice people and the coversation was relaxed. Yet it felt like one of those holiday friendships rather than one that would continue now that we were back home.

No. We take our shoes off and leave them on the shoe rack in our hall. But ibdont expect anybody else to do it. If they want to they can but they don't have to