Do you ask people to take off their shoes in your house?

[avocadoincident]

I almost always take my shoes off in other people's houses.

I'd like people to take their shoes off in my house but I don't want to sound like a precious knobhead.

How ( if you do) do you ask people nicely to take their shoes off?

Or should I just not be a precious knobhead?

Not again.

I think it's bizzare to go into someone else's home and treat it how you would treat your own.

Haha we've had this one before!

I just say, "please could you take your shoes off". 😂

It's a cultural thing for me also, but I just much prefer not having shoes indoors.

No I don't ask, people usually do but if they don't no big deal.

I don't and wouldn't, but I offer if I think it's a no shoes house.

However I've a couple of friends, who when they have people over, keep their own shoes on, in their own homes, even though they are barefoot at other times.

But more than that, when they were staying wirh me recently, they get showered and dressed, then put their shoes on, in this instance boots. Even though they are staying, and staying in, they put their boots on then sit on the sofa and play scrabble or whatever, and they take them off later in the evening. I don't really understand it at all.

I can't imagine getting showered and ready in their homes and sitting about in my boots for a few hours. My daughter and husband don't do it either.

They are both women who do it. Their husbands don't, they sit bare foot or in their socks like the rest of us after a shower. I can only assume it's an outfit thing, but they aren't fancy boots, so it just seems weird.

I've never asked why, because although we are close, I just get the impression it wouldn't go down well. So I kinda look on quizzically and say nothing,

Leans back and shouts from the kitchen whilst making their brew “take your shoes off!”

We just have all our shoes in the porch. That shows we take our shoes off and most people do the same.

I apologise tbh.
I'm not a shoes off person, but have no idea what possessed us to have a pale carpet in our front room.
Shoes off if you go in this room, but the rest of the house keep them on. We wear slippers or socks for comfort, some friends bring slippers, out of choice.

I wouldn't ask someone to take them off but it does annoy me if they don't. I always take mine and DC's off at other people's houses. Who wants outside filth trampled through their house?
My DH didn't take his off at my friend's house once and she made a point of asking him to. I quietly admired her ability to be so upfront whilst simultaneously thinking how rude it comes across and vowing never to do it myself
I dont think I'd feel so strongly if we didn't have cream carpets EVERYWHERE including the hallway as you come in (house came with them).

Don't mind either way at ours. Always tell people to keep them on and joke as we have wooden floors and a dog they would get dirty feet if they took them off. I have noticed a lot of our friends bring slippers to ours, and some even leave them there! I should point out our home is immaculate so they wouldn't get dirty feet at all so the slipper thing isn't to keep their feet clean! A few friends have popped over for a night and ended up staying a couple of weeks... Perhaps we are too welcoming and should start saying shoes off!

I don't ask people to take their shoes off in my home and, if they ask whether they should do so, I always say no.

Hopefully they'd know if they'd stood in dog poo (in which case I'd want them to remove their shoes) but I'd prefer not to embarrass anyone who might not like their feet on display. Also, I don't want the chance of any smelly feet around me.

I've never been asked to remove my shoes in the homes of any family members or friends.

My only rules are no shoes on the beds or sofas. If you want to sit with your feet up then shoes off.

I have hardwood floors throughout my flat so shoes on/off makes no difference to how clean the floors are. Guests tend to feel more comfortable with them on as bare feet on hardwood is cold and it's very slippy with just socks.

It's a cultural thing for me to keep shoes on in other people's houses, never experienced people taking off shoes in other peoples houses growing up, it's overfamiliar behaviour. Next you'll be expecting people to take their trousers off because they sat down in a bus and everyone knows how dirty they are and you've got a cream sofa .

Hate having to take shoes or boots off, adds extra faffing with the DC when need to leave and I always forget to remember to not wear holey tights. And my outfit is always planned around my fabulous (clean) shoes so that annoys me as well. Makes me think people have overstretched themselves financially to buy these infamous cream carpets and care more about their possessions than the comfort of their guests.

We also have cream carpets but everyone who comes to our house automatically takes their shoes off anyway so we've never needed to ask. If they didn't though, I wouldn't have a problem with asking as I would like to keep my carpets as clean as possible. We had a sofa delivery a while back and the guys refused to take theirs off so we ended up with footprints up the cream stairs, which was a nightmare to get off.

Haha we've had this one before!

About a billion times...

Carpets are, when you think about it, insanely unhygienic, I'm sure that in say a hundred years' time people will laugh at their enduring popularity relatively far into the 3rd millenium.

I, unprompted, take my shoes off whenever I go into a house with a carpeted ground floor. maybe not in extreme circumstances, e.g. if it's in the middle of summer/very dry; i'm wearing flipflops/shoes with no tread; & the carpet say looks like it's a low maintance/nylon type.

my downstairs is all hard floors so I don't really expect people, adults especially, to take their shoes off. upstairs I suppose whether I really care or not is on a case by case basis [see above in terms of the weather etc], though it is quite awkward to ask people - I think I expect people to always take their shoes off if they're going upstairs.

However I've a couple of friends, who when they have people over, keep their own shoes on, in their own homes, even though they are barefoot at other times.

I do this because it stops people taking their shoes off when they come to the house. Don't want a pile of your smelly shoes by the front door and shoes off people never listen when you say 'for goodness sake I don't want to see your socks, keep your shoes on'. And if we are having people over then the DC will be in and out of the garden so they'll need their shoes on.

Is this subject doing the rounds again? It's come round quickly this time. It doesn't seem two minutes since it was done to death for the umpteenth time.

Our house came with the cream carpets btw (new build) and we can't afford to get them regularly cleaned or replaced just yet... hence the need to keep them clean as much as we can!

Personally I find it rude when I'm asked to take my shoes off, unless they are visibly muddy or dirty (when I would take them off without being asked, of course). Floors are for walking on and it's not very polite imho to expect guests to sit there in stockinged or bare feet, which a lot of people (including me) feel uncomfortable doing. Maybe I'd feel differently if slippers were offered, but even then I wouldn't exactly feel I'd come to a house I'd relax in. I'd be wondering if they'd recoil if I asked to use their loo.

If the host is wearing shoes, then I keep them on. If not, I take them off.

I generally don't wear shoes in my house. Guess what, most people take theirs off. I don't have to say a thing.

We once went to view a house and were handed pairs of foot protectors at the door. They also had a sideboard placed against the patio door "to stop them using it", to keep the carpets nice
Not convinced that that door actually worked, and no we didn't buy the house

As long as you provide fluffy slippers. I'd hate to bare foot in someone's home.
We are in the habit if taking ours off in the hallway, I'd never even think of asking a visitor to do this. The floors are wood and washed regularly.
Cream carpet would be a disaster for me. I can't wear white clothing without marking it, I'd destroy cream carpet.

No need. I live in Canada and everyone automatically takes their shoes off.

I take mine off at the front door. As do the whole household. People naturally just so it too. Never have to ask.