Shoes in house?

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Do you have a no shoes policy in your house? And if so why? I hate shoes in my house, it's my number one pet peeve. I find it rude if people come to my house and don't offer to take their shoes off. I just find it unclean to wear outdoor shoes indoors. Wondering is it an upbringing thing (my parents don't allow shoes in the house)? Or class (I'm working class)? Or where you are from (I'm from the North of England)? One of my friends from university that I lived with would wear her shoes indoors and put her feet up on the couch while wearing her shoes (so the base of the shoe was touching the couch where you sit) and also lay in bed reading with her shoes on. Thought that was unhygienic and made me not want to sit on the couch.

I personally think wearing shoes inside is disgusting. Think of everywhere they've trodden & what's been on the floor outside (animal & human poo, wee, sick etc), then you're walking around your home. I would also think it's rude if people didn't ask whether to take them off. I have a stash of shoe covers for any workmen etc that need to come.

Do you honestly carry a pair of slippers with you at all time?

If I'm going in someone's house and it's winter yes. It's the mark of being a proper old lady

I’m foreign and find it unhygienic. We never wear shoes inside.

However, the halfway and the way to the loo are tiled and the sitting and dining room have wooden floors specifically so that guests can wear shoes and the areas can be mopped up.

I hate wearing shoes indoors. We take our shoes off as soon as we come in, however I never ask visitors to take their shoes off, just seems rude to me. A couple of people who visit regularly always take their shoes off when they get here.

I just don’t find it comfortable walking around in shoes, to me, shoes are just to protect your feet outside! But I also change into loungewear as soon as I’m home too, I just like to be comfy!

I do find it a bit odd though walking around your own home in shoes.

I find carpets unhygienic, but it doesn't stop people who have them to expect others to walk on them without shoes. If you are bare-feet, it's vile!

I would never allowed shoes to be worn in my house you don't what's on the bottom of the shoes what have people stepped in?

Grew up wearing shoes indoors and same in mine and my siblings houses. I tend to forget that other people might want me to take my shoes off in their houses and I wouldn’t mind doing it at all. Sometimes if I notice they’re not wearing shoes I say oh I can take mine off but they usually say it’s fine. Must just do it in future once I notice in case they do mind but are being polite.

For me I don’t see much harm. I wear my shoes outside, I wipe my feet on a mat when I come indoors so I’m not tracking any visible dirt around anyway and I hoover my floors every day and mop once a week so they’re always sparkling! All wooden floors here bar a carpet on the stairs.

you don't what's on the bottom of the shoes what have people stepped in?

do you people routinely step in dog poo? Do you really leave your shoes outside the front door, because surely you wouldn't want poo and sick in your house even in the hall, would you.

Dh leaves his on
I take mine off
Kids decide on the day, usually wet shoes off.

I wash the floors regularly, we have pets, I’m not anal about germs/dirt.
Your house your rules but we wouldn’t be friends

My ex-boyfriend had a no shoes policy. If he hadn't, I might not be here now or he would have been done for ABH.

JosefKeller Obviously don't intentionally step in it, but guranteed it's been on the floor where we walk daily at some point, even if it's washed away. Still rank in my opinion. Also, we have a mat where we take shoes off as soon as we walk in, they're then picked up & put away. Nobody ever steps on the mat bare footed, or walks anywhere else other than the mat with shoes. I just find it generally grim & dirty that people don't mind the outside being dragged inside.

SkinnyEx Eh?

There are plenty of people and kids who need to wear shoes inside. You’ve no idea how much stress precious people like you have caused over the years when my son has been invited round and I’ve had to bring up the shoes inside thing. It’s awkward as sin and just one more thing that marks him out as different.

I hate it.

Sorry didn't see that one/ not searched on mumsnet for this topic. What was the general consensus?

Never mind a general consensus you could do a PhD thesis on this topic the number of times it comes up.

But in case you don't have the 3 years it would take to read them all they can be neatly summarised as: there is no right answer some people have shoes off houses, some people don't, some people care about it, some people don't.

Working class, Wales. No shoes. I don’t understand the logic of no shoes upstairs/ not on carpet. You are going to drag the dirt from the hallway to the living room?! Unless you keep slipping your shoes off depending which room you enter.
I keep those little blue plastic booties by the front door for any visitors that don’t want to remove shoes. I also keep slippers for regular visitors.

We have a slate floor but I’m still a no shoes house. We have underfloor heating so it’s never cold. We live on a yard and have dogs, cats (we wipe their feet when they come in) and also free range hens that poo everywhere. I don’t want any of that being trodden through my house. It’s not like getting out of your car onto a clean tarmac drive, it’s a working yard. Take your shoes off and help yourselves to a drink or snack! Also have a toddler that plays on the floor through the house then puts his hands in his mouth so I’m always vacuuming and mopping the floors.

There is no consensus.

It's rude to expect everyone to automatically behave the same way you do, or to know what you want them to do without being told. Be polite to your visitors and be polite when you visit others. Use words to communicate, politely.

And, ffs, can people stop posting threads on this already?!!

I just find it generally grim & dirty that people don't mind the outside being dragged inside.

do you really lick your floors?
Do you disinfect your carpets daily?
Where do you stand on people feet on your floor? Some people sweat, stink, have athlete foot Not It's revolting.

I don't agree that my house is full of poo simply because we don't have to take our shoes off. If nothing else, it's probably cleaner than carpets that hold on dirt, dust and germs!

Not going to lie I do put my shoes on the couch and on the bed,but only in my house. I'd not do that in someone elses though

No shoes on in my home. They are left by the front door and I offer visitors a pair of socks if they find themselves bare foot.
There might not be a visible lump of dog poo or whatever, but after traipsing around pavements, public transport, muddy parks, etc, all sorts of germs and dirt on shoes

This is the only country ive lived in where people wear shoes inside the home. My home countries would be so so so offended if you wore shoes int heir home

I think it's incredibly rude to ask people to remove their shoes.

I take my shoes off when I get home but mainly because I don't like wearing shoes my OH changes into slippers he only wears indoors, but I don't ask guests to take thier shoes off especially as our carpets are old ones that were in the house when we moved here a few months ago and cant be bothered with who wears what till we change them after weve decorated, and I will be going for darker colours for the same reason I have better things to do with my time than constantly cleaning pale coloured carpets

*do you really lick your floors?
Do you disinfect your carpets daily?
Where do you stand on people feet on your floor? Some people sweat, stink, have athlete foot Not It's revolting.
*
Eww, no, thankfully I have clean friends/family who wash & look after their feet. That being said, I'd much rather have sweaty feet on my floor than shoes that have stood in god knows what outside.

Shoes off - don't have pets or kids at home so I can afford to have nice cream carpeting throughout and white tiled floors is wet areas. No way do I want outside dirt trampled over them. We have lots of guests and most do it automatically. I take my shoes off in other people's homes.