Removing shoes indoors

[diagold4u]

Am interested to know how many people actually have the rule of no shoes indoors.
We've had this rule from when I was young and have carried it on when I moved out. I think it makes sense not to walk all over the house with shoes that have been worn outdoors, who knows what you've stood on and then bringing all that in to your home.
I have shoe covers that I provide to workers.
Especially with young children I think it's even more important not to wear outdoor shoes indoor, carpets/rug will harbour all that dirt no matter how much you Hoover up.

My actual aibu is, if someone came to my house as a guest would it be U for me to ask them to remove their shoes? Obviously in a polite manner.
I feel quite embarrassed having to ask when these people already know.
My current house is all flooring with large rugs everywhere, the main living room is carpet.
I've noticed certain extended family members get annoyed at my request but the way I see it, it's my house, if I don't walk with shoes, why should you when you've chosen to come to my house.

Maybe it’s a case of:
Best hostess scenario; shoes on or off, don’t even mention removal of footwear, and deal with any ‘footprints’ left behind, later...?!
Best guest behaviour and decorum; to offer the removal of footwear, but don’t assume either way to take on or off shoe or footwear unless you have been offered to do so. Certainly/under no circumstances, must you not take off footwear unless invited to do so, but you must offer?!!!
Everyone happy......

@Spidey66 flipflops is the sensible suggestion kick them off at the back door, in reality I'd just be barefoot in the garden. We do take our shoes off at home but more for comfort so guests tend to follow our lead, I'd never ask someone to though! We've got hardwood floors though so nothing a quick mop don't solve. IME those who are massively bothered have cream carpets

*won't solve

@Mydogdoesntlisten I take my shoes off in my own office, put them on to wander around the wider office, use the toilet etc, although I have been padding around in just socks recently as there are only a few people in because of Covid rotas. Honestly I'd not wear shoes at all if I could do it without injuring myself or ending up with hardened hooves

Everyone who has ever come in to my house has taken their shoes off. Even DD’s friends do it without me ever asking so I can only assume they do the same in their house.

Seems like common sense to me to take shoes off inside, but I’d never ask anyone to do it. I can’t get worked up about things that can be easily cleaned if needs be.

@diagold4u

Am interested to know how many people actually have the rule of no shoes indoors. We've had this rule from when I was young and have carried it on when I moved out. I think it makes sense not to walk all over the house with shoes that have been worn outdoors, who knows what you've stood on and then bringing all that in to your home. I have shoe covers that I provide to workers. Especially with young children I think it's even more important not to wear outdoor shoes indoor, carpets/rug will harbour all that dirt no matter how much you Hoover up.

My actual aibu is, if someone came to my house as a guest would it be U for me to ask them to remove their shoes? Obviously in a polite manner.
I feel quite embarrassed having to ask when these people already know.
My current house is all flooring with large rugs everywhere, the main living room is carpet.
I've noticed certain extended family members get annoyed at my request but the way I see it, it's my house, if I don't walk with shoes, why should you when you've chosen to come to my house.

You should never ask an English guest to take off their shoes. However, they may check with the host if this is their preference. NB old school hosts may be offended by this question as it infers they have naff floor coverings (as opposed to flagstones etc)

There's usually a hint in the footwear your host is currently wearing, a pair of slippers or normal shoes

We always change into slippers a soon a we step throught the front door. For regular visitors they keep a spare pair here. We always take our slippers with us when visiting any one.

@MrsTerryPratchett

DH is from a shoes off culture and I was raised in a shoes off house. I don't insist, but most people offer. I also have to go into homes myself as part of my job and always carry shoe covers.

Don't people know any Canadians, Japanese people and North Africans? A lot of the world is shoes off!

Not all Canadian houses are shoes off, it’s not like Japan or India.

The only time I take my shoes off when at home is to change into my flip flops(they're my slippers lol) I never ask any visitors to take their shoes off. Obviously if it's wet weather,people can wipe their
feet on a doormat. My parents were very much a shoes off in their house,but they've started chilling a bit about that (I still take mine off when I go there though lol) Life is to short for this surely...its like ironing your bedding.

Off. Kinda expect guests to only if they go upstairs. Shoes in the bathroom feels very wrong.

Put a no shoe zone sign on the front door so they know when they are waiting to come in, that way you do not need to ask them. Keep shoe covering by the front door and guest slippers that way you have covered your all your bases.

I’ll walk through the house with my shoes on, but that’s all hard floors, I don’t wear them upstairs or in the carpeted rooms. I wouldn’t ask guests to remember their shoes if they were going in the kitchen, unless they were wet or muddy. But I’d ask them to before going in the living room. Easy to mop a hard floor, much harder to clean a carpet.

No shoes here op. Although shows are ok in hallway and kitchen (wooden floors). But no shoes everywhere else in house which has carpet. I hate the thought of shoes on carpet leaving germs from outside.
No one I know has a prob taking shoes off. If they did they are being disrespectful.

A sign 😱

If they did they are being disrespectful.

What, even if they have issues with pain from removing shoes as some have described on this thread?

Mixed feelings here, we don't wear shoes indoors, & it's nice if guests don't, (we do offer slippers), but when I was working, I visited a fair number of homes where to be quite frank you needed to wipe your feet on the way out! There is no way I would have taken my shoes off. At others I was walking into properties with needles on the floor, no way were shoes coming off. But in these homes the householders were usually lovely people, they honestly didn't realise just how dangerous their homes were.

You can’t ask people to remove their shoes! It’s ridiculous. This didn’t exists when I was young (60s) child

I think it's rude for guests to leave shoes on. The bottom of your shoes are filthy, dirt, dog wee, everything on the bottom of them. You only have to look when we have snow what gets on it. Never have worn shoes inside if a workman came round and didn't remove shoes I wash all the floors. People wonder why the floor is dirty and they wear shoes inside 😳

Shoes off here. No exceptions at all. No guest has ever seemed offended by this, although most people we invite round have also spent a lot of time in Asia, so they tend to be shoes off types anyway.

In other people's houses I do whatever the host prefers.

I have a funny image of people arriving for drinks or supper being greeted with misshapen hotel slippers that have been through a hotwash.

Lots of women standing around in smart clothes, their pieces dangling from their necks and ears, holding glasses and making polite conversation whilst their rather nice heels are piled up in the corner of the hall looking like a Tracey Emin work. Such a funny idea.

@LemonRoses

I have a funny image of people arriving for drinks or supper being greeted with misshapen hotel slippers that have been through a hotwash. Lots of women standing around in smart clothes, their pieces dangling from their necks and ears, holding glasses and making polite conversation whilst their rather nice heels are piled up in the corner of the hall looking like a Tracey Emin work. Such a funny idea.

This happened to me! We were invited to a work friend’s party, dressed up with heels on to match my outfit. Upon arrival his wife said please take your shoes off and we thought at first she was joking. Bizarre party, adults stood around in bare feet or with socks on. We sat in the corner and left after an hour as it was so odd

Catlover77 It’s never happened to me yet, luckily.

I imagine conversation becomes more difficult with lots of 5’3” women struggling to hear what 6’2” men are saying above the chatter of forty others and wondering whether they are leaning down to be heard or to look at their décolletage.

If it's a party do people ask all their guests to take their shoes off? I definitely wouldn't but maybe that's the norm these days?

Depends on the party. If it's very very casual and everyone will be turning up in jeans and we're just going to order pizza and be very relaxed, yeah. If it was a "party" party, with cocktails and canapes and people getting a bit dressed up, I wouldn't. I think that would alter the tone a bit and spoil people's outfits and how they felt. I'd be giving the carpet a good clean after something like that anyway.

But I wouldn't be dropping F bombs and getting befuddled out of my single remaining wit if someone felt differently.