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.

We take our shoes off but only to teach the children to. I now feel weird keeping shoes on, however if I know I'm going back out again in an hour or so, they stay on.
In terms of the kids shoes, I have enough to do without rounding up shoes that have been kicked off in some random room in the house. They have shoe boxes so their shoes come off downstairs and go in the box and coats hung up. Sometimes that means walking though a carpeted area to do this and unless their feet are muddy or wet, I'm ok with this.

I've never asked anyone to take shoes off when they come in our home, we have a mix of tiles, carpet and Karndean flooring on the ground floor. It can all be cleaned.
I wouldn't mind taking my shoes off in a friends house either. I do in my own home and my friends houses are all very clean.

@optimistic40

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?

who knows, I can't remember what parties used to be like...

@Dontknowanymore2

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 😳

I'll happily take my shoes off if someone asks me to (although no one has ever asked me to). But I'm not a mind reader. I would never take my shoes off uninvited in someone else's house because I was brought up being told that that's incredibly rude. Most people I know would think you rude if you came into their house and took your shoes off.

NO ONE, NO ONE, comes into my house without either removing shoes, best for family/friends. Slippers for them. Or shoe covers for workmen. One did say as I turned him away, that I was as 'bad as his wife' My friends are mostly the same, and those that don't in their own homes respect it is my house, so my rules!
In the London borough I live there is still TB partially owing to the population and to spitting in the street. I Do Not want that in my house. Plus dog muck and so much more. Also pollution does carry on shoes. Lead used to and a study showed in households which remove shoes the level of lead was negligible, yet in those where shoes were allowed, it was high.
Just watch CSI to see how much of ourselves we leave behind!!!

PS. I grew up in a house where shoes removed, slippers on. All my relatives too.

@Dontknowanymore2 All this too. I wash all the floors and carpets if we have work done and it s impossible for the workmen to take off shoes, building work inside for instance. I wash them every night straight after they have gone

I’ve never let anyone in my house with shoes on.
Pre covid it caused issues people got annoyed but my house my rules it’s easier now as I just say ‘because of covid’.......
Before though I didn’t want dog shit germs or ecoli/ norovirus in the house etc

It’s shoes off or show protectors on. Interestingly men will always say it’s fine gas men, builders etc etc. Not an issue
But the amount of health visitors/midwives etc who try to refuse and are arsey about it surprised me

@amispeakingenglish

NO ONE, NO ONE, comes into my house without either removing shoes, best for family/friends. Slippers for them. Or shoe covers for workmen. One did say as I turned him away, that I was as 'bad as his wife' My friends are mostly the same, and those that don't in their own homes respect it is my house, so my rules! In the London borough I live there is still TB partially owing to the population and to spitting in the street. I Do Not want that in my house. Plus dog muck and so much more. Also pollution does carry on shoes. Lead used to and a study showed in households which remove shoes the level of lead was negligible, yet in those where shoes were allowed, it was high. Just watch CSI to see how much of ourselves we leave behind!!!

Yes London here too and each time info for a walk I see the disgusting blobs of spit everywhere it’s foul

Solution...become a hermit and never invite anyone over. Thank you very much.
In all seriousness though, it’s a shoes off household here and I will ask people to take them off, just as I always ask in other people’s homes.

But the amount of health visitors/midwives etc who try to refuse and are arsey about it surprised me

There have been plenty of health visitors, nurses etc on this thread who have explained why - it’s a hazard to them.

@Angrywife

I couldn't care less, life is way too short to get stressed about shoes. On or off, dont care 🤷‍♀️

Thank fuck for this.

I hate being asked this, your feet then freeze while your host sits there in their slippers. I always go to someones house with clean shoes, I would never go with dirty walking shoes with something I might have stood in on to someone else’s house and accordingly din’t expect someone to ask me to remove my shoes unless they ate going to provide me with new clean slippers.

@TheUnheard I have had tradesmen refuse, but I have a friend who is a midwife and she never takes her shoes off, in her house, she'd walk on the beds in them!!! LOL Plus once had a row with a nurse at swimming lessons, wearing her shoes in the rinsing showers while washing her kid!

I'm 51, grew up in a strictly shoes-off house so it's nothing new. I prefer guests to take them off but don't ask them to - they generally see that I take them off and follow suit. I do the same in other peoples' houses, I just follow what they do.

@scubadive Its not the dirt, its the germs, so your shoes are defiantly NOT CLEAN, Sorry:)
@theunHeardof Agree even though have been doing this for years nothing to do with covid, its easier now,... cos of covid!!
@TeenyTinyDustinHoffman
No stress at all, in fact less as house is clean!

@user143677433 Not a hazard if clean slippers are provided or shoe covers. Crocs are great for this as comfy warm and washable!

@wellthatsunusual Demographics hey! All my Muslim friends would think it very rude not to take off shoes.

I think its rude to traipse germs and filth all over someone's house. Mind you if I go to a house where the owners wear shoes inside, I do too as their floors are as dirty as the street outside and I don't walk on that in my socks!
I also ask when I go to someone's house for the first time.

I can't tell you how many times DC have stood in dog mess so no brainer for me. Why woud you want dog/cat/bird mess in your house, not to mention people's spit etc etc (blurrgh..pass me a bucket.) Apart from that rugs, carpet, laminate are expensive, I really don't get shoes on unless you've got a really large house with numerous choices of rooms and a maid who hoovers/mops every day i.e your the Queen.

[quote amispeakingenglish]@wellthatsunusual Demographics hey! All my Muslim friends would think it very rude not to take off shoes.

I think its rude to traipse germs and filth all over someone's house. Mind you if I go to a house where the owners wear shoes inside, I do too as their floors are as dirty as the street outside and I don't walk on that in my socks!
I also ask when I go to someone's house for the first time.[/quote]
I have no objection to taking my shoes off, it just would never occur to me that someone might want me to take my shoes off unless they say so.

We take our shoes off as soon as we come in, but more for comfort than cleanliness. I would never ask a guest to do so, though. For some people their outfit is their armour, their costume. I think it's rude to ask them to remove a piece of it. Plus my feet get cold really easily and most people's houses are not warm enough for my taste. I hate having cold feet - am never without slipper socks or slippers at home, even though I keep the house at 23 when I'm home. So I am sometimes physically uncomfortable if made to remove my shoes in someone's house.

Unless you have very expensive white carpeting I think it's rude to ask people to remove their shoes.

Given how many people on both sides of the divide think the other one is "rude", we can probably discount manners as a means of justification, since there's absolutely no consensus on it.

I can't help noticing that many people who have gone for "I wouldn't be so rude" are quite happy to be extremely bad mannered towards those on the other side.

I always take my shoes of in houses with carpet. I find it awkward to ask people but also don't understand why they don't automatically do it. Shoes on carpets is a big no for me.

@DrSbaitso

Given how many people on both sides of the divide think the other one is "rude", we can probably discount manners as a means of justification, since there's absolutely no consensus on it.

I can't help noticing that many people who have gone for "I wouldn't be so rude" are quite happy to be extremely bad mannered towards those on the other side.

So far as I can see (but I admit I am biased) it’s divided into:

(A) People who think the host should defer to the guest (on or off is the guests choice)

(B) People who think the guest should defer to the host (on or off is the hosts choice)

I was brought up with the rule that you should absolutely above all be a good host to your guests ,even if it inconvenienced you - give them the last slice of cake, let the visiting child choose the game etc - so that’s probably why I fall into camp (A), but I guess it’s arbitrary really.

It just seems odd to me to prioritise carpets over guests, but that’s my upbringing. Maybe I’m a doormat!

I was brought up with the rule that you should absolutely above all be a good host to your guests ,even if it inconvenienced you - give them the last slice of cake, let the visiting child choose the game etc - so that’s probably why I fall into camp (A), but I guess it’s arbitrary really.

It just seems odd to me to prioritise carpets over guests, but that’s my upbringing.
Maybe I’m a doormat!

Absolutely agree with your top two points - and no, you’re not a doormat!

I don't allow shoes in my flat. I live in London where the streets are paved not with gold but with urine, faeces and vomit.

I do have a large stock of shoe covers, which I'm happy to provide if needed, although it's astounding how many workmen don't get the concept that they can't keep them on if they're "just going to the van" and then walk back in in them.