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.

Oh good, we haven't discussed this for about three months because of the pandemic. But now the rules are starting to ease we all need to go through this question again. About once a fortnight for the next couple of months, do you think?

Don't people have washable slippers at the door for guests. In the summer they may not be wearing socks and could bring anything into the house.

@DrSbaitso

Slippers that others have worn. How lovely.

They get washed, for crying out loud. Like bedsheets and towels.

In normal times I have about 4 visitors every day just for work. Then there's family and friends That's a lot of washing. I couldn't possibly wash 6 pairs of slippers, on average, every day. I would need about 20 pairs!

I remember this as being a Swedish custom, and pretty much an obsession. In my house people who live here have slippers and are expected to take outdoor shoes off, but visitors aren’t. We certainly do not have spare washable slippers to offer in all sizes! Who has that sort of money!

It does make me about how invested people are in diffeeent customs that don’t really matter that much. If I visited someone who asked me to take shoes off, I can do that (and have, in Swedish and other households). Is it really such a problem, either way?

Probably easier to provide overshoes, you can buy them bulk quite cheaply, we get them as DH often comes in muddy after a run, pops on his overshoes and up to the shower

@PotDaffodil @Newkitchen123 As I said, my friends are the one-size fits all hotel ones.

Whenever they stay in a hotel (often due to work in normal times) they take the slippers and chuck them in a basket at home. Since they're just there for people who are cold or uncomfortable with bare/stocking feet, they don't go through that many anyway 🤷🏼‍♀️

We're all laminate flooring or tiles downstairs so not an issue! Agree it feels awkward to tell people to take off their shoes, I don't really want to see their holey socks We do take our shoes off in the hallway tho, and straight into slippers as it's comfy (and our own house).

[quote DuzzyFuck]**@PotDaffodil* @Newkitchen123* As I said, my friends are the one-size fits all hotel ones.

Whenever they stay in a hotel (often due to work in normal times) they take the slippers and chuck them in a basket at home. Since they're just there for people who are cold or uncomfortable with bare/stocking feet, they don't go through that many anyway 🤷🏼‍♀️ [/quote]
Flat hotel slippers won't have any impact on my uncomfortableness without my shoes. I often think people who think this is the solution have never had any foot or mobility problems in their lives.
I wonder what militant shoes off people do about prams or wheelchairs coming in?

I really don't find it hard to chuck the slippers into the next wash after they've been worn, honestly. I have six pairs for guests in various sizes; they're just an offer in case someone wants them. Most people don't, a few do. Overnight guests tend to bring their own.

They weren't expensive and washing them between guests isn't an arduous task.

I realise not everyone does this (I don't see it in most houses, although I got the idea from a friend who does), but I really don't believe anyone finds it as alien a concept as we are being led to believe. Contrary to the reactions expressed on this thread, which is as much of a corker as these ones always are, it isn't "fucking weird" ("what the fuck", "people do that???"), excessively expensive, horrifically unhygienic or impossible to keep up with the washing. It's a shoeless house and I've got slippers if you want them, washed between guests like the bedsheets and towels. Tis all. I don't know what some posters are reacting to when they try to make out that it's incomprehensible or "horrific" (yep) but it clearly isn't the slippers.

Might get some one size slipper socks to add to the collection.

I wonder what militant shoes off people do about prams or wheelchairs coming in?

Pram in the hall, wheelchair users (as some of my friends and family are) get transported to the living room by giant catapult. Obviously.

Jesus Christ on a pogo stick...

@ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown What an oddly aggressive reply. The majority of people won't ever suffer foot or mobility issues at least until late in life, so why would they be expected to know that and accommodate especially for it, unless a close friend of family you visit often?

You'd be welcome to keep your shoes on in my house, and that of the friend with the slippers, if you'd be in pain otherwise.

Try not to take everything in such black and white terms for goodness sake

Ps.. it absolutely would not occur to me to wheel a pram right into someone's lounge, to be honest.

It does get frustrating when multiple posters have described the pain of walking barefoot (I would never have believed this was so sore until it happened to me, to be fair) or that balancing on one leg to remove shoes can be hard for them, and the "solution" is brought out yet again of having a tasteful basket of hotel slippers. They don't solve the problem! Many people are of the view that they'd prefer shoes off, but don't make a song and dance about it. However a fair number have been absolutely fanatical in their "if they don't take their shoes off they can't come in, my house my rules" etc. As another poster said, I bet they will let the doctor in with their shoes on.

I'm sure I speak for pretty much all shoeless house owners when I say that if you need your shoes on for health/mobility reasons, or you use a wheelchair, of course we can deal with it. We're people who try to avoid tracking dirt around the house unnecessarily, not absolute loons who can't judge for exceptions.

I also am wondering where the heck else you'd put a pram anyway. You trundle it into the living room as a matter of course? And I'm the weirdo for offering slippers to people?

@DrSbaitso

I'm sure I speak for pretty much all shoeless house owners when I say that if you need your shoes on for health/mobility reasons, or you use a wheelchair, of course we can deal with it. We're people who try to avoid tracking dirt around the house unnecessarily, not absolute loons who can't judge for exceptions.

I also am wondering where the heck else you'd put a pram anyway. You trundle it into the living room as a matter of course? And I'm the weirdo for offering slippers to people?

This says it better than the response I was formulating ⬆️

A pp was annoyed when people wore shoes into her hall. Wondered how she'd cope with a pram. Thankfully my pram days are long gone, though the dc do sometimes try to bring a bike through the house

@ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown

A pp was annoyed when people wore shoes into her hall. Wondered how she'd cope with a pram. Thankfully my pram days are long gone, though the dc do sometimes try to bring a bike through the house

Well I don't know the layout of her house or how she communicates to guests that she wants them to remove their shoes before entering the hall so maybe you've got her bang to rights on that one, I don't know. I'm still very sure that the overwhelming majority of shoes off people will make an exception for a wheelchair or someone who needs to keep their shoes on for mobility or medical reasons.

That's great, I'm glad people are more reasonable than some of their representatives on this thread have been
Anyway there will be another one along in a week or two, saying exactly the same thing. Makes a change from masks/schools/mils I suppose!

We take our shoes off in the hall but would never ask guests to. They usually do anyway.

I can't get over the amount of times I see people on Gogglebox watching telly with their feet up and their shoes on. Why?

We don't wear shoes in our living room or upstairs. We have thick cream carpet that we chose to spend a small fortune on and it really does make for a cosier house. The rest of the downstairs area is tiled flooring so shoes are allowed on in there.

My FIL (a bit of a miserable man) hates the fact that we dare have this rule and he will kneel by the living room floor (with his shoes on picking dirt out of his soles - weird much) so he doesn't have to take them off.

@Notcontent

I think shoes on is fine if you live in a large country house with stone flooring and an army of servants to keep them clean!

I live in an average house in London and wearing shoes inside would be pretty revolting as there is so much mud and dog poo outside.

I don't understand your line of thought. Surely a country house would be more likely to be shoes off? I'm a Londoner, only mud here is in the park (and we have identified shoes at the door for dog walking in the park,) otherwise it's up to you whether you have shoes on or off. Plus last time I looked there was no cow pats or slurry in my part of London. . Maybe it's just in Haringey where there are pavements and not fields?

@Bumblebee1980a

We don't wear shoes in our living room or upstairs. We have thick cream carpet that we chose to spend a small fortune on and it really does make for a cosier house. The rest of the downstairs area is tiled flooring so shoes are allowed on in there.

My FIL (a bit of a miserable man) hates the fact that we dare have this rule and he will kneel by the living room floor (with his shoes on picking dirt out of his soles - weird much) so he doesn't have to take them off.

Why not suggest he brings a pair of clean shoes that he's comfortable wearing and leaves them at your house for use while he's there? Doesn't seem any weirder or more hassle than him doing this.

@Spidey66 I work in London normally and live in a different very urban area, for me it’s things like traces of dog (or human!) urine and spit on the pavement as well as the visible dirt

Why not suggest he brings a pair of clean shoes that he's comfortable wearing and leaves them at your house for use while he's there? Doesn't seem any weirder or more hassle than him doing this.

Yes my parents do this. He wouldn't. He thinks I'm ridiculous for not allowing shoes on the cream carpet.