To walk barefoot in someone else’s home?

[Sheerdetermination]

My parents think my DP is wrong (ie. rude) to pad around their house barefoot when we are visiting. He does this when he’s wearing sandals outside. As they don’t like this, he now puts socks on when he takes his shoes off at the door.
But what if he/I were dropping in on a friend for a cuppa while wearing sandals? Should we have a spare pair of socks/slippers with us? I don’t think so! AIBU to think it’s ok to be barefoot on someone else’s carpets?

My feeling on this is that you can choose: you can be a keep your shoes on house, and reasonably not be prepared to accept bare feet, or you can be a shoes off house and have to accept bare feet. It's unreasonable to expect people to carry slippers with them to facilitate their visiting your house.

Would they have let your husband wear his sandals inside instead?

I find it most unpleasant that anyone should walk around barefoot in my house and would not permit it.

We are not living in the bush in the UK, so there is simply no need.

@MadMadMadamMim

I think you should LTB for wearing sandals, frankly.

If it helps, anyone so uptight they're stressing about it, i don't want to visit your your bloody house in any case

I'm sure this conversation has appeared on MN before. Someone was horrified that I don't have socks with me at all times just in case I might drop into someone's house.

So I'm heading out for a dog walk... I've got the dog... lead... phone.......... socks in case I pop into Laura's on the way home... WTF?

@Daphnise

I find it most unpleasant that anyone should walk around barefoot in my house and would not permit it.

We are not living in the bush in the UK, so there is simply no need.

All right, Hyacinth. Keep your hair on.

Well this is weird, I generally offer to take my shoes off but I never, ever wear socks (sensory thing) so I guess it’s shoes or bare feet or I don’t visit…? never had anyone tell me to put anything on my feet before.

@Daphnise

I find it most unpleasant that anyone should walk around barefoot in my house and would not permit it.

We are not living in the bush in the UK, so there is simply no need.

If you would "not permit" it, you'd be down a friend. I'm not a school child.

Everyone can wear their shoes in my house :)

@Carrotinthesky

So what would you do if you called round in a pair of Birkenstocks or whatever and were invited in for a cup of tea? Tell them no because you may have an undiagnosed foot condition? I don't know, it's never happened. Nobody I know expects shoes off in their kitchen. I don't wear sandals, and always wear trainer socks or similar.

Why would people stay in the kitchen? Lots of people wear sandals in summer. If they call round to someone’s house, what are they meant to say and do if they’re invited in?

I'm a shoes off house. I hate it when people are bare-footed. My mum puts her sweaty feet all over the couch 🤮 and my mil always has a long big toe nail. My niece had a nail hanging off and it came off on our brand new carpet, I was upset at that. I do hate feet though and DH has to wear socks when doing his Joe Wicks workouts

This is the problem with Mumsnet,it makes you paranoid about things that you didn't realise were a thing.
Shoes in the house are rank and not everyone has socks on, really it's a non-issue.

No thanks to other people's bare feet on my floors, dropping dead skin and potentially athlete's foot/verruca germs everywhere. Not to mention having to look at other people's feet (hairy toes, overgrown nails) or smell them

Jesus are all those things wrong with your feet? OR just weird foot issues?
I have absolutely none of those things and I dont wear socks.

Shoes inside is revolting but I can't believe how many British people wander around on theor own and others carpets in outdoor shoes. And you think barefeet is the problem?

I too didn't know that being a barefoot guest was disrespectful and so many find this gross. I always assumed that it might be better to take my footwear off, having walked on pavements that have all sorts of stuff on it, but how wrong I was.

Help me understand this correctly - no barefeet, but shoes ok? Or should I always wear socks?

I think maybe a basin of water at the door for visitors to wash their feet in would solve many a social faux pas; and maybe a sock basket for visitors would be handy - just like the PP of years before who stated her use of a basket of slippers for visitors.

What a minefield this is - hilarious!!!

Luckily it seems they our friends/family are the same as us so we don’t seem to be upsetting everyone with our/their shoes on.

I think it's weird to expect people to bring socks with them if they are wearing sandals in summer. Maybe you need to provide some kind of slippers for visitors of this is a big issue for you.

I would never dream of taking socks, so it'd be sandals or bare feet.
We're a shoes off house but if it's nice enough weather for sandals they can stay on, or barefoot is fine.
I've genuinely never noticed/ thought of this before!

What the actual fuck, people think bare feet are rude? I've heard everything 😂

If I was suddenly dropping into someone's house for a cuppa, unplanned, I would assume I would know them well enough to borrow a pair of socks while I'm there? Or if the weather is suitable for sandals then surely it is sitting outside weather?

Ah but Finding you must have thought about it before, if you're a shoes off HH; OP is talking about visitors and guests, do you have any expectations of them?

Besides the many posts on this thread that have amused me, my favs include the PP who liked to be barefoot in her own home but preferred that guests weren't.

@SpikeDearheart

I don't think I'd even notice if a guest was barefoot, let alone care. People are really fucking weird.

100% this

@riromay

What the actual fuck, people think bare feet are rude? I've heard everything 😂

Incredible isn't it

Jesus are all those things wrong with your feet? OR just weird foot issues?
I have absolutely none of those things and I dont wear socks

Your feet don't shed skin? You're a medical marvel. No, none of those things are wrong with my feet, but have been wrong with other people's.

I find it unbearably prissy if people won't wear their shoes in my house. I don't like feet particularly, true. But so many people think that it's somehow 'nicer' or less rude to inflict their feet on me- especially the weirdoes who wear trainers without socks. I'd far rather take my chances with the MN-famous piles of dog shit/urine that apparently people wade through before entering a house.

As for anyone thinking that it's bizarre that some people don't like bare feet- well, some people don't. I find it equally bizarre that you think that way.

But really, my feelings on shoes on/off in my house are irrelevant. As far as the OP goes- it's common courtesy to do as your host/ess prefers, and as your parents prefer not to have bare feet in their house, that's what you should do.

I can't stand being barefoot. If I'm visiting someone in sandals I bring fluffy socks.

I encourage barefootedness. It’s very relaxing all round