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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To walk barefoot in someone else’s home?

318 replies

Sheerdetermination · 06/07/2021 20:53

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?

OP posts:

TokenGinger · 06/07/2021 22:20

I'm personally not bothered about people walking barefoot in my house if they want to take the risk around DS's toys, but I don't like being barefoot in other people's houses so I always have a bare of socks in my handbag or DS's change bag.

I even have a pair in the car, too, but that's because my wellies are kept in the car in case we go for an impromptu walk, and I often wear trainer socks, but they leave my ankles cold in wellies so I have a pair of proper socks in the car for welly walks.

whattodo2019 · 06/07/2021 22:20

no i don't think it's rude!
I think people who are obsessed with visitors taking off their shoes is rude.

In my experience, it's a class thing... sorry

kindaclassy · 06/07/2021 22:22

I hate people who do that, especially after being told and retold to please not take their shoes off.

It's so rude. Yes, if you must take your shoes off, at least pack some socks.

jaundicedoutlook · 06/07/2021 22:24

Hell no. Mother people’s feet (and I include DH’s in this) are rank. Nobody needs to see that. Minor exception for small children. Otherwise socks please. We also have (washable) guest slippers which I encourage overnight guests to use.

Bubblespider · 06/07/2021 22:25

@whattodo2019

no i don't think it's rude! I think people who are obsessed with visitors taking off their shoes is rude.

In my experience, it's a class thing... sorry

Oh, which class does/doesn't take their shoes off?

Oviously it's also cultural.

ArnoldJudasRimmer · 06/07/2021 22:26

No thank you, the thought of other people walking barefoot around my house is rank. I don't like seeing feet in sandals either but obviously I don't run and hide as it's pretty normal, I just don't like feet. 😁

notanothertakeaway · 06/07/2021 22:27

Gross, I don't want to look at your toes

majesticallyawkward · 06/07/2021 22:27

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 you're not being asked to suck on the bare feet. They are just present in your house.

Just when I think MN can't get any more bizarre! Do these foot averse people feint at the thought of a bare arse touching their toilet seat? Bacteria infested mouths using utensils?

JaninaDuszejko · 06/07/2021 22:27

I grew up in a country where it is considered the absolute height of rudeness to wear shoes inside. You wouldn’t even consider it.

And I grew up somewhere it would be considered unbelievably rude and overly familiar to take your shoes off in someone elses house. Cultural differences. But at least with a shoes on rule there's never a bare feet dilemma.

In England I find the no shoe wearers are very insistent about taking their shoes off in my house. Really annoying actually, I don't want to see their socks or barefeet and since we are walking through the house to the garden (where they then want to put their shoes back on) it's a pointless faff anyway. Just keep your bloody shoes on in my house!

butterry · 06/07/2021 22:27

It’s their house so they can think it’s rude if they want to. Why question it when they have already told you how they feel. I always take socks with me if I’m visiting a house wearing sandals.

MaxNormal · 06/07/2021 22:28

I've noticed that Brits are really squeamish about feet. I'm from a hot country with lots of flip flops and barefoot children and I'd never encountered anything like it.

I do find it weird that people are squeamish about bare feet but ate happy to have shoes traipsing around that have potentially walked through human and dog piss, pigeon shit, vomit, phlegm, blood and god knows what else.

Muchasgracias · 06/07/2021 22:30

Jaysus, I’m not going to sleep tonight thinking about all the times I’ve kicked my shoes off and walked barefoot in other people homes. I did it last week on a play date….fuuuuuck!!!!!!

ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 06/07/2021 22:31

Brits are so weird about these things, but nothing beats the absolute horror that is carpeted bathrooms.

yes, bare feet are fine unless people have really stinky feet.

ArnoldJudasRimmer · 06/07/2021 22:33

@majesticallyawkward

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 you're not being asked to suck on the bare feet. They are just present in your house.

Just when I think MN can't get any more bizarre! Do these foot averse people feint at the thought of a bare arse touching their toilet seat? Bacteria infested mouths using utensils?

Toilet seat will be cleaned after others have used it, I'll admit, although it doesn't distress me, no. 😁

Utensils I'm not bothered about either, they get washed after each use anyway.

But if someone is out about in bare feet I would hope they'd brought socks before coming in, I just don't like feet and don't want to have to look at them. Just to put it all out there, I also feel the same about tights. 🙈

warmfluffytowels · 06/07/2021 22:33

MN is utterly bonkers at times!

I can't stand socks without shoes (even in winter I'd rather go barefoot or just wear slipper boots) - I certainly wouldn't be bringing socks to someone's house in my pockets

singlehun · 06/07/2021 22:37

Who are these people with bits of toenail and flaky skin falling off all over the place?!

This is ridiculous. Of course bare feet are okay

lazylinguist · 06/07/2021 22:40

This is the problem with Mumsnet,it makes you paranoid about things that you didn't realise were a thing.

No it just makes you laugh at all the people who are apparently constantly pearl-clutching, taking terrible offence or retching or shuddering at the most minor of things!

JaninaDuszejko · 06/07/2021 22:40

Do these foot averse people feint at the thought of a bare arse touching their toilet seat? Bacteria infested mouths using utensils?

We tend to wash utensils between people using them though don't we and lots of people don't pee in other people's house so that's a less common issue (and in these Covid times when we have visitors we use different toilets and then I clean the downstairs bathroom after the visitors have gone).

my favs include the PP who liked to be barefoot in her own home but preferred that guests weren't.

Seems perfectly reasonable to me. After all, there are lots of things I like to do in my own home that I wouldn't be happy about other people doing, e.g. kissing my husband.

JaninaDuszejko · 06/07/2021 22:45

No it just makes you laugh at all the people who are apparently constantly pearl-clutching, taking terrible offence or retching or shuddering at the most minor of things!

Yeah, like those who worry about miniscule particles of dog piss that get transported into your house by shoes. My favourite was the poster who insisted everyone took off shoes at the front door then had special slippers for people to wear in the toilet so any pee on the toilet floor couldn't be transferred out to the rest of the house.

lazylinguist · 06/07/2021 22:47

Well exactly. I always think that if bacteria were visible to the naked eye, people would give up worrying so much about them, because they'd see that they are literally everywhere, not just on shoes and pets.

Blossomtoes · 06/07/2021 22:47

@AnUnoriginalUsername

I prefer people to keep their shoes on in our house, I really wouldn't like people barefoot. Despite the fact I'm usually barefoot if I haven't been out, then I keep my shoes on.

Same. You do realise that we’re like unicorn shit on MN, don’t you?

kindaclassy · 06/07/2021 22:49

This is the problem with Mumsnet,it makes you paranoid about things that you didn't realise were a thing.

Why being paranoid? Why not just... ASK if you are not sure?

Surely you didn't wait to be on MN to follow the lead of your host, or ask them. You don't act in people's house like it's yours!

glitterbubbles · 06/07/2021 22:50

I'm so surprised at the number of people who think this is rude. I must have offended lots of people 🙈

frigglerock · 06/07/2021 22:50

I doubt socks are much cleaner than a bare foot, assuming one bathes often enough, and has no open cuts or fungal infections.

I wouldn't want a bunch of people walking around barefooted, I suppose, but my child's significant other? I'd feel very rude to ask them to wear socks!

kindaclassy · 06/07/2021 22:51

What is amazing on MN is the amount of posters who pretend that their customs and habits must apply everywhere, and anyone with different ones is either weird or wrong.

Guessing they don't travel much, or they just are the very rude tourists everybody takes the piss about.

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