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?

yes I always go out in socks or trainer socks. I find it uncomfortable walking in shoes with bare feet. Open toed shoes not my style
Exactly this. Wearing shoes without socks means the shoe absorbs sweat and not the sock. I also find shoes uncomfortable without a trainer sock. You can get ones that stay on, and really don't show, in m&s. I've got dozens!

@honeylulu Do you have sex with anybody/everybody that comes in your house? Do you kiss them all? I certainly don't, but you do you.

Exceptions are made in my house because I know and love my family, therefore I know and love their feet, along with all the other parts of their bodies. But acquaintances/casual friends/randomers -I don't know them. I don't want to see their feet in my home. I am quite happy to see shoes inside my house though.

I see a lot of bare feet- I do karate. I probably get closer to a lot of bare feet than many people. That's exactly why I'd prefer not to have them on my floors.

If you have a shoeless house but don't like bare feet, the solution seems to be what I've got: a box of slippers and slipper socks to offer to guests in case they want them.

Of course, this being MN, last time I mentioned I had this, I was accused of being "so fucking weird" and clearly a filthy slob as nobody could possibly keep on top of the extra laundry generated by an extra pair or two of slippers every now and then, but it seems to work for me and my circle.

Personally I'm not bothered about bare feet. The cat goes barepaw all the time.

Barefoot is normal and people who are grossed out by feet are being incredibly unreasonable

@Youdiditanyway - there is a little matter of the legislation. Socks and sandals are against the law. Although some men of a certain age flout the law. 😂.

@Shodan - I didn’t know you were not supposed to have sex with all visitors 😱! That is where l’ve been going wrong. I thought that was the thing, as long as they’d taken their shoes off, of course 🤪.

9 pages of foot etiquette.

Wait what?? Are people genuinely this offended by someone's bare feet 😂 this is ridiculous!

It's a foot for god's sake, not an arsehole. Pad about my house with your feet out until your heart's content!

OK for a woman to do it, not OK for a man.

I wouldn't bat an eye if a close friend was barefoot in my home (I'm happy with my chums walking around here in their PJs though, it's that kind of house).

However... on the weird flip side, I definitely would do it myself in someone else's house, if that makes sense? I'd feel like I was in an inappropriate state of undress! It would feel the same to me as walking around in just my bra - it's not gross or technically indecent, but it presumes too much intimacy and casual-ness on behalf of your host, which could come across as rude.

@JaninaDuszejko

And this is why you should wear shoes when you're in someone's house. If your DPs don't want other people to be in either shoes or bare feet in their house they should supply artisan slippers for guests to wear.

I agree, but what the heck are artisan slippers?

@Rothko2929

9 pages of foot etiquette.

and yet people insisting that because they are ok with it, everybody else should follow their rules and other people preferences or rules don't apply and don't matter. 😂

That's the funniest thing on threads like this.

As someone who wears shoes indoors all winter and goes barefoot in the summer, I appear to manage to offend just about the whole of MN. I’m irrationally pleased with myself!

Thought I was doing well remembering hand gel and mask when I go out, now just added pair of socks to my bag as popping round to see a friend later. Looking forward to seeing if she thinks I'm crazy for putting socks on when I arrive.

I do provide slippers (they're just an offer) but I'm afraid they're not artisan at all. Very basic ones from eBay, though I've added a few slipper socks from planes and hospital visits.

I have to admit now, that I do have a selection of Clark's Freckle Ice that I use as indoors only shoes. They're not great if you're walking far but as comfy as slippers, without looking like slippers. They're quite expensive to be honest, but they last forever if you don't go out in them. I do take them with me to friends' houses too if I know them well and they're a shoes off household. They know my indoor shoes are unsullied by pavements or soil.

I know they don't think I'm nuts because 2 of them have copied me.

@Carrotinthesky

I have to admit now, that I do have a selection of Clark's Freckle Ice that I use as indoors only shoes. They're not great if you're walking far but as comfy as slippers, without looking like slippers. They're quite expensive to be honest, but they last forever if you don't go out in them. I do take them with me to friends' houses too if I know them well and they're a shoes off household. They know my indoor shoes are unsullied by pavements or soil.

I know they don't think I'm nuts because 2 of them have copied me.

That’s such a good idea. I’ve just googled them and they’re perfect for the purpose. You may have a new convert!

I don't really care what people wear in my house. I tend to find that most people have the sense to remove heavily soiled footwear. Unless we've deliberately planned in parks/ woods in the visit, most people turn up in decent footwear that hasn't been tramped up dogshit alley.

Slippers are hideous, uncomfortable things, and the concept of guest slippers is considerably more gross than feet, socks or shoes. The entire concept is baffling. How many pairs do you need to cover your range of guests in their sizes? Would you be supplying the full size range so I'm not breaking my neck in humongous size 5s an inch and a half too big and DH's size 12s are covered? I don't have any since my last comfortable pair died 10 years ago andhave proven impossible to replace.

If you're going to have rules about people's footwear then they will end up barefoot in the summer. Providing them with a dress code for feet is inhospitable.

People actually carry socks around with them when wearing sandals? Now I have heard everything.

I genuinely wouldn't care.

Between April and October I live in sliders so wouldn't have socks on.

To add to that - I never wear shoes in my own house and always ask at other peoples house, but wouldn't carry around socks just in case. If I had a problem with my feet I wouldn't be wearing sandals

I bring socks. If they tell me not to be daft- I'll leave them off, but wouldn't assume people would be ok with bare feet. I wouldn't care- you'll probably leave my home a bit hairy if you did- hence why I tell people to keep shoes on (wooden floors and a dog that sheds it's own body weight in hair hourly) but I take socks as a social nicety.

So strange, it’s rude to wear shoes in someone else’s house!!
Bring socks if your that bothered about sandle feet!

And who goes to some else’s house and puts their feet on their sofas and cushions?

I bet a number of these 'bare feet are icky' types have a tacky, broiling, dead skin filled hot tub.

And who goes to some else’s house and puts their feet on their sofas and cushions?

Apparently, most people according to MN!
It's the only way to feel welcome and comfortable in a friends house...

I am so glad I live on another planet than some of the posters, I really am

Barefoot would be fine in this house... wouldn't batter an eyelid. Far better than shoes in the house IMO.