to think delivery drivers should take their shoes off?

[sleepycoffeemonster]

We had bedroom furniture delivered today, delivery drivers turned up at the door step with part of the furniture ready to bring in asking where to put it, directed that it would be going upstairs. Up they went, no stopping to take off shoes or cover. Once up stairs one realises he's walked mud up the stairs and in a nice pattern on our light carpet.

How do people who keep shows on indoors not mind this? The house must get so dirty with several people coming and going with shoes on!

We're a shoes off by the door house because if this. Its not even wet out and we have a path from drive to door so not sure how he managed to get so muddy!

Nhs staff are not allowed to go shoeless in peoples homes.

@FlickerBeat

This is peak MN batshittery

And I bet PP will come back and be shocked and appalled nobody agrees with them. Batshit.

Nope not appalled, as I previously said I can understand that the shoes would be part of PPE and required for safety and insurance. Looks like the general consensus is shoe covers and sheets also not safe (although other trades have worn their own shoe covers). So not much I could do, I'll just be changing my expectations about muddy carpets!

@notsurenotsur you do realise that the HV was there to check up on the health and welfare of your baby and you for that matter?
Not just to peek at your baby. I can’t believe you would prioritise your flooring over your baby’s wellbeing.

@notsurenotsur, you put your carpet before your baby and delayed every other check she had to call on that day
I've read some shit on here but you and your husband win the prize

very, very slow hand clap to you both

@DontPeeInThePlayHouse

I would imagine shoe covers could be quite slippy and dangerous when carrying things up and down stairs.

That’s what I was thinking. It’s like having a carrier bag on your feet, ok for walking about downstairs but could be lethal carrying heavy furniture up the stairs!

I’d be annoyed about the mud though.

It's a problem. I don't expect guests to remove shoes, in case it puts them in the awkward position of having to confess some horrid foot condition. But I'm choosy who comes in since I'm going to have to hoover when they leave and if they don't wipe their shoes on the door mat before stepping on the carpet they're not invited back! I also don't expect to remove my shoes in other people homes, I don't have my slippers there and would get cold and if they have pets that means hair getting on my socks and transferring into my shoes. If someone asks me to remove shoes I decline invites to their home in future.

With deliveries or tradesmen it's a little different from regular guests. They need their shoes on for safety, it's not personal choice. They also don't have time to be removing at each house, it would add up over the day and make them late. I see two solutions for this, either have dark carpet and accept a little mud which will hoover off when dry, or have hard floors which are easier to clean.

I do have pale rugs in the hallway but I roll them up before people come, if I think there's the possibility of muddy shoes and I don't have carpet on the stairs. If I was having tradesmen or delivery into one of the carpeted rooms I'd lay a dust sheet on the floor to protect it, only takes a moment but better than trying to scrub mud out of a pale carpet. My carpets are a mix of dark and pale but it's patterned and mottled to help prevent stains. I consider cream (or other pale colour) carpets to be the preserve of the rich who can afford to have someone clean them regularly and replace as needed without worrying about the cost.

Yes they need to keep their shoes on but no reason why they couldnt have worn shoe covers. Ive seen workmen wearing neoprene ones with grippy dots on the bottom - not slippy at all and easy to take on and off. Far safer and more practical than covering the stairs in an old sheet etc.

I don't think carpet is a sensible choice of walking surface for someone who is very bothered about dirty floors.

@FlickerBeat

This is peak MN batshittery

And I bet PP will come back and be shocked and appalled nobody agrees with them. Batshit.

Actually I agree. It’s very insensitive of the MW to have behaved like that. I don’t know PP’s background but for example to refuse to take shoes off when entering an Asian home I would find that extremely poor on the part of the MW.

@OnyxOryx

It's a problem. I don't expect guests to remove shoes, in case it puts them in the awkward position of having to confess some horrid foot condition. But I'm choosy who comes in since I'm going to have to hoover when they leave and if they don't wipe their shoes on the door mat before stepping on the carpet they're not invited back! I also don't expect to remove my shoes in other people homes, I don't have my slippers there and would get cold and if they have pets that means hair getting on my socks and transferring into my shoes. If someone asks me to remove shoes I decline invites to their home in future.

With deliveries or tradesmen it's a little different from regular guests. They need their shoes on for safety, it's not personal choice. They also don't have time to be removing at each house, it would add up over the day and make them late. I see two solutions for this, either have dark carpet and accept a little mud which will hoover off when dry, or have hard floors which are easier to clean.

I do have pale rugs in the hallway but I roll them up before people come, if I think there's the possibility of muddy shoes and I don't have carpet on the stairs. If I was having tradesmen or delivery into one of the carpeted rooms I'd lay a dust sheet on the floor to protect it, only takes a moment but better than trying to scrub mud out of a pale carpet. My carpets are a mix of dark and pale but it's patterned and mottled to help prevent stains. I consider cream (or other pale colour) carpets to be the preserve of the rich who can afford to have someone clean them regularly and replace as needed without worrying about the cost.

You've given this a lot of thought! Pet hair in your shoes? Hoovering after people leave? I feel very unclean all of a sudden

I would never expect any tradesmen or delivery men to take their shoes off or bring protective covers tbh. I would just expect to clean up afterwards. But our house is decorated to factor in mess so its an easy job. You should have put sheets down to protect the carpet if it's light coloured and difficult to clean.

I used to work in home care and we were not allowed to remove our shoes. One lady had a box of disposable shoe covers by the door that we would put on before entering - maybe you could consider something similar.

YABU just clean it up afterwards

As others have said, H&S regs require them to have foot protection, and slip on shoe covers can be very slippery, so unfortunately not an option. I'd say putting covers on the floor could also be dangerous in case of slippage or trip hazard, especially on stairs.

Shoe covers would still move against the shoe, they would be like wearing loose fitting shoes. Not suitable for carrying heavy stuff.

@Hbh17

Floors & carpets are supposed to be walked on. It is the height of bad manners to ask anyone to remove their shoes indoors.

This is how i feel too tbh.

OP, Dr Beckmann carpet cleaner might be your friend in this instance. About £8 on Amazon.

@notsurenotsur

Had a disgustingly rude midwife a couple years ago refuse to take her shoes off. She kept trying to walk in And Dh had to block her ! I’m the end he said ‘look. STOP. You are not seeing the baby unless you take your shoes off or alternatively you can walk on some newspaper’

She was hateful she then handled ds so badly we had to complain

I have even more respect for midwives (and I had a lot already) having to put up with horrible, rude people blocking her walking in and behaving as you both did. I hope your husband gets a mouthful from someone who isn't afraid to put him squarely in his place next time he mouths off at someone trying to do their job. Wonder if he'd have been so brave if it was a well-built tradesman trying to come in... 🤔

It's a health and safety issue - they have to wear shoes while delivering heavy goods.

However, he was unreasonable for not ensuring that his shoes were clean before he entered your home.

@Chocolatewheatos

Shoe covers would still move against the shoe, they would be like wearing loose fitting shoes. Not suitable for carrying heavy stuff.

You can get non-slip shoe covers that fit tightly against shoes and have a textured base, and the risk of slipping is tiny anyway on a carpet as opposed to a tiled floor.

It would take so much time taking shoes off and putting them back on again at every house surely

They usually have plastic shoe covers , I'd have asked them to put them on!

YABU if you didn't ask or tell them too. I can't see any mention of if you did in your op. How are people supposed to know what you want them to do if you don't tell them?🤔

I am a shoes off person & like a pp am picky about who I let in on a social basis but with contractors and delivery men I assume I have little control beyond asking them to take their shoes off. Just use a good quality carpet cleaner (or hire a cleaner to do it for you) and it should hopefully be sorted.

i'd be really careful about providing your own shoe covers.....if a workman did slip, it would be totally on you.

@notsurenotsur

Had a disgustingly rude midwife a couple years ago refuse to take her shoes off. She kept trying to walk in And Dh had to block her ! I’m the end he said ‘look. STOP. You are not seeing the baby unless you take your shoes off or alternatively you can walk on some newspaper’

She was hateful she then handled ds so badly we had to complain

Wow, bat shit crazy post of the day.

Not only do midwife's shoes have to be comfortable they also need to cover the whole of the foot and be able to cleaned and decontaminated.

She should have left when your DH tried to assault her and escalated upwards.