To ask visitors to please do this?

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Remove their shoes. I have very pale cream carpets and no one in the household wears shoes in the house. My niece recently called and it was heavily raining, she had cork sole shoes on which sucked up lots of water which she tramped over my carpets. I asked her to take them off as wet soggy prints were being left behind. I do not have to ask some people but feel awkward when I do ask.

Ah haven't seen one of those threads in forever

<wipes away nostalgic tear>

Or an asking for money at a wedding one.

I expect they'll last the distance

I thought it was a while since we had one of these threads.

I generally implore people to keep their shoes on if they show any sign of trying to remove them in my house. Their shoes are very likely far cleaner than my floors.

In any case, I associate 'shoes off' with a certain type of person and a certain type of house. My Aunt Gwen was a great one for 'shoes off' because she prized her cream shagpile carpet (this was the 70s/80s). Her children (my cousins) were allowed to take one toy out, play with it, then put it back again. Theirs was the most boring and least welcoming house in the world.

I think many are missing the point - middle/upper class people may well wander around their own homes with no shoes. But it’s very bad manners to ask people to remove their shoes.
However, it’s also polite to ask when you arrive at someone’s house whether they prefer you to have shoes on or off. So if everyone was polite and well mannered there would never be a problem.

The argument about putting your floors above your guests comfort stands.

Hopefully at Claire’s accessories

You give your guests Barry's? How extraordinarily rude of you. Everyone knows Lyons is yer only man.

Proof available at www.dailyedge.ie/barrys-lyons-tea-review-775608-Jan2013/

My friend collects the free slippers you get from hotels and keeps them in the porch. I'm usually lent the Hilton Hotel ones 😂

Lyon's is owned by Unilever. They can go to fuck.

Actually Unilever might have sold it to someone else. Buy Barry's, buy Irish

lol

where is the Hilton Hotel in the pecking order of her slipper collection?

Did you once reach for the Claridge's pair and were gently but firmly told 'no, Jane, they're not for the likes of you'.

Shoes off. I have hard floors and don't want spit and dog mess walked in thankyouverymuch.

We are not a shoes off family (though we generally do this, but don't ask visitors to do so) but my parents are.

I don't mind because my DM has a lovely slipper basket you can select from (and she washes afterwards) to wear in the house.

Tbh the fact I know also means I wear nice socks and often take my own slippers!

What I don't like is being caught out but if going somewhere "new" I tend to assume shoes off and dress my feet appropriately.

The only time it felt weird was at a house party we attended (significant birthday) and everyone had dressed up for the occasion, only to find we had to lose our shoes at the door.

Que lots of people in evening dress and bare feet, some with outfits dragging on the ground because they'd been designed to be worn with heels and some clearly uncomfortable having "dressed up" but having non manicured feet on display.

I also wasn't exactly happy in bare feet (though thankfully I'd painted my toenails) wandering around and thinking about how many guests might have fungal infections, veruccas etc

It's not me!!

To be honest, I drink neither. I get my tea from a fancy place where they create their own blends and import really good quality loose tea. Now that is notions.

My mum's house was a shoes on house - she hated the sweaty foot marks (or potential of) left by bare or sock covered feet

Probably going to be unpopular here but I think it's a class thing?

I was brought up in a shoes on household and we are middle / upper class. My parents buy nice shoes so want to wear them. We host a lof of dinner parties and people coke glammed up in nice heels, loafers etc, why would they want to take them off and walk around my house barefoot?? I can't think of anything worse tbh. I hate the word house slipper too. Obviously if I've been outside and my shoes are really wet dirty I'd take them off but otherwise never

Where I live noone would dream of not taking their shoes off. Noone. It just would not happen. And we don’t have carpets either. 🙂

I have to admit I'm not massively keen on the idea of wearing a borrowed pair of slippers that other visitors also wear! Neither would single use plastic shoe bags impress me (or are they washable/reusable?)

I'd be happy to slip my sandals off if you want my (possibly grubbier, in the summer) feet on your carpets or I'd stay outside if you prefer that.

Always a very entertaining discussion on here though! I enjoy it almost as much as the towel-and-bedding-washing debates 🤣

Goes well off the cringe scale, that does.

My rules are - whatever makes you comfortable.

I tend to be bare foot, because I'm comfortable that way. I have two labradors who refuse to wipe their paws on entering the house.
An elderly relative who I bring to visit twice a week who couldn't even find their feet, never mind actually bend to take shoes off and on.
A stream of volunteer rangers who ALWAYS remove boots, but trail in half a forest their socks.

It all cleans.

No, I don't have cream carpets, I have wooden floors and rugs.
And wonderful inventions called vacuum cleaners and mops. And a happy, relaxed and welcoming home.

Or an asking for money at a wedding one.
I expect they'll last the distance

I'm going to a wedding next week where they've asked for 'No boxed gifts'. I've already made my decision (give 'em what they want ffs) but I could start a brisk debate about it if you like?

But for the purposes of this thread- shoes on in this house. Anything else is rude, imo. Although I will, reluctantly, remove my shoes and suffer further foot pain (plantar fasciitis) if someone values their flooring that highly.

On other matters-
Babies ears should not be pierced.
It's pronounced scone to rhyme with gone, NOT tone.
And yes, obviously there should be a loo brush. A lack of one indicates poor cleanliness. I wouldn't put my dainty, well-bred buttocks anywhere near an un-brushed pan. The horror!

Think it is rude to ask people to take their shoes off in a hotel or B&B. Anybody seen an episode on Four in a Bed, where the hosts asks their guests to wear provided slippers? 🤔

I have an outdoor mat in the pro9ch and one inside the door - people wipe their feet, so I don't ask them to take off their shoes.

I've only been asked once to remove my shoes; UK, but non-British household.
I was given foot-coverings, so was happy to do so.
There's no way I'll walk on floors in stockinged feet.

Probably going to be unpopular here but I think it's a class thing?

I was brought up in a shoes on household and we are middle / upper class. My parents buy nice shoes so want to wear them. We host a lof of dinner parties and people coke glammed up in nice heels, loafers etc, why would they want to take them off and walk around my house barefoot?? I can't think of anything worse tbh. I hate the word house slipper too. Obviously if I've been outside and my shoes are really wet dirty I'd take them off but otherwise never

This is very likely true

Upper class/ upper middle class wouldn’t ever have a shoes off rule. I mean people who’ve been well off for a few generations. Because the suggestion is they can afford to have things cleaned.

Its working class/ lower middle class to expect shoes off in UK. Because you had to clean your own floors/ carpets/ or couldn’t afford to have carpets cleaned, so had to keep the dirt off them.

Doesn’t mean either is right or wrong though! It’s just a preference but this is the background.