To ask visitors to please do this?

[925XX]

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.

I live in an area rife with dog shit on the pavements and people spitting on the pavement. Absolutely no bloody way is someone walking into my house with shoes on, unless they've just got out of their car and floated to the front door.

We have a neighbour with a Japanese wife. We are friendly with them and have never been asked to remove shoes in their house. They don’t offer to remove shoes at ours either.

You’ve made the DM Op

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11054753/Is-rude-ask-house-guests-remove-shoes.html

Never change Daily Mail 🙄

Well a quick glance at the comments has settled that argument - Daily Mail readers = shoes off

I've never made the fail before, might go take a shower.

Comments seem to be mainly supportive of shoes off, which seems to suggest it is a Daily Mail reader type of thing.

Comments seem to be mainly supportive of shoes off, which seems to suggest it is a Daily Mail reader type of thing.

Yup. Lower middle class.

Runs and hides 🤣

I've never made the fail before, might go take a shower.

you knew this day would come eventually

@OchonAgusOchonOh ha ha! It's landed in the daily fail! Too funny.

We take our shoes off and could not be further from a stereotypical daily mail readers. Maybe our reasons are different though? We take shoes off as it's better for your feet to not wear shoes, so any opportunity they come off.

I don't know anyone at all who has a shoes off house. My work involves undertaking a lot of home visits ... I've never ever been asked to remove my shoes and if I was I would refuse tbh

I go barefoot a lot of the time too for the same reason. Doesn't mean I want other people doing the same in my house though. Also not a Mail reader.

@OchonAgusOchonOh
Yeah I am quite relaxed about others taking their shoes off too, so I guess that's the difference. But most people just do it when they come to my house without me saying anything so I guess the pile of shoes and all of us barefoot makes others think that's what we prefer.

It’s your house. If they want to come in, they live by your rules.

I just don’t care what people do as I want my guests to feel comfortable. Wooden floors tend to mean I do encourage people to keep them on.

Despite the protests on here it is definitely a lower middle class (or cultural) thing to take shoes off. The middle/upper middle classes know the etiquette rules (and yes probably have cleaners to clean to floor). The rules are: you don’t ask people to take their shoes off - it’s very rude.

There’s no ‘my house, my rules’..

Nobody is licking the floor. We have a dog. It sheds like a bugger. If you take your shoes off you’ll most likely get dog hair on your socks…

We are not a ‘shoes on or shoes off’ house - I don’t define myself or my house like that. I just want it to be welcoming I wander in in my shoes then at some point they come off. Don’t go upstairs in them. Make the kids take them off to go upstairs.

Guests can keep them on and I’d rather they did.

Now when I go to a shoes off house I would offer to take my shoes off. Therefore I’m not being rude. I would always offer to take my shoes off. Friends always say no.

Why would you want to trample dirt and poo through the house. People are sick on the street, they spit, rats…..I would say it’s down to hygiene not class! Shoes off!

Why would you want to trample dirt and poo through the house.

I've lived in a shoes on house all my life and no one's ever trampled poo into the house. They check shoes / wipe feet, it's never been an issue.

People are sick on the street, they spit, rats

And there's nothing to suggest that any of that transfers in a way that causes problems to health. Transference via floor is very low risk apparently. I guess that makes sense from an evolutionary view, historically the conditions humans lived in have been much less sanitary than nowadays.

Perfectly said. Our immune systems need stimulation. Babies, once crawling, need to boost theirs. I'm from an older generation and I never, ever was asked to remove my shoes at anyone's house. I have never known dog poo brought into the house on anyone's shoes either. My grandparents (born late 1800s) would be amazed to read this thread. They would have thought it insulting and rude to ask people to take off their shoes and they had horses using the roads.

Perfectly said. Our immune systems need stimulation. Babies, once crawling, need to boost theirs. I'm from an older generation and I never, ever was asked to remove my shoes at anyone's house. I have never known dog poo brought into the house on anyone's shoes either.

But why? You can still have a healthy immune system by taking shoes off. Most other countries do it- I wouldn't say British shoes on households have superior health as a result. I mean, why bother showering, why bother cleaning? Dirt is good for your immune system after all, why not add more?

But it's also not a wealth thing or generational thing. Since primary school, I remember MC friends taking shoes off at mine, and me at there's. It's just upbringing, some do, some don't. Elderly relatives also insist on shoes off. Why would they want to have to do extra cleaning and mopping? They're in no state to, it would be pretty selfish to do that.

Most other countries do it- I wouldn't say British shoes on households have superior health as a result.

They don't appear to have inferior health either. It doesn't seem like it makes much difference at all.

Anyway, I always ask if I'm not sure. People can do as they like in their house. What really irritates is when people just walk straight in with no regard and act like UBU for not liking it. Or 'forget' to remove shoes when nipping to the car etc.

Not showering for a week won't affect your health but it's still a bit yucky. I can't imagine not having a house that feels clean.

@TheKeatingFive Even if they wipe their feet at the door surely there must still be small amounts of god knows what on the shoes. I have a small child who will be crawling soon so don’t want people walking in my home after walking on pavements in which (as I said in my above post) there are rats, blood, spit, urine and god knows what else. I give guests slippers to wear and workmen are given shoe covers.

@Soonberaining yes babies need to boost their immune system and can do that by playing with other children/playing outside etc.

Not showering for a week won't affect your health but it's still a bit yucky. I can't imagine not having a house that feels clean.

Not showering would probably result in odour issues, which would affect others. If it didn't, I don't see a problem in a general sense. Again historically we wash far far more than we ever did.

We hoover regularly, my house feels perfectly clean thanks, it's just (as I said) not an issue.

Even if they wipe their feet at the door surely there must still be small amounts of god knows what on the shoes.

Small amounts that can't be seen and don't cause any issues, I couldn't care less frankly. Babies have been crawling in shoes on houses for many years, it doesn't seem to have made any difference.

And now yet another thing to worry about British etiquette wise.

If I enter your house asking “would you prefer me to take my shoes off?”

will you think “how dare this woman imply I’m a lower middle class daily mail reading inhospitable dick with clean carpets? And NOTIONS?”

Honestly, if my husband were to be made his country’s ambassador to the Court of St James, I think I’d fucking cry.

Look, I'm all for babies exploring bacteria. You can play with as much dirt as you like outside, but why wear shoes indoors. Is it comfortable? No. It doesn't improve your immune system. You do find bits on the floor of dirt.

Your choice. The immune system argument pretty much admits it's not clean, hence why it boosts your immune system (bacteria). Would you be ok with wearing shoes on your couch, since it's perfectly clean