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.

Bare or socked feet are a bit more likely than feet in shoes not to be carrying traces of dog piss/shit, or gum, or vomit, or any of the other things that people walk in with shoes on.

I agree with all of this. I stayed in an Airbnb with my mum once which had a sign asking guests to take their shoes off and my mum was absolutely baffled by it- not only did she not take her shoes off at home but she had never heard of anyone doing this 😂

@Eunorition
Including doctors? Paramedics? Other emergency services?
Would you ask police officers to remove their shoes?

Daft.

I do actually think it is rude. [not with wet shoes and pale carpets]
And says something about the person asking.

As someone said recently, it makes it a house and not a home.

You sound like a splendid host OP. Would you be offering Harrods biscuits to match the Harrods bags? If so please may I come to tea?

YANBU. You shouldn’t really need to ask though - I kind of start doing it as a default, and if people don’t mind shoes they kind of tell you to stop before you get the first shoe off.
Unless the carpet or floor is grubby and the person you are visiting also has shoes on…
It is a bit of a ‘read the room’ situation. But generally it’s definitely good manners to just take off your shoes.

Have you a box of artisanal slippers at the ready OP?

If not forget it. 🤣

On a different note, please don't assume people think it's polite to remove shoes. I don't want to see your feet.

I've never understood the love of cream carpets either. It's just asking for trouble.

The question was is it reasonable to ask visitors to remove shoes?

The context was specifically in relation to your home op, in which case of course that's not unreasonable.

The way you framed your AIBU though, I very much read as 'I think this is unreasonable, therefore no one should do it' which of course, is completely unreasonable. Because you are not queen of the universe and don't get to dictate how others behave in their own homes.

Just my take of course. You do you. If you want shoes off in your home, you are allowed to request that. Everyone else gets to crack on as they see fit!

A Thai friend asked me to take shoes off, apparently it’s the custom back home, no problem, I take shoes off at home anyway, some visitors offer anyway.
Very rude to walk int a house with dirty shoes.

Some people might not want to get their bare feet out. Maybe they have sweaty shoes or feet.

YOU can come any time you like, as long as you take your shoes off.

I hate ‘shoes off’ rule, it’s unwelcoming. Don’t have light coloured carpets if you’re that worried! Carpets like that get grubby despite all this shoes off nonsense! They are dirt magnets.

😂

Light coloured things are less hygienic than dark coloured things, despite being made of the same material? Not sure about the science behind that one… basically, if you can’t see the dirt, it’s not there?
Do I need to wash my black socks less than my white ones then?

Get some shoe covers for people you don’t want to ask to remove shoes. If you ask them to put on covers quite a few people will slip off their shoes anyway rather than put on covers.

Yes I am @925XX are you normally this rude?

Ooh, burn😉😽

Only to people who are arguing a silly point for the sake of it.

Probably a class thing, is the conclusion reached here before. Middle classes keep their shoes on.

Upper classes too, surely? Can't imagine the queen asking people to leave their shoes at the door. (Disclaimer: not British.)

Well you have got that wrong for a start, as I AM the queen of the Universe!

My conclusion from reading hundreds of these threads is that shoes off is predominately a lower middle class thing.

That is utter nonsense. It's not a question of manners, it's a question of personal preference.

Certainly, you are entitled to ask people to remove shoes and to deny them entry if they refuse.

Obviously it would be rude to ignore your host's request to remove shoes and to walk in wearing shoes. However, it is not rude of your visitors to leave shoes on if they have not been asked to remove them. Equally, it would not be rude of them to decline to enter your house if you require shoes off.

I would also hope you would show manners to any one you are visiting by asking if it is ok to remove your shoes as I would find it rude of you to just remove your shoes on entry.

So why start a thread? Do what works for you. It’s so vapid.

I'm not. @925XX, I'm suggesting that of course it's ok to ask people to remove shoes in your home but if others don't, that's up to them. Not sure why you're finding that such a contentious issue. Certainly not worthy of unpleasant accusations of being on medication!

Dear me, what a drama.