To expect no-outdoor-shoe households to provide slippers?

[pairofrollerskates]

Just that - slides, or foot covers of some kind. Of course, if you know in advance it's different, but when you turn up for the first time at someone's house to be told "please take off outdoor shoes" at the door (which is reasonable, we all get to decide what happens in our own homes), surely something should be provided rather than expect visitors to pad about in bare feet, or socks.

There are currently around 5 pairs of my slippers at DH's grandmother's house (abroad, explaining the time frames). One pair for each visit. I have to buy a pair each time we go, because they don't have any that fit me (size 5 - they are all dinky little things or massive great big size 10). I'm not allowed to wear just my socks, I'm not allowed to take the slippers home, and I refuse to wear shoes that someone else has been wearing for the past years.
Communal slippers are grim. Added to which, slippers are pointless, imo.

How do all the people who are revolted by shared slippers deal with bed sheets and cutlery away from home?

I would never not take my shoes off at anyones door - why bring dirt from outside into someone’s home? Even if a friend is relaxed about it (has wooden/tiled floors), I still take them off. Always taught to by my parents and my kids do the same. The thought of going into someones house and bringing mud in or making work for them is awful.

I remember in school in about 1960 we had to have indoor shoes, usually 'ballet' shoes, black with a big button on the front.

So what if someone refuses to let you in?
I give everyone (workmen, midwife, health visitor etc) those blue shoe covers and have never had someone refuse.

You should really teach your kids to ask if it's a shoes off household rather than assuming everyone wants them to take their shoes off. Not everyone would welcome that.

I have to keep my trainers on due to a painful foot condition 😉

Even if they quite explicitly ask you not to? My house, my shoes on rules.

Agree completely…dog poo everywhere in our town. Imagine walking that in with a baby/toddler playing on the floor. Im not afraid of germs but surely most people want their own home to be as clean as possible and avoid creating extra housework (theres enough of that anyway!).

Everything about this post is mind-boggling to me.

@xogossipgirlxo my son has to have separate shoes for nursery too. Nurseries in the UK don’t seem to care though.

This is funny.

I wouldn't ask if it was work (used to be a carer, know what you mean)
If someone is visiting, it will be hoovered and clean. Offered the police a cup of tea once and she stuck her head in the kitchen, glanced around and said "yes please" she was definitely checking how clean it was

It’s honestly not that a big deal. Because everyone here does it, 99% of guests are friends visiting knowing they are coming, so they bring their own perfectly fitted and preferred style with them. The ‘guest’ slippers are only used if they forget or by English family who’ don’t own slippers’ apparently

Even the plumber brought his own slippers the other day

entirely different.
the slippers will be used by multiple people and kept for stored for repeated use cutlery,will be washed after use. Stored clean. Not stored unwashed in a communal receptacle
Sheets, will be washed after use and again not stored unwashed for multiple reuse

Just have another pair of socks in your bag. Easier than your host having to source a load of differently sized slippers for random and possibly never appearing guests.

Most people buy a new pair of shoes each time they're invited somewhere and just wear them from car to door?

Even if they quite explicitly ask you not to? My house, my shoes on rules.
It would be quite a awkward conversation I fear. I would assume you suggesting I keep them on was some desire to make me more comfortable (because shoes on indoors is so weird to me I wouldn't think you really meant it) so you would have to be very direct in your instruction to me to go and put them back on. I would do, if you really wanted me to but I would find it weird.

The slippers are washed in the machine between guests.

How is the cupboard/drawer with the cutlery or sheets/towels so much better than the basket with the slippers?

Imagine an outside wheelchair! Would special wheel covers be provided? Or would I be carried to the sofa and the wheels hosed down on the pavement?

I would assume you suggesting I keep them on was some desire to make me more comfortable (because shoes on indoors is so weird to me I wouldn't think you really meant it)

Even though you’d only have to look at my feet to see I was wearing my shoes? I’d be very direct because I genuinely don’t want your shoes where someone could easily fall over them.

Yeah the “no shoes to keep germs out” thing is superficially logical but doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny. Germs come into the house in all manner of ways and on all manner of things and I’m frankly less concerned about germs on my floor than anywhere else.

Fewer germs will come in if you’re shoes off obviously, and I always respect people’s wishes for their home, it’s just that the whole “eww gross there’s piss and spit on the pavements” thing is so naive. They wouldn’t want to know what I’ve probably just sat on during the bus ride over that’s coming in with me.

If I noticed your feet I'd probably assume you had only just got in and not taken them off yet! I wouldn't mind keeping my shoes on if you really wanted, it would just go against instinct.

Op hasn’t elaborated on a cleaning schedule for the communal slippers, presumably there isn’t one. Maybe just a bucket of slippers

??? I don't wear slippers myself!