To expect visitors to take their shoes off?

[marymungoNminge]

Just that really! Do you take off your shoes in the home or keep them on?

I'm pretty house proud and I like a tidy home, not a germaphope by any means but I take pride in keeping my home fresh and clean. (Well as much as I can with a toddler!) I think it's really rude to walk into someone else's home with outside shoes on where there's spit, shit, dirt and whatever else. If I had wooden floors maybe that'd be different.

Someone came for an appointment today walked in with their shoes on and left dirt on our stone coloured carpet. WIBU to tell people to remove their shoes if they walk in with them on? DD(2) takes shoes off and puts them on the shoe rack. I just think it's gross but maybe I'm the odd one! It's just how I was brought up!

I live in the middle east and it is customary here for any maintenance workers to leave their shoes outside your front door. There have been occasions when their shoes were probably cleaner than their feet - not trying to sound snobbish, just the reality, as I had to clean the dirty footprints that were all over my kitchen and right through my hallway. Visitors can choose for themselves.

I don't know, if I'm wearing boots or shoes with socks then yes I'm happy to remove my shoes. If I'm wearing tights or am barefoot under shoes then no thanks, I'll speak to you on the doorstep.

entitled???? it's their home 😂😂😂never heard such stupidness

@StephanieSuperpowers would you like to come round to my house?

surely you would ensure your shoes are clean before entering someone's home.

If we have builders around to give a quote for example I do not expect them to take them off but they often do. If a hv for example comes over they often do but I don't ask them too. Friends and family always take them off as we do at theirs. In many asian household it would be deemed rude not to. I always ask at friends houses, only time I'm not keen is if they have pets but I'd still do so if asked.

I don't think there is a right or wrong.

@jolaylasofia is a real trigger word on Mumsnet.

Of course you can be entitled in your own house, but it is a choice that you're making and it is going to have an effect on how you and others behave in your home.

I mean a cream-coloured carpet with a toddler feels like madness to me, never mind the guests.

Well, in real life, probably yes!

I don't care if it makes people uncomfortable

Well there you are OP. Your carpets are more important to you than your guests’ comfort. Fair enough, your call. Some of us like to be good hosts to the people we like enough to invite round.

I think I'd just feel that it was "oh god, if you must...just please wait till I get the newspaper down...now, isn't that nicer for everyone?"

True that some people might still be anxious. A host like that will fetch a chair maybe?😂
Shoes are coming off one way or another.

Most people won't mind at all if someone is less able, and polite 🤷🏼‍♀️

What do germ phobes do about pets, they can't take their shoes off

They're wealthy enough to have mud rooms and doggy showers.

Poor people can't afford to not like the dirt. 😂

Don't keep pets, or wipe dogs paws after a walk.

And toddlers! Filthy little buggers create way more dirt than the soles of shoes!

Cream carpets, designed by men to keep women from having too much free time.

I have plenty of people found often. I'd like to think I'm a good host. Part of that is my guests coming into a clean home without having to tread on / around dirt. I guess we have different opinions on a good host.

Also to PP who said my hoovering is inconsistent, sometimes I hoover daily, sometimes every other day. It's no biggie before you pick the bones out of my thread. When we've spent a lot of time indoors it's daily. Whereas summer when we're outside much more, every other day.

I thank the lord that I inherited 'landlord beige' carpets in my house when I bought it. You know the hardwearing ones with flecks of different colour.

Means I can't see a problem when I've not hoovered for a week. 😂

YANBU, mine is a shoes off house too!

@NeonSoda yes! Our carpets are royal blue with a dark fleck. Goodness knows what's on it.

My father thought it the height of bad manners to ask someone to remove their shoes. He believed floor covering were to be walked on. He thought it cheap and tacky haha

I'll happily remove my shoes if asked but I would never assume its the norm.

Care workers can't walk around in socks it's dangerous. I will take mine off if that's the policy, but no one I know does this.

The lady that does my cleaning brings her own indoor shoes that are not worn inside- i didn't ask her to this is her own system. A carer could do the same imo.

I always just ask. I go into peoples houses for work sometimes but ask if they'd prefer me to remove boots or put protectors on.

Close mates, always just take them off at the door but people I don't know that well I usually ask.

The King thing is interesting….would you ask him to remove his shoes? If he came to mine, he’d see the shoe rack at the front door, and surely would notice we were shoeless. I recon he’d just ask if he should remove his shoes, surely? Dignitaries must go places when they go abroad that for all sorts of cultural/religious reasons, require stockinged feet?

You seriously think that if the King visited the peasants he’d risk his shoeless feet on your plebeian floors? In the unlikely event that he noticed you weren’t wearing shoes he’d probably think you were too poor to afford them. He certainly didn’t ask me to remove mine when I went to the palace.