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 would never require anyone to take their shoes off. I also don't object if they do. Whatever makes guests comfortable is fine by me. I do find it a bit weird when hosts hover over you while you take your shoes off like you're absolutely filthy and must be monitored for compliance with The Rules though.

Some professions who visit homes are not allowed to take shoes off for health and safely and risk assessments.

I see this both ways. It’s rude to ask guests to remove their shoes, especially if there isn’t a dedicated place to sit to do it, because there’s the possibility it will make them uncomfortable. Diabetics are told not to walk around in bare feet or socks and we’re not going to catch their foot disease if their feet are covered.

It’s also (slightly less) rude not to offer to take shoes off as a guest because of the dirt and some people’s customs.

This is why carpets should be an upstairs thing only and people who want permanently clean floors should just clean them a lot.

We wipe our feet on the door mat (that is what it is designed for) then put on our slippers.
I would not ask guests to remove their shoes.
I would think it impolite.

I always ask at other people's homes if they would like me to remove my shoes.

I do have a friend who always arrives in heels and continues to wear them on my parquet floor but insists on shoes off at hers. I usually go home covered in cat hair!

I am often amazed at how dirty some people's feet are when they take off their shoes, dirty toenails, verrucas and the smell!

My old neighbour was a chiropodist she always insisted that guests wore their shoes in her house!

Ultimately, your house your rules on what is considered appropriate and polite in your home.

When you say you “just clean it”, how do you quickly clean a carpet? Vacuuming sucks bits up, it doesn’t actually clean or remove marks like the op had on her light carpet. I own a mini carpet cleaner that’s meant to get little marks up, not to clean a whole room. I don’t imagine many people own a big one that will do a room.

I will remove shoes in a shoes off house and keep them on in a shoes on house. It’s up to the host. I’d be disgusted with myself if I went and marked a light carpet by tramping dirt from outside when the host was clearly in a shoes off house.

people visiting others’ homes frequently need to carry shoe covers or an indoor croc type thing if they are unwilling to take shoes off.

I too have a history of plantar fasciitis. I always bring indoor shoes to change into if I'm going to someone's house.

I'm not a hair dresser, the woman came here to do my hair.

If you are going to ask me to take my shoes off, I will stay on the doorstep thanks. I think it is horrifically rude asking people to ask people to remove their shies before entering your home. nah keep yer ridiculous cream carpets pristine love.

they should put shoe covers on then

Not for a hair appointment, no. In case of dropped scissors or straighteners, dyes or bleach... Plus standing in barefoot in someone else's hair would be disgusting.

I hate it when people walk into my house with shoes on, I’ve never been able to stop them though. I’ve politely asked but they’ve always refused to take them off. We have one friend who automatically takes their shoes off without being asked (which means they are more welcome in my home than the rest!). When my DC was a baby I had someone walk dog poo through my house right by where my baby was crawling. I’ve got some light carpets in my house that have been stained by visiting family. I was told it was my own fault for having light carpets! People don’t seem to care much these days about offending others.

Shoe covers can be dangerous for some - for example, you don't want anyone making a delivery of heavy furniture negotiating stairs in them.

See I understand this. If so someone's got a really grubby home I'd keep my shoes on!

I don't like being asked to remove my shoes tbh. I have a friend who does this and helpfully provides a pair of slipperette things for me to wear. I've no idea who has worn these previously as they aren't unwrapped brand new for me. If I said "I don't want to wear your manky slipperettes " and she insisted I do, we'd get nowhere.

Sorry if I offended 😂
I'd rather keep them clean without mud trails, animal excrement, split and whatever else. If you don't see how traipsing that in someone else's house can sometimes be rude, I wouldn't want you in my house either.

I didn't think that through. I agree professionals should keep shoes on. Especially with chemicals and sharp objects. I will get some shoe covers and put them by the door.

I do think guests should take shoes off though. Surely it's common sense if you see a light, clean carpet, to leave shoes at the door. We have a shoe rack and somewhere to sit to take them off too.

I will take my shoes off whenever asked, but I have an ankle condition which means I find standing on hard floors gets painful and so I end up suffering through my visit. I wish people who ask for shoes off would provide slippers for guests like people do in Germany

I usually ask if someone wants me to take my shoes off.

I don't ask visitors to, unless they're going into my daughter's room for some reason as she has an off-white carpet (stupid colour for a kids room I know, it used to be the guest room!)

It's also cultural. It's unheard of in the part of the Caribbean where I'm from. House designs are different, many places in a home don't have windows, just bricks with holes that allows breeze in. And dirt. So your feet would actually be quite dirty if you walked around barefooted. Carpets also aren't common so again not an issue.

And yes we mop, but it's not a religion like it tends to be displayed on MN.

When I moved here I only removed shoes if I was asked as it never occurred to me to. I work in people's homes and I'd say it's 50/50 on the shoe front.

Just buy a box of shoe covers if people don't want to take them off but most people I know ask when they come in the front door what my rule is.

I have hard floors downstairs as carpets are unhygienic so really not bothered whether people take them off or not.

I would take shoes off unless I was attending a dinner party/gathering etc, the shoes would be part of my outfit then and I’d expect to remove them if requested as opposed to just automatically talking them off.

I would never dream of wearing shoes in my own home and neither would my family members. I would expect tradesmen to either offer to take their shoes off or put shoe covers on, and I don't remember the last time this was an issue. But I think guests are a bit more difficult. Unless someone's shows were noticeably filthy, I don't think I would ask them to take them off, but I would hope that anyone visiting my house would at least ask if they should remove them.

There's so many contagious foot conditions that I wouldn't want on my carpet, not everyone wears socks 😦

I wouldn't dream of asking someone to take their shoes off.

Yanbu at all, absolutely disgusting trailing outdoor shoes inside someone's home. I have a wee sign in our porch "shoes off please" and will remind visitors if they don't take the hint. End of the day though, your house = your rules.