Shoes on or shoes off?

[Asheyr]

I often hear how no shoes in the house is a stereotypically Asian thing.

We have had a lot of plumbers, builders and estate agents in and they have without fail all taken off their shoes unprompted. Even the Estate agent lads in their very early 20s.

Our pales floors are currently spotless as we are selling so that may encourage this.

We are no shoes mostly but occasionally allow shoes in the kitchen if we are going back out/doing a big bin job.

What about you?

I'm a shoes off person, and raise my dc to have shoes off, both in our home and when visiting other people, however I never insist my guests remove their shoes. My dna (94) walks with a stick, I could never demand she removes her shoes. I have hard floors so just hoover and mop when visitors leave. No drama

Shoes off for me and I would always remove them in someone else's house without thinking. I have slippers I keep in my porch and in tbe cooler months I just slip off my shoes and slip on my slippeds abs reverse the process when I leave the house

I wouldn't expect a tradesperson to remove their boots though, as they are part of their PPE. DH wouldn't ever remove his steel toe caps but he would also put down dust sheets.

She's made it to 94 without taking shoes off. Why do you think it's necessary?

I have hard floors so just hoover and mop when visitors leave. No drama

That is drama.

I’d mop if someone’s sweaty socked feet were on my floor too.

We have wooden floors downstairs so I don’t mind people wearing their shoes downstairs but if it were all carpeted I’d have a shoes off rule.

however dh broke his foot last year and cannot walk without the support of his shoes(without being in pain) so he wears his shoes inside and out.

I hate wearing shoes so I usually take mine off as soon as I’m in. We have a shoe rack by the door so most guests take a cue from that. However if it’s a short visit, I don’t mind them keeping shoes on and I certainly never ask them to. Although if they ask/offer to take them off I’ll usually say yes. We have wooden floors in most of the house other than the bedrooms anyway, maybe it’s different with carpets.

We don't generally wear shoes indoors and I'm usually barefoot in the house, and garden during the summer, or any time if I'm just popping out to then bin or car, and I've not owned a pair of slippers since I was a child. I always appreciate it if a visitor asks if they should take their shoes off but would never expect them to do so. The only time I would be concerned would be if someone was wearing stilettos on my parquet flooring. I think the idea of expecting visitors to wear slippers is just bizarre. I always offer to remove my shoes when visiting someone else, but don't remember the last time anyone wanted me to take them off.

Shoes off.
Always

Shoes off. We had maggots in the carpet and the exterminator said someone probably brought eggs in on their shoes.

We always take our shoes off, but we don't ask visitors to do that. I am very pleased if they do, but it's ok if they prefer not to (and I disinfect the floor as soon as they leave).
I always take my shoes off when visiting others' houses, unless they insist not to.

You disinfect the floor? After people wear shoes on it?!

We are shoes off and that's the norm around here - but it's a rural farming community. There's mud and animal shit outside the door of most houses, not a nice clean paved drive. Of course you would take off your shoes. That said, I've always lived in a shoes off house, even when living in a big city (I'm not Asian). I have more than once stepped on a used condom coming home from the train 😳and people regularly shoot up in the loos we used to use. Definitely don't want semen or heroin tracked all over my floors!

I wouldn't ever ask someone to remove their shoes, unless they were in muddy boots, though it would be pretty obvious you should. And I don't ever ask tradespeople, and some do and some don't, but we have slate floors all downstairs and I would hoover and mop them after to get up the muddy footprints if necessary.

Shoes on. Dog keeps getting dirt from the garden on the floors so I wouldn't guests to get dirty socks/feet. We always wear slippers once we have taken off shoes.

Shoes off. But I would never ask a guest to take theirs off (I would judge them for not doing so though). We have children, no pets. The only room downstairs with carpet is the lounge and children are not allowed to eat in there so the carpet is clean.

Family always bring their slippers over. Just like I always take ours to their house. Same with close friends.

Only one visitor has ever left their shoes on; he's the most self-centred person I've ever met though and he makes a right song and dance about it. I reckon he only leaves them on to be difficult. So I've brought him shoe covers and when he starts on about leaving his shoes on I just give him those and ask him to wear them.

Agree agree agree

The world isn’t sterile. A bit of dirt on a floor is hardly grim.

Shoes off always. Guests take their shoes off and those who don’t would be politely asked to. However all my friends and family are shoes off households also so it’s never awkward. The only exception are meter readers/workmen and the like but the majority now bring their own shoe covers.
I think shoes in the house are dirty. I couldn’t imagine going straight into my house with god knows what on the soles of my shoes. I’m not talking about stepping in a massive dog shit of course, which would be more than obvious, more the grit, dirt and grime, muddy patches etc.

I think it is rude to insist a guest removes their shoes.

We remove ours, and are always happy for guests to do the same if they feel comfortable to. We don't ask people to unless they are actually muddy.

We have two regular guests who can't go without shoes for medical reasons so that's fine.

I have noticed lots of tradesmen now remove their shoes and the safety of this really concerns me.

I am the outlier. I'm completely comfortable with people having shoes on downstairs (no carpet) but I immediately take my shoes off in other people's houses.

Usually I have my slippers on for comfort but I'm fine with wearing shoes when doing chores, in and out to garden etc.

Have you misunderstood what dirt in this context means? A little bit of soil. The thing that's been under our feet for the millenia we've existed on this earth.

Someone was on about dirt you can't see 🙄earlier in the thread. Frankly I think too many people have swallowed the cleaning products industry's hard sell uncritically.

Dirt you can't see isn't dirt. 😂

I think some people's standards are unhealthily high. As long as you're not licking the carpet, a hoover every few days is fine and somebody wearing their shoes indoors is not going to make your home disgusting.

I don't mind taking off my shoes if I'm visiting someone, but people visiting me can do what they like.

I have pets, I have a garden, my house floors are never going to be lickable. And I don't have the patience or germphobia to attempt getting to that level. 😂

Shoes off, typically a NZ thing …

Shoes off here.

I also assume other people are, so have usually removed them before they’ve said I can keep them on 🤷🏽‍♀️.

I’d feel terrible having my filthy shoes on someone’s carpet or rug, and especially in a house with a toddler.