To feel angry at the 50% who ignore the sign to remove outdoor shoes in changing rooms??

[DippleSun]

Swimming lessons today and there is a big sign saying please remove outdoor shoes beyond this point and a tub of shoe covers.
I’d say approx 50% of parents covered/took off shoes and 50% didn’t. I start feeling unreasonably? angry with the 50% stood at the poolside who hadn’t bothered. Why not follow a simple hygiene rule? It’s so simple. And judging by the response by the pool - only 50% felt it was necessary. So I’m asking Mumsnet - I need to
understand the 50% who would ignore this rule!

It's hardly something to get angry about, is it? It must be irritating for the poolside cleaner but surely not a major issue.

Swimming pools have chlorine that will kill any bacteria. Human beings have been running barefoot into the sea and rivers for millennia without lasting harm.

@Meadowfinch

I think it is! Worst I’ve seen is someone trailing dog shit from their buggy through a changing room. I wouldn’t have thought ‘no probs, I’ll walk in that trail of shit - the chlorine will have fixed it’! It stank!!
I don’t know what people have walked through in their shoes - but it’s like removing shoes to go in someone’s house!

I don’t want to walk through crap that’s been on other people’s shoes in an area that supposed to be very clean!

If it wasn’t an issue, why do swimming pools bother with the remove shoes sign?

I have never heard of this before - it’s not a rule at any pool I’ve ever been to. I am generally someone who follows rules and instructions, so if it is obvious what is expected then I’d do it. But just saying it can’t be particularly important if it’s not normal practice anywhere else!

Never heard of this and think it’s ridiculous
but it is their rule then they need to make it more obvious, have someone stood there enforcing it

Well no, the 50% who remove their shoes have to walk barefoot in the mud you bring everywhere in the changing rooms.

YANBU, no one wants muddy shoes walking on those floors. My swimming pool used to allow you to take off your shoes in the changing room at your locker, so with damp floors from wet people getting dry and dirty shoes walking through, the floor was nasty. Then they put up a sign and boxes to put your shoes in so everyone takes them off at the door and its much cleaner now. No one ignores the sign because people aren't twats like that where I am, thankfully.

I am currently at a swimming pool 4-5 days a week. Some lucky days I am even at the pool multiple times a day. If I had put plastic shoe cover on every time I entered the building I would just be trailing plastic behind me. Coupled with getting 3 kids to the pool for lessons and squad sessions plus my own swim. It would just do me in.

I can't imagine why any pool would think this was a workable solution over say a good quality door mat.

The buggy example is very extreme and wouldn’t have been avoided by removing shoes or wearing shoe covers. I think the number of pools that don’t have this rule and the fact none used to have it and yet the changing rooms were/are not a muddy deathtrap is why some people overlook the rule.

Their policy is this:

• Remove shoes before entering the changing rooms. We try our best to keep all of our facilities clean, please help us by avoid bringing dirty shoes in the wet areas!

YANBU. Our swimming pools would be much cleaner if people abided by these rules.

Trailing in muck on shoes is pretty disgusting and the (usually) teenage staff tend not to be equipped/ can’t be bothered to deal with the adults who don’t follow the sign or maybe don’t even notice the signs.

When I trained as a life guard many moons ago, no shoes poolside and in the changing rooms past a certain point was an important rule for hygiene standards. Well-run pools enforce this rule like my local pool does. I am not a chemist but the cleanliness of the water will be better if it is not overloaded with dirt/germs. The pool sides are generally only cleaned a few times a day at most with a cleaning solution so personally I’d rather people don’t wear shoes.

My local pool allows you to wear flip flops or similar inside. When I was there regularly I had a pair of sandals just for the pool.

It’s just such an easy thing to do, there is a big sign as you walk in. It’s really clear. They have a buggy park.
Although - yes, the changing rooms with the dog shit was a different pool with no buggy park.

If you don’t want to wear the plastic covers, just take your shoes off!!

It’s poolside as well, the parents (50%) are walking round the pool in their filthy shoes - and the staff don’t routinely mop there as much?

One particular parent who has no spatial awareness, loudest child, loudest himself, pushes past other people - also completely ignores the sign…

I see it as an indication of how we’ve generally stopped giving a fuck as a society, and only consider our own inconvenience - fuck everyone else - they can walk in my shit and clean it up.

I agree with you OP. We use two pools locally. The one we are members of have the same rule and is so much cleaner than the other we use that doesn't have a shoes off rule. I have a pair of flip flops that I use purely for kid swimming lessons/gym showers etc. because walking through things like dirt and other people's hair on the floor makes my skin crawl!

I used to take some sliders and wear those poolside. Personally I think it should be a commandment but I’m not sure I’d win the referendum.

It's disgusting OP, and totally puts me off going swimming.

They have signs at my local pool and thankfully everyone adheres to it. Many are bare feet - my feet are too gross to be out in public though. Also I saw one little toddler come out of pool lesson and do a wee poolside - she had a swimming nappy on (that clearly wasn’t doing its job effectively) and it was cleaned right away but I was glad I was wearing shoe overs.

Sadly it's the endemic entitlement culture and rules being for the little people that causes this!

Same at my pool. Also the parents who insist on standing next to the open communal showers in their shoes making it all dirty when you have to walk out.

My most-used pool has had this policy since before I started going there 14+ years ago. It is generally well-followed, helped by a good entrance/ seating/ storage area.

I've had foot/ ankle issues recently so use clean flip flops so I'm not on the hard tiles, and this is a popular alternative (or the disposable blue bags are avaliable for 10p, but they're slippery and wasteful)

It is nice using a changing zone not coated in brown, muddy water.

They have shoe covers at our pool. This generally means parents slip over a lot and there are torn shoe covers left all round the changing room.

We have the same and like you, 50% ignore.
It drives me bonkers, I tend not to get so bothered in summer time but now the mud and wet has arrived the floor is suddenly filthy.
There is never staff to police it either so most ignore the sign.

God yes, I loathe this. I also wear a designated pair of flip flops because I can’t stand my feet being on the dirty changing room floor. I also hate people who let their children eat crumbly snacks (crisps, biscuits) in the changing room, inevitably meaning wet food all over the floor.

Such a waste of plastic. I bring flip flops and wear them there when bringing my daughter to swimming lessons. I asked the pool if they could send an email just giving that option to parents to save a bit on one use plastics but no reply. Though i have a pram and wheel that around as I've a newborn, I wouldn't be comfortable holding him incase I slipped on wet floors.