To think it's really rude to keep your shoes on when you visit someone's home

[Pavementworrier]

There's so much dog poo about now it's basically a trampling of dog poo

Not this nonsense again! I’ve never seen this happen in real life and would consider it terribly rude to ask someone to remove their shoes.

You can tell in our house as there’s a pile of shoes that’s shaped like a volcano as you step in the front door

Tiles are very popular in Spain though and easy to clean.

They are also very hard wearing, probably the most hard wearing floor type.

Do you keep a basket of brand new, spa type slippers, vacuum packed, by the door for anyone visiting? Single use, obviously. Very unreasonable if you don't.

Surely the answer just comes down to what type of flooring is at the party. If it was on a tiled/wooden floor then there likely wouldn’t be an expectation to remove shoes. If it was on a carpeted flooring then I would expect to remove my shoes. I would actually feel uncomfortable walking on someone’s clean carpet with outdoor shoes. Alternatively, I wouldn’t think anything of walking on a tiled or wooden floor with shoes on.

I think it’s rude too!!

No, I'm afraid it wouldn't really be solved by having a seat near the door. His motor skills and coordination are deteriorating and lot, as is his spine, and all will continue to get worse.

He would have to have help with his shoes. He wouldn't want that and would find it embarrassing.

This is so Hyacinth Bucket 😂😂

Actually, yes. This would be ideal. Really doesn’t give the guest any choice in the matter!

We are a militantly shoes off house. It’s disgusting to wear outdoor shoes inside! We have a selection of hotel slippers for fusspots.

And my dear this is so rude…everyone coming is family.. my adult kids and their partners, my siblings and their spouses and kids, kids partners and grandkids, my father. My ILs with their kids. So 4 generations and both sides of the family. Hardly Hyacinth Bucket.. more good craic in a large extended family.

we have three dogs. I could scour my flours with bleach and one minute later they all trample inside and who knows what they've run through outside? So we're not a shoes off home as I feel our floors are dirty even immediately after washing them.

I could never go barefoot or socks only, makes my skin crawl to think the germs the dogs may have. And they're fairly clean dogs but I assume they've run through peed on grass at the minimum.

In my home people don't get asked to take off shoes. So I wouldn't automatically do so elsewhere. Of course I would do if requested though. None of my close friends have this rule. Not that I'd mind if they did.

I know that many south Asian homes are shoe free. So I guess if I went to a south Asian person's house and saw shoes lined up I'd take the initiate to remove them.

It’s not just south Asians. I think globally shoes off is the norm across Asia, Africa, lots of Europe.

Yep it’s for sure a thing in Germany, for example.

My in-laws are militant about shoes off in their house, to the point where they'd make snide remarks in our house because we had our shoes on. Each to their own in their own home but don't be rude about it in somebody else's house. Personally I'd rather people feel comfortable in my home - so whether they want to take them off or not is fine by me. We have a mat at the front door and nobody has ever walked in without wiping their shoes first. I also really struggle with shoes off as I've had plantar fasciitis for a year and the only thing that seems to address it is not walking barefoot and so I'm mindful of the fact that requiring somebody to take their shoes off might actually cause them pain, which is hardly welcoming.

No it’s not. It should be expected that you don’t traipse rain, mud and filth all over peoples floors and carpets for them to clean.

When I lived in Japan you weren’t even allowed to wear your shoes inside hotels. You leave them by the hotel’s front door.

So bring slippers…

I don't make people take their shoes off. Only my son who often has muddy trainers. I take my shoes off in one friend’s house because she has light carpet straight off the entrance. I will ask if somebody wants me to remove my shoes. I don’t think any scenario is rude. What I wouldn’t do is go to a posh, dressy event that has a no shoes rule. There was a thread about that recently.

No shoes house
We always have been
But even more strict now we have crawling babies !!!!
No dogs allowed either

Yeah I'm sure you're right. I guess there are just more south Asians who's houses I've visited than other nationalities? But I wouldn't automatically assume it was shoes off in the UK. Of course I would take them off if asked though.

YANBU. It really bugs me that a family member of mine is militant about it in their own house, but never takes his shoes off in my house, or advises his kids to take their off. And I was too busy to notice till have way through their visit as I have young kids. Above crawling age, but it always comes across as the feeling that they prefer keeping their shoes on to protect their feet from how dirty mine is. Its not dirty, its not the cleanest house, but I have a mopping robot and 2 young kids, it's out most days and the place still has crumbs 15 minutes later!

Yes, I always imagine those types of posters must have filthy homes because they clearly can never be bothered to clean their floors.

I think the complete insistence on shoes off is going too far. This is a cold country and people have cold hard floors. Plus you often see the host in a pair of nice cosy slippers (that no one else has worn) whilst insisting others go around in just socks.

People obviously aren’t treading in dog poo constantly.

That said I don’t personally mind taking shoes off. I wear slippers in my own house but don’t have a cow if others wear shoes. I quite like them taken off to go upstairs but again if they’re not muddy (please do check before going upstairs!) it’s not a huge deal.

I do think there’s an element of cultural thing, which is fine, but South Asian people I believe quite often have guest slippers?

Its not traditional in this country to take shoes off but as I said above, I personally don’t mind and prefer to wear slippers in my own house.

Slippers don’t provide sufficient support for a range of foot conditions.