Shoes and bags from outside coming in, am I weird?

[HelloDenise]

I don't allow people to walk around my house wearing shoes. When I get home I wipe the soles and edges of shoes clean before they get put away. I'd never go outside in slippers.

People spit, puke, wee and do God knows what else on the pavement not to mention what animals do and flick their leftover smoking paraphernalia on the floor.(Not animals for the last one)

I won't put bags on the ground at bus stops or train stations because of this either. I balance them on my knee and just hang on to them if waiting for public transport.

I'm told I'm odd, does anyone else do this? I don't want remnants of piss and puke, old pizzas and other stuff brought into the house.

Shoes off at our house and tbh, everyone I know also expects shoes off at the door. I think it's more unusual to keep your shoes on in the house.

The only shoes I would clean after coming in though are muddy boots after walking/working in the garden or allotment.

I would also keep my bag on my knee, not because of germs but because I was once with a friend who had theirs stolen.

Kindly, I think maybe you are stressing a little too much about germs OP

Apart from a few notable exceptions germs are good for you. They keep your immune system active and make you robust.

Of course there are unpleasant things on pavements and in fields that might get trodden into your home but unless you are licking the floors (and maybe you are!), they aren't going to harm you. Normal hygiene - handwashing, vacuuming and washing the floors occasionally is all you need.

Assuming you are not immune-suppressed and don't have a delicate baby crawling around YAB OTT.

The two healthiest kids I know live on a working farm surrounded by horses, cows, dogs, pigs, poultry and all the associated muck and dirt. They run around outside in wellies and dungarees all day, wash their hands before meals, get a bath before bed and are the absolute picture of health and vitality.

This. If you're going to worry about what the OP worries about then logically you should be taking all sorts of other excessive germ-avoidance measures too, since basically everything is teeming with them. And doing that brings problems of its own. So just do the basics and trust in your immune system.

I'm with you. Shoes off at the door, I keep the shoes worn the most often by the door. The ones that I wear less often I use anti bac spray and wipe them over before storing them. I definitely don't put my bag down on any floor (train, pub etc). I keep it on my lap or use a cross body bag. I see people put their bags on toilet floors when out and it goes through me.

missing the point I was trying to make.

It's about muck, not germs!

I’m diagnosed ocd (contamination). We take shoes off when we come in and they go on the racks / shoe cupboard but we don’t wipe them down. I also have a dog who’s allowed all over the house and I wouldn’t wipe his paws unless he actually stood in something like dog poo

Visitors aren’t asked to take shoes off

My bag though - I don’t put that on the ground outside or any floor as I read once the bottom of handbags contained more germs than toilets - as they were put down on multiple floors. I have no evidence for hat though - it’s just something that’s stayed with me

I don't think it's unreasonable if you want to keep your floors and your shoes clean. It's probably at the more extreme end but still sounds fine to me.

I have dogs though so mucky paws and shoes all over my house!

Arghhhh. How are we still talking about shoes on/off? It's so, so boring.

I don't wipe soles or edges of footwear, but I do wipe my feet thoroughly on my doormat when I come in. I change into indoor footwear.

I never leave my bag down on a floor when I'm out anywhere. My bags are all very naice and I want them to stay in good condition.

I don't spend time thinking about what I tread in when I'm out - surely rain washes most pavements clean pretty regularly? The floors of shops, restaurants, buses and trains otoh are filthy.

What point was that? Of what relevance are other countries' cultures in the UK?

Interesting op. I think if anyone is worried about germs you are more at risk from putting bags down outside and then on tables than shoes. I appreciate shoes may walk in dirt in general we have little to do with the floor.
Bags and tables on the other hand...

Shoes off is way more common these days. It used to be downright weird to ask people (in my circle) to take off their shoes. But these days we all take them off automatically.

But you can overthink germs and contamination I think. I can sometimes get a bit like that and have to check myself.

I understand you op! For me it’s not about germs either, it’s about muck and remnants of human contact that annoy me. I don’t like putting my bags down in public.

I feel so uncomfortable seeing people in slippers and pyjamas out in public. I’m not judging them on their appearance, it’s the genuine concern that they are going to traipse outside muck in to their homes. Their pyjama bottoms touched the floor and they’re going back in bed?! I don’t like saying this out loud either as I don’t want to pass on my fears but I thought I’d give you some solidarity!

I had no idea it's been debated before.

I’m pretty relaxed about shoes in the house, we like to take ours off and wear slippers but visitors can wear shoes if they want as all hard floors downstairs.
However, what I’m very reluctant to have in the house, and a way worse source of mess and germs than shoes, is other people’s nursery and primary school age children - I avoid these coming in at all costs 😁

I am like this too. My new problem is I have a new puppy and not sure how I will walk him outside and then bring him into the house. I'm thinking having cloths by the door to wipe his feet. I do wonder about this whether it is a phobia or something else or just normal.. shrug

We take shoes off but don't wipe them down. Pavements are grim.

I don't put shopping bags on the worksurface when bringing in groceries.

I don't sit on my bed I outside clothes either - I travel on the tube and it's filthy. Don't want that on my sheets.

We also all wash hands when we come in from outside. I'm slightly immune compromised an it's a good habit we started in Covid times.

I'm not sure it's overkill or paranoia. People are filthy creatures and I don't want their dirt in my house.

You want dog-shitty bacteria being tramped through your house?

For me, no shoes on carpeted areas which is from staircase upwards. No handbags / bags on dining table or kitchen worktops as theyve probably been on a floor.

😂 There's a thread on it about every 2.36 days, it's one of most common topics. I have to agree with the PP, it's pretty dull when you keep seeing the same things again and again

We all kick our shoes off in the house, I do t like wearing shoes on carpets but I don’t mine anyone else doing so.

I also don’t put my bags on the floor then on my lap - who wants others muck on my coat!! People are filthy!

To be fair wasn’t there a study that said pavements are cleaner than toilets?

I never put bags on the floor. It’s disgusting in my opinion. But each to their own (except when they put their floor bags on my kitchen top!!)

I'm sure it doesn't come to that, but I'm very rarely ill. We do tend to take our shoes off when we come in the house, not because of any bacteria but because if there's any dirt on shoes I don't want it on our carpets. We always wipe our feet first too

I don’t have shoes on in the house and i also like PJs only in bed / whilst sitting on the bed and not mucky outdoor clothes that have been on trains, tubes etc. However I do have diagnosed OCD so a lot of people probably wouldn’t care about this and it’s just me.