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.

Frankly, yes. My feet, my body, my shoes, my rules, my aesthetic. Watch the episode of SATC where Carrie gets her shoes stolen and you've got me. And no, I'm not on the wind up as some on the thread have suggested. I am not a 'tradesperson' either, obviously if you are a customer then your house your rules. However, being a host is different, you're not the boss.

Being the host in my own home...makes YOU the boss of my home?! Do you really think this?

When you have guests over, do you let them do whatever they want in your house (outside of shoes off/on)?

Do you have such disdain for the people you're visiting that you don't care whether you trek filth into their home? Or are the soles of your shoes impervious to dirt? Tbh, it really does sound like you're on the wind up.

My house, my rules, whether you're the King or the chimney sweep.

I don't 'trek filth'. I drive to my destination and walk a short distance, or take a taxi. I'm not trawling through muddy fields. As I say, it's moot because none of my friends care, a) they mostly have hard floors and rugs and b) they can always clean the carpet! Are you (not just you, everyone on this thread) really saying that you never dress smartly to go for dinner in someone's home, but turn up in the sort of outfit where muddy boots would go unnoticed? Because to me, that is bizarre.

I mean, obviously if I stood in piss, puke or old pizza then I would clean my shoes before coming in. However, if you are talking about invisible/imaginary stuff then you are being a bit obsessive. What do you think is going to happen? The chance of you getting sick from dirt on the floor is virtually zero. I have a cat and there’s no way that I would be able to clean his paws every time he came through the catflap!

I think putting shoes in a wardrobe is weird, we come in and dump shoes either in a shoe rack by the door or if they are wellies or boots onto the tiled floor. When it gets overloaded I have a go at the rest of them and they tidy it up a bit.

Why would you put shoes in a wardrobe? They need to be by the door so they are available.

This is a bit extreme. How many threads are posted daily though? Who has time to read them all? How can you search all possible threads?

The thread police have too much time on their hands

Your friends "can always clean the carpet"!! Holy moly. You'd rather your friends took the time to shampoo their rugs or pay for them to be cleaned, than that you took your shoes off for a couple of hours and compromised your aesthetic? Really? Do you actually have any friends? Like, friends who like your company rather than the clothes and shoes you wear?

I live in a very busy city, I have hardwood floors and rugs, I walk or take the subway/an uber to wherever I need to go. There are no muddy fields anywhere near me. I can't think of a single place on earth where outside a dwelling is as clean as inside. If it is, they have risible hygiene standards and I wouldn't be visiting their house (why would I? I'd be safer outdoors). Yes, you do "trek filth" - when was the last time you saw the sidewalks and streets around you vacuumed and mopped? Are they not exposed to the elements and other people and vehicles and pets and pollution etc etc? Are you for real?

It's far more important to me to respect my friend's wishes, their property, show respect for their time and efforts, not make them shampoo their rugs than for me to "dress smartly" inside their house while overriding their requests.

I think I'm being an idiot spending this time on you. You really can't be serious.

Because I want them where my clothes are to match what I'm wearing. Have always had shoes in my wardrobe even as a teenager living at home.

You sound like my DM before she was diagnosed with Contamination OCD.
Her illness progressed to the extent that she kept everything in bin bags, to prevent clothes getting damp in the wardrobes.
Her usage of disinfectant became excessive. Sadly our lives were made a misery.
At the moment you do not sound like this. If you become increasingly concerned about germs etc, it may be prudent to seek advice

The thought of people walking around my house in their socks or bare feet makes me shudder.😟

The OP says she hasn't got space by the front door.

Thank you!! I thought I was taking crazy pills with these comments. That said, if someone wished to remove their shoes in my house, I would allow it. I would inwardly cringe, but because I'm a good host it would only be inward. Unlike those people who would rudely demand that guests remove shoes because of their precious floors.

We’re a shoes off house, but they’re not wiped they just sit on the shoe rack. It’s not like I’m touching or licking the shoe rack.

As for bags… I’m not licking the bottom of them either and they tend to stay in the utility where no food prep happens.

So you’d rather people drag mud and grime onto carpets? We live in a wet country…

Most families seem to have dogs and cats anyway so I can't see that it matters in those cases, why would they fuss about outside dirt when they have a filthy hound wandering about

Weird to have shoes in your wardrobe that you wear often, I have a couple of best shoes that are in boxes in the wardrobe but not everyday shoes

People aren't 'tracking mud and grime'. People park in the driveway or take a taxi, walk up my path, and bingo. I don't know where on earth people live that they are squelching through mud and filth to get anywhere.

Ah well I live in London so most people don’t drive and are absolutely dragging grime and rain into the house from their walking through the streets, into the tube/ to the train station / on and off the bus and then through the wood that leads to my house.

IT'S NOT ABOUT GERMS AS I'VE SAID UMPTEEN TIMES!

Just look up Contamination OCD.
It does sound like you.