If you are a 'shoes off' household, do you/how do you get guests to comply without being rude?

[Gemzooks]

We always take our shoes off and wear slippers at home. lived in Russia and Kazakhstan where that is the norm and got used to it, now it seems gross to come in and tread in all the dirt from outside.

However, how do we manage with guests? As most people aren't used to it? Do you just bite your lip and ignore it, or just provide slippers in a rather obvious way?/ have loads of outdoor shoes in the hall (the passive-aggressive approach)

any tips appreciated!

Not wearing shoes indoors is normal in so many countries. My guess is that is often has something to do with the climates - dry dust, mud, snow slush etc. I wouldn't say it is odd or rude at all,like some posters, just logical. But even in places where it is customary to remove shoes, nobody insists or forces guests to do so. It is down to the guests' sensitivity to make the decision, surely.

If your guests don't pick up on the signs (pile of shoes by the door, guest slippers, etc) then bite your lip, ignore it, and clean up after they have left. Easy.

I beg guests not to take their shoes off in my house, because it would be too embarrassing if they looked at the bottoms of their socks later and discovered how utterly filthy my house is.

Admittedly we do have builders at the moment. But can't be doing with taking your shoes off at the best of time.

And my house isn't really dirty. It is simply providing my children with an immunological challenge.

can we have a tally on hoovering here? Is the idea that if people take their shoes off then you need to hoover less???
I have wooden floors. hoover weekly and let everyone keep their shoes on. i would hate a guest to feel uncomfortable in my house..however agree with small kids and shoes off rule!

People realise here because I have cream carpets and none of us wear shoes...barefoot usually

god, i hate these carpets in here.

not only are they carpets, which i realise is not their fault, but they're fugly carpets - mustard yellow in the living room and 1970s pub in the hall and yucky green and blue in the bedrooms.

i try not to look at them too much because i have begun to cherish an irrational, pathological hatred of them.

i want to rip them out and burn them and dance round the pyre.

We have wooden/hard floors downstairs so perfectly acceptable to keep shoes on (even though I don't but I don't really like wearing shoes anyway - can't bear slippers either for that matter). Cream carpets on stairs and upstairs so would expect people to take shoes off to go upstairs although would never ask... just grit my teeth. I ask children though.

I would take shoes off in someone elses house if they have carpets. Its just good manners IMO.

Why on earth is it rude to ask your guests to take off their shoes? Genuinely don't understand.

I just ask people to remove their shoes. Sometimes I remind them dd is on the floor.

you wouldn't let guests smoke in your house? Its your house, your rules.
Everyone takes shoes off in here, including various therapists, social wrokers etc etc all of dd's respite carers are now used to it.

i remove my shoes in my house and i do the same when visiting someone's house. I dont understand why people want to walk on carpet with their shoes on, its not very hygenic is it?

We aren't white and no-one ever wears shoes in our house. I think they all assume that they would be committing a huge faux pas and offending our culture if they kept their shoes on. I have never asked anyone to remove their shoes, they just do. Not a terribly helpful tip if you are white british .

Interesting cos before we had DS I wouldn't have insisted as I'm not crazy about cleaning or anything, but with the baby around I genuinely care more about the risk of grim stuff going near areas he might lick or chew than I do about politeness to guests. Is this why we have no social life?

I have a friend who asks all guests to remove their shoes. This is fine with me and I am used to it. But once we went to a drinks party at her house and I kept my shoes on, assuming that as it was a party then it was ok. It was not ok and we all had to remove our shoes. It was a little weird. She keeps croc type shoes around for people to wear if they want. She also has those blue slip on over your shoes disposable things that you get at pools for workmen or delivery men that come in.

Now, with her I think it is partly a cleanliness issue and partly a cultural thing (she is part asian).

For me, I prefer people to remove their shoes. I ask people I know well to do that, but I would not ask workmen etc. Also if having a party I do not ask. We have laminate floors throughout though.

We are a shoes off household, but I never ask adults visitors to take theirs off. They usually do though and if they do I thank them and offer slippers (we have tons from the good old days when we travelled on the sort of airlines that provide them!).

Other children to tea are another matter - I don't ask them, I tell them!

I ask. The lane we live up is quite often used as a dog loo.

We have had crawling children. It's pretty grim then.

The only people who are affronted are the grandparents. They are the only people we have to ask (again and again). Everyone else offers! Children, estate agents, prospective house purchasers, workmen. It's a local thing here.

When I visited a friend's mother in Norway she gave me slippers to wear in the house.

I would never ask either. As many have said, thte piles of shoes are a give away.
I was once asked to remove mine at a friends and have to say I was a bit pissed off!

Blimey if i went to a party at someone's house and had to remove shoes i'd laugh and leave pretty quickly.

I'm short and like to wear heels! Especially when going out.

There's no way i'd put on someone else's slippers - eeewwww.

Regarding hygiene - i don't like carpets downstairs i like to mop floors. What happens if someone has dirty feet - do you then get them to wash them? Also i do have a slight phobia about people's feet as they can be very horrid - gnarly toe nails/cracked heels etc.

I guess i find the taking shoes off thing to be just one step away from keeping the plastic covers on furniture to protect it

That's interesting - I wouldn't be offended by someone else's slippers- I hadn't thought of that. Don't people usually have socks or tights on anyway?

I don't wear anything on my feet for spring/summer.

In the winter i do wear socks but sometimes non-matching - but still other people's slippers - not nice. Of course this is why i've never gone bowling as well.

Oh dear - i clearly have ishoos re. my height and other people's feet.

It's incredibly rude to ask guests to remove their shoes. No question and I'm usually a bit put out when asked, I don't want my feet touching other peoples floors thanks v much.

Also I have reynauds and in winter shoes are part of the protection against my feel going blue, socks ain't enough sometimes and not going to suffer cos you can't be arsed to sweep/hoover.

Went to a party a while ago where all party guests were asked to remove footwear, left after 10 mins shoes are part of an outfit FFS!!!

As for removing my shoes when visiting patients, is this for real???? There is NO WAY!!!

Still not sure why it's so rude to ask people to remove their shoes when entering your house.

I do really think people who wear shoes indoors are very weird. Especially if they have Floor Phobia too.