Etiquette of taking shoes off at the door for guests?

[GYoIsReallyHavingABaby]

Hello
I've just got new hall and dining room wood floor (its bamboo so reasonably susceptible to damage) that was a lot of money to us so we'd like to keep nice for as long as possible.

The front door opens onto hall and goes through to dining room so we take our shoes off in the porch the before the front door.

Does anyone else have a "no shoes rule" and how do you deal with it with guests?

I feel awful asking people to take off shoes on way in... I'd always do it in other people's houses out of respect/ politness and I'd make sure I didnt make host feel awkward about it but a few guests over xmas have made me feel really bad for asking!

If you were lying on your deathbed,would the clean house you kept be more important than the nice interesting people you could have met who like keeping their shoes on and who also sometimes like taking them off.In the summer,I'm always in and out of house seeing to 3 lively kids so wouldn't have time to keep putting shoes on and off.I don't like mud everywhere but I think you need a happy medium.Children are usually happier being a little bit messier.

I would be aghast to be asked. I do have friends who are shoe offers, but they never ever ask anybody.

In my secret judgey heart it makes me think of people who have plastic covers on their sofas...

edam, no, i think that was an example of the kind of thing that can be brought in by shoe wearing
lead is another one - we don't use lead paints anymore but there is plenty of lead in the soil, from when we did
ditto ddt - now banned from use, but all the ddt ever made and used on the earth is still out there - in the soil, amongst other places

We have amtico flooring throughout the whole of the ground floor, because I just accept that I won't ask/it isn't always practical to take shoe off all the time.
I DO expect everyone to remove their shoes before going upstairs though (so this does not apply to the vast majority of guests). To me it is just common sense. The IL's make a point of wearing their shoes upstairs even though they know I consider it rude to do so (I have 'trained' DS to remove his shoes when entering anyones house) and I always do so at theirs. I think that is really rude.
If I am entering someones house and they have cream carpet I would always remove my shoes, and I definately look for 'cues' like their shoes by the door and what they are wearing on their feet.
I am getting new carpet in a couple of weeks (sand coloured) on the stairs and I am thinking of placing a white napkin on the bottom two stairs as a reminder to remove shoes for a few weeks, mainly for the IL's who are the only ones who do it (and DH!). I am even considering getting a pack of shoe covers :D
Apparently black socks are not good for keeping capet nice either though!

I never realised that floors were so important until I started reading this thread!

We don't have a no shoes rule, we have a mat.

I have friends who automatically take their shoes off when they come in and I've no idea why! I always tell them not to bother, but it seems they're happier like that.

I have taken my shoes off on request, but as I often have holey, unmatched socks on, or no socks at all (and my feet would upset you) I would rather not.

What's wrong with a mat to wipe your feet?

I always take my shoes of when I go in to someone's house, it just seems polite somehow, and I feel comfier, shoeless.

I couldn't give a monkeys whether people take them off when they come in to mine though,(dh always shedding grass when he comes in anyway!) so it's up to them.

I have just been to the chippy which is about 5 steps from my front door (across the road). So apart from whatever oil/petrol spillages may have been on the road I have also walked over (in the chippy) whatever the other customers have transferred to the mat and floor on the way in.

Tonight there were several men in there that were filthy due to their jobs which involves god knows what so the bottom of my shoes included whatever contaminants they work with as well as everything else on the street.

So, do I take my shoes off at the front door or do I trample these contaminants over my laminate floor so that they then get transferred through the house?

Went to friends new house yesterday and we all automatically removed shoes (brand new house & flooring).

The house had underfloor heating - it was lovely and warm padding around in socks on hard floors!! Loved it.

We take shoes off everywhere but our carpets are so old we don't insist anyone does here.

F and Z too much pondering and avoidance of such things will lead to michael jackson levels of madness.

I'm scared to let my kis go out reading that post,never mind let anyone in with their shoes on.

smiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiley!!!! I kept asking about you on long lost MNers threads... oh my!

LOL i find i can sleep at nights
it doesn't worry me - but just basic good sense IMO to take shoes off when you come indoors

I would remove my shoes if asked, then laugh at your preciousness all the way home and tell everyone I know that you are bonkers.

Quootie???????

Is it really you??

I have a special thread ou looking for you!!!

I've asking after you for over a year. I've been around sporadically under different names.

I'm going to bump my thread for you, come and chat.

Franny. For the record ,we all do take off shoes in the house and wear slippers, alot of guests offer, but I don't insist.

Perhaps it depends upon where you live. Taking your shoes off just isn't done in my area-I can't think of anyone (other than my brother who lives 200 miles away)who does it.

The japanese all do the no shoe rule but they provide slippers which makes it easier.

I always take my shoes off unless urged strongly not to and there's one reason for that.

The British streets are covered in dog crap!!!! Isn't it wonderful stuff to walk into people's houses?

Unless you have a crawling infant I don't understand why you are all so concerned with what's on the floor? And even a crawling infant will find millions of bugs that are not on the floor - and will need them to biuld up an immune system...

As Miyazaki said - pvc covered sofas will be next (just think of all the bugs there are on your bum, being transfered to your sofa)

Yes but apart from special cases Riven! I actually spend a lot of time on the floor, I watch TV from the carpet and so do the dc, but i'm not one who is fussed about shoes off. In fact i am normally in shoes in the house, tho th dc always take theirs off. I havent' got cream carpets either.

We also spend a lot of time on the floor and have a crawling infant. I am not scared of dirt as such. We all go barefoot in our garden and walk into the house with grass under our feet.I have 4 children and I would not say my floors are particularly clean. However, there is a big difference between being obsessed with your floor being clean as such and wanting shoes which have walked all over London-pavements into your house. Its not just dog poo people navigate between each day, but people vomiting and urinating in the streets, on the tubes and buses. A doormat does not get all this off and I just think.....yikes if you want that on your floor when it takes 10 seconds to remove your shoes.

I find it funny that many on this thread consider it precious to be concerned about nasties being trodden onto floors where babies/small children are crawling around, but it is not considered equally precious to be overly worried about constantly wearing the shoes that match your outfit.

Also, people treading dirt into my house means I spend more time cleaning than usual.

...says the woman whose nickname is 'ilovemyghds'. Forgive my at the irony of your last comment!