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!

Riven - they are hair straighteners.

I have naturally frizzy hair - without my straightners I would look truly awful . I am usually groomed (bit of make up, shaved legs etc), but the love of shoes gene has passed me by! Am hopeless in heels anyway and live in trainers. I think my posting name does give a bit of a one-dimensional view of my personality , but I do really love them!

I go swimming with DCs most weeks so can't be hairy!
DH thinks my hair is fine naturally but I hate it

LadyOfWaffle is Quootiepie? ? I was thinking about her the other day! She answered my very first plea for advice! Helloooo (I was Twinklemegan, who you may or may not remember).

Catweazle and others who walk around in bare feet ? do you live in the Med or something? Otherwise, if you don?t need shoes OR slippers in your house you must be seriously overheating it! Try walking around with no shoes or slippers in my house. You?ll get chillblains within the evening, I guarantee. Fluffy slippers here, but only because they?re warmer (plus two pairs of socks)! Guests do as they please, as I said earlier.

I think the town/rural divide is more that in rural areas people do not have carpets in the entrance areas/working areas of their homes. But of course we would take off muddy shoes before going elsewhere in the house - entirely different from being afraid of shoes that have just walked over a pavement.

I must say I have never considered I might be thought rude not to offer to take my shoes off. It just doesn't occur to me. But then if I think people are common for asking, I can't have it both ways I suppose. I'll be looking at my host's feet in future before I step in the door!

My DD, bless her, really embarrased me over this very thing. We had just visited a good friend of mine and I always tend to remove shoes at her house (pale carpets!). DD (3y) said, why are we taking our shoes off - I said because aunty X has a posh house. I was of course joking The next day we went on a play date at DDs new friends house - This indeed WAS a very posh, very big, house - with tough looking wooden and tiled floors. The mum kept her shoes on, so did we then. My DD then piped up with "Is this not a posh house like X's then? Is that why we are leaving our shoes on" .

I would never be offended by being reminded to take off my shoes. If someone has paid shed loads of money for flooring then i can imagine the horror of mud or grit. I don't ask guests to remove their shoes, if you saw my house, you would understand why - but i might just start, just to see what the reaction is

Here's my penny's worth:

I feel really odd keeping my shoes on in my house - or anyone else's house. In fact, I feel inclined to take them off in theatres, cinemas, restaurants ... but I fight the urge I can't really relax with my shoes on. Dunno what it is. (Something dark and deep, no doubt.) My children are the same and go shoeless whenever they can.

I don't ask visitors to remove their shoes (I reckon they'll probably do so without being asked if they have really muddy/messy shoes) but I still regret the day a rather large woman in stilletto boots kept hers on: we now have puncture marks all over our dining room floor . Now I rise above my fear of offending if anyone wearing stillettoes visits.

In Sweden, where my sister lives, it is the height of bad manners not to take your shoes off when you visit. Many Swedes have spacious hallways, extensive shoe racks by the door and 'guest slippers' for visitors (IKEA's shoe racks and cheap slippers suddenly make sense). For Sweden, it makes a lot of sense in winter, of course, with everyone wearing snow boots. But it is the norm in summer too.

My sister and I were great shoe-taking-off fans before she met her Swedish husband. Mind you, I'm from Yorkshire, so - growing up - we had nobbut half a clog between us. Perhaps that's it!

I expect me, DH and our kids to take off our shoes in the porch but that does not extend to guests.

I normally telll my visitirs to keep their shoes...then I don't worry about them going home with dirty socks!

nobody gets into our house wearing shoes. we have light carpets so most who visit remove their shoes upon arrival.those who dont are asked to remove them.my kids and i take our slippers with us when we visit as shoes are not usually worn. shoes should not me worn in the house

We take our shoes off and ask our visitors to do the same. I always offer to remove my shoes when visiting as do the kids. Most people here seem to have a no shoes rule. I always attempt to tell people in advance about it so they can bring socks or slippers if they choose. It's pretty cold here for much of the year and there's nothing worse than cold feet. To be honest I don't know anyone who does wear shoes in the house, i am not quite sure why you would want to.

Sorry double post.

This thread is over 2 years old!

In my opinion it's rude to keep shoes on in someone's home. I don't ask people to remove them but I hope they are respectful enough to do so.

Ha ha!!