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 start worrying about germs on shoes, you really are heading towards OCD.

I hate all that faffing around when visiting someone who insists you take your shoes off. Especially if I'm with ds so have to sort him out too. I've often got shoes that don't slip off. And the implication that I'm somehow despoiling their perfect home is quite irritating.

Last time we visited (otherwise lovely) people with this policy I looked down and realised they hadn't hoovered for some time - hall carpet was covered in fluff and crumbs! Thought it was bloody rude to expect me to get my socks covered in their debris.

oh come on it is only SHOES
it isn't like you are asking them to take their pants off

"you are in a friends house so why should that matter." - well, some people might feel uncomfortable, and you might well go along to the house of a friend's friend, etc - it's not that simple. I can't get too worked up over all the invisible germs - I really can't.

When dd was potty training, I think guests were much safer leaving their shoes on in our house.

What happens if your visitor suffers from really smelly feet, is compelled to take his shoes off and then stinks your house out? Eww.

"My shoes are part of my outfit; my feet would be cold in just my tights or socks; and I would expect my friends to trust me not to walk in a load of dirt into the house. I would take them off voluntarily if I'd been somewhere muddy."

I might trust you, but would I trust your children. It would seem incredibly rude to have one rule for one guest and a different rule for another.

Our house has a no shoes rule. I am only strict if they want to go upstairs though as our downstairs floors are either laminate or tiled. Although I do have a cream rug that I guard from dirty shoes feriously in our living room.

One way I deal with guests is to ask whether they would like to borrow a pair of slippers.

It is tricky to try and not make people uncomfortable about it and what i have done in the past is if people are new to our house and don't automatically do it, or have not noticed that there is a shoe rack full of shoes next to the front door i don't make a biggie out of it, but next time will say something like "oh you can leave your shoes there".
I am not too precious about the hallway and would not put in a carpet or flooring like the OP there that was so susceptible to damage - but absolutely no shoes are allowed in our living spaces.

We viewed a house that had cream carpet in the hall - we all removed our shoes at the front door but then had to retrieve them when we wnated to go into the garden and remove them again on re-entering the house (and we still got a small amount of mud on the carpet). It put me off the house altogether.

BUT I do have freinds who request we remove shoes, and leave them in the porch. My ds do automatically remove them anyway wherever they are, but I don't tend to, and I find when I put my shoes back on they are bloody freeezing, and so are my feet then.

We laid Karndean in our hall, it's cream too but it's sort of flecky, like sandstone-effect and looks the same, clean or dirty. I love it!

Wearing shoes into the house does make the floor dirtier though - that is just a fact. We don't wear shoes in the house, but over Christmas we have had visitors who have not removed shoes and the floor is filthy - I have had to mop the wood floors and hoover rugs frequently. I have a baby starting to crawl and I don't think it's hygienic.

Dont know the answer to your question though OP. We have wood floors in some areas and I do usually ask those in stilletos to take them off as it does do damage. I do feel bad about asking though, but if I was wearing heels on someones wood floors I would take them off anyway.

When I go to other people's houses I always ask if they would like me to take my shoes off. It is a matter of respect on the part of the guest to acknowledge the owner of the house's preferences in this matter as they are the ones doing the cleaning and buying the carpet.

Now you see robinia that is where I disagree. I would prefer that my guests feel content and happy and at home in my home and think that their comfort should be respected rather than the carpet.

If someone walks into our house and sees we are not wearing shoes, I consider it rude for them to leave theirs on.

We ask people to wipe their feet on the way out...

We have a puppy who leaves bits of his toys everywhere and cats who bring in parts of mice or have been known to be sick without anyone noticing.

I also have a slight phobia about feet and am offended if people take off their shoes.

OP I would enforce you no shoes rule and offer guests slippers or slip on mules for inside the house - you can get washable slippers from Ikea.
Shoes are outside attire, like coats, and I am sure your friends will be understanding Just be prepared to allow people who can't take off their shoes, easily ie, older people to leave them on.

Exactly ilovemyghds.

Even though the floor may not look any dirtier it does get dirtier and it shows when you clean the floor. And if you have carpet that dirt doesn't get cleaned up by hoovering.

I tend not to visit people who have a shoes off rule.

I may remove them the first time to avoid a scene though if it was a semi formal occasion such as a dinner party when I was dressed up and the shoes were definately part of my outifit I would probably decline to but I would certainly not visit again.

PMSL Island - you'd probably not get an invite back anyway.

Same here, I have a no-shoes policy in my house. There are quite a few cultures where it is considered rude to wear shoes indoors.
I always take my shoes off in someone's house - just feels wrong - I wouldn't wear my coat in someone's house! But at the same time I wouldn't make people take their shoes off.

Now you see island, I would be offended if I were your friend and you didn't tell me that you felt that way and we never saw you again.
If you are friends with the person, are you saying you would forsake the friendship because they asked you to take your shoes off

Well I live in the countryside. We have flagstones in the hall and kitchen for a reason. Wellies come off because that is just what people do, but if I invited someone round for dinner I would feel bloody rude expecting them to take off their shoes.

And I would also feel disinclined to visit someone who insisted I take off my shoes.

I once shared a flat with a girl who tried to enforce a shoes off rule on me. It was student digs. The carpet was minging. She was quite mad though.

But SweetLittleBunny can you see that that is quite a strange double standard? Would you forsake a friendship because someone preferred to keep their shoes on?

Well I have never been asked to remove my shoes by friends only by passing aquintances.

I'd feel really odd if I was invited for a social occasion and was looking pretty smart then was asked to take my shoes off. Then again I'm only 5 foot 4 and my not stiletto but slightly heeled shoes usually make my skirt/trousers look right on me instead of me tripping up over trouser legs etc.

I have my shoes on as I type here at home actually as it is freezing.

I agree that it is rude, as a guest, to not offer to remove your shoes. I wouldn't dream of going into anybody's house in my shoes, unless they specifically told me to. But then I wouldn't wear shoes at all if I could get away with it.

Maybe the actual division here is between people who think feet are minging and people who don't.

I think feet are gross. Therefore they should be covered up. Someone may or may not be wearing socks or tights under their shoes but I'd rather not take the chance.

No I wouldn't. I would accept that as their choice, and make sure I clean the carpet thoroughly after they had gone. I have a friend who doesn't take her shoes off, she is 65 and has arthritis and I would never expect her to.