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!

We ar no-shoers, but I would NEVER ask anyone to remove theirs.
It is the height of bad manners.

I don't ask guests to remove shoes, but do not think for a minute that if you don't I won't JUDGE you

We are no-shoers too. But have never asked anyone to remove theirs.

The wooden floors are cold too.

Ususally my guests see that I am wearing no shoes and follow suit. Its not necessary to ask.

What's with the cream carpet/wooden floor that must be preserved in aspic? It's rather like buying a Range Rover but not driving it because the expensive petrol might run out. Bizarro.

Do you take your shoes off at mother & baby groups/nursery/pre-school etc in case a child touches some 'outside dirt'?

I cannot contemplate the weirdiness of it all. Will fetch some wine and re-read in hours time.

stilettos are a whole other issue. It is idiotic of someone to walk over a wooden floor in stilettos. Causes permanent damage. Lots of historic houses make people put covers over stiletto heels.

I went to view a house that had a shoes of policy; it put me right of it! There were also these bits of paper on random bits of flooring, "NO SHOES INSIDE" etc. Very odd to me but then I'm a slattern (?).

I agree with Quattro.

Why on Earth would anyone want to add to their worries in life with a cream-coloured carpet (carpets are vile, anyway) or easily-damaged flooring in the areas of heaviest traffic in their home?

sophy - same in Sweden. No-one needs to ask, you just will take your shoes off at the door. Obv if everyone knows in advance you can prepare your most glamorous socks for the occasion!

I don't enforce it in the UK but most of my friends I've known since Swedish days (whether Swedish or not) will automatically take their shoes off when they come indoors. Not sure it's as much cleanliness as cosiness?

I would never ever ask anyone to take their shoes off. 'Tis common. If they volunteer, then fine, otherwise I'll just clean up afterwards. And cream carpets are daft.

I suffer terribly with cold feet so wear lovely fluffy slippers at home and hate it if I have to remove my shoes at other peoples' houses (not one of whom provide alternative indoor footwear and I am too embarrassed to take my slippers with me!)

We have old parquee flooring here which did get damaged just a few days after moving in by a friends now ex-girlfriends' stillettoes, so I do ask any stiletto-clad visitors if they would mind removing the offending articles but I do offer them some slippers (generic use ones!) as an alternative!

My house, my cream carpet, my rules - so shoes off!

What if your guests have smelly feet? That could be really embarrassing for them. We don't really have house rules I must say - certainly not ones we impose on guests.

If they have got smelly feet then that is their problem and one they ought to look into anyway.

It's RUDE to ask

Have got rid of all our carpets - MUCH nicer

I hope poele will offer to take thier shoes off, but never ask.

If asked I will take mine off, of course, but will think the person abit uptight.

All this angst about dog wee and vomit etc I can't be doing with, if there is dirt which you cannot see and which is harming no one then DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. THere are much more imporatnt things to worry about, like how relaxed are your guests?and how neurotic do your friends think you are etc.

Is there any evidence to suggest that poeple who live in SHOE WEARING houses are negatively affected by this? I am thnking not.

And worrying about things that are not harmful is neuroticism you knwo.

I can't drive with shoes on so in the summer I often arrive a people's doors barefoot

I've not been asked to wash YET but...

I would be mortified if someone asked me to remove my shoes in their house. It would be putting their precious carpets above people.

Other cultures may remove shoes, but it is not normal in Britain.

You wouldn't ask the Queen to remove her shoes, would you?

Wasnt there a thread on here once where somone wanted to giv e their visitors slippers as they came in to protect their precious floor?
I just dont see the sense in having floors that cant be walked on?
do you have plastic covers on your chairs in case guests leave their bum smells on your chairs?
How inhospitable.
Bring your stinky bums and dirty shoes to my home!

I have never met anyone who brought their slippers with them to other epoels houses, or been offered slippers whne visiting some ones house.

Have I led a sheltered life? do I need to expand my horizons, and the type of poele I socialise with?

If people make you remove your shoes, they deserve to have their settee sofa farted in.

You know if you make your guests feel uncomfortable you are statistically more likely to have red wine knocked over your cream carpet?

My mum knocked red wine over my beigish carpet on christmas day.

But there is always an exception that proves the rule

nah, you can't give them wine - they'll get saliva on your glasses - tsk tsk