Please can you take your shoes off

Ames

Being asked 'do you mind taking your shoes off' would be fine, being asked 'will you put these shoe covers on please' would have me worrying that my shoes were filthy and I hadn't noticed or something!

Mind you, my feet are probably as dirty as my shoes sometimes, given that I'm barefoot whenever I can get away with it, which includes outdoors.

bylromarha

Isn't this all about the people you have visiting though? If we had a no shoes rule, then the regular visitors would know this, I would know if removing shoes would cause pain or not and they could choose to bring slippers or whatever. Despite not having a no shoes rule, lots of regular friends bring their slippers with them as THEY have a no shoes rule.

If a stranger came into my house I would never expect them to remove their shoes, even if we did have a no shoes rule. Feet in socks is a bit familiar I think. If people ask when they come in, then fair enough (as has happened with kids home visits from teachers, sales reps etc) but would never ask a stranger to slipper up!

Any

I personally find it extremely rude not to take your shoes off. I come from different culture and it is normal to take your shoes off for me though.
I just don't get it-do you think that people have nothing better to do that to run around the place with hoover every day?
Surely friends don't make up more work for each other??
And isn't leaving a stain (in UK in rainy weather not unheard of) on their lovely carpet in the place they are most proud of (their home) the most embarassing thing ever??

And we were taught since little that it is not good for you to have your feet in sweaty shoes all day anyway...

WelshBluebird

I find it quite funny.
I have always been complained at by my parents for not having something on my feet! (be it slippers or shoes).

lostinrates

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Because they were of the 'if you're inside, shoes off' school of thought, the same as many on here:D

To be clear, although it uses me discomfort I absolutely think people have the right to do as they want. My. Only point really is that to say people are selfish or rude or whatever for avoiding it is sometimes also a little selfish. I would never continue into someone's house with my shoes on if asked to take them off, nor continue into their house with muddy shoes but I might look inadvertantly less than thrilled, or decline an invitation in for coffee.

Fwiw, i have during the course of this thread remembered a trip to the loo in a no shoes household where the floor around the loo was a little.....um....sticky, and I r,ember stemming the hypocritical queasiness I felt at this with the idea that they had probably trodden traces of splash back pee around their no shoe house. But their house, their choice, and I really think it must be very much easier to keep a house clean that way and don't think it's weird in itself, it is just sometimes uncomfortable for me.

GracieP

TITEASCRAMP wrote: »

Brians daughter, I have done exactly the same regarding those slipper sock thingys. I have them by the door.

To those who said they would feel offended awkard etc. If you can see that my floor is absolutely spotless and our house is really warm (too warm). I offer new slipper socks. Would you still feel awkward and not like removing out door shoes?

Yup, massively. I have a fungal infection in a couple of my toenails. It's absolutely horrible, ugly, reasonably dangerous (due to the medication needed to fight it) and HIGHLY infectious. And to be quite honest that's my private medical business I don't want to have to tell someone my embarrassing body ailments, just so they allow me to keep wearing my shoes. A lot of people have far, far, far more disgusting germs inside their shoes than outside of them.

As for the germs on the soles of our shoes, the vast, vast majority of those are germs we need to be surrounded by in order to build up our immune systems. Keeping them out of our houses does us much more harm than good and is largely responsible for the rise in allergies our society is presently experiencing.

flippin36

I'm too polite to ask people to take their shoes off as I don't want them to feel I am treating them like children. But if it was very important to me I would say "come in! Feel free to put your shoes on the rack/over there". Its like you are giving them a clue that you are a no shoe home, without sounding like you are giving orders.

Any

TITEASCRAMP wrote: »

I am so confused with your view. For me the thought of out door shoes inside the house is disgusting.
Our house is very clean and warm and comfortable. I walk around in socks or bare footed. The thought of what are on the pavements (a place where dogs have pee'd and poo'd) being them trambled into my home is gross. I have to walk on these floors as does my small child have to play. Plus once I go to bed my feet are then on my bed sheets.
I know I am probably a bit ott with cleaning, but also I paid a lot of money for my carpets and don't want to have to replace them in the near future.

My intention was never to offend anyone by asking them to remove their shoes.
I must admit I do like hearing from people who find it strange or awkward. It gives me an insite to why I seem to be upsetting people.

This....
I found it quite surprising that so many people are happy to spread the street dirt around a home, when I see everyone buying all these "remove 99% of bacteria" and "touch free soap dispenser" products everywhere...

EndlessStruggle

At a friends house they have a cute little vintage style sign asking for people to take shoes off, seems to do the trick. Maybe get in a few pairs of cheap slippers for those who don't like being without something on their feet.

Torry_Quine

Any wrote: »

I personally find it extremely rude not to take your shoes off. I come from different culture and it is normal to take your shoes off for me though.
I just don't get it-do you think that people have nothing better to do that to run around the place with hoover every day?
Surely friends don't make up more work for each other??
And isn't leaving a stain (in UK in rainy weather not unheard of) on their lovely carpet in the place they are most proud of (their home) the most embarassing thing ever??

And we were taught since little that it is not good for you to have your feet in sweaty shoes all day anyway...

With a good door mat you shouldn't be leaving stains all over the floor though! Having visitors really shouldn't mean that you need to vacuum more but even if it did so what, I have a home not a show house.