Please can you take your shoes off

seven-day-weekend

You say you are fine with your OCD. Your family might not be.

Not trying to be nasty, but have you thought how it might affect other people?

My friend's husband got really fed up with always having burned food because my friend with OCD was worried about the bacteria in undercooked food. It affected her life, yes, but it affected his too. She had CBT and is much better now, although I think she will always worry about undercooked food.

Just giving an example of how someone's phobias might affect someone else's life., no offence meant.

matty17r

We are a no shoes indoors household. Nothing makes me cringe more than thinking of shoes on my floors/carpets that have been in public toilets, near dog's poo or wee outside in the streets. I like my house clean but certainly it looks lived in most of the timee. It is also more healthy for your feet not to have shoes on all the time! I know people who are always having their carpets shampooed/professionally cleaned because their carpets are dirty and they wear shoes indoors. Surely must be more money saving to take them off and save the expense. I have never had anyone that has refused to take their shoes off when I ask and often say they wish they could get their family to do it at home! All my family have had new builds and the builders always leave their shoes on the front door mat.

Errata

matty17r wrote: »

We are a no shoes indoors household. Nothing makes me cringe more than thinking of shoes on my floors/carpets that have been in public toilets, near dog's poo or wee outside in the streets. I like my house clean but certainly it looks lived in most of the timee. It is also more healthy for your feet not to have shoes on all the time! I know people who are always having their carpets shampooed/professionally cleaned because their carpets are dirty and they wear shoes indoors. Surely must be more money saving to take them off and save the expense. I have never had anyone that has refused to take their shoes off when I ask and often say they wish they could get their family to do it at home! All my family have had new builds and the builders always leave their shoes on the front door mat.

That's interesting. Builders wear safety boots when they're working, for obvious reasons.

System

i have no problem taking my shoes off in anyones house but they have to understand that i usually leave a trail of medicated powder behind me if i do cause i like nice sweet smelling feet (and i dont like socks)

I had to laugh at my friend, she put a 'shoes off' notice just inside the front door. I went to take my shoes off and she told me not to bother. She only put it up to get her husband to take his shoes off when he came in. Poor sod

Stephb1986_2

We have a cream carpet and was sick of people walking in with shoes on we left a note in the porch saying shoes off or overshoes on it tends to work we have overshoes next to the note.

Steph

seven-day-weekend

'The things you own end up owning you'. (Tyler Durden, Fight Club).

One of the reasons we have no carpets downstairs is so it doesn't matter what gets dropped, spilt, trodden in or otherwise deposited on the floor, a quick wipe and it's clean again. I'd much rather my friends were made welcome and (for me at least), telling them to take their shoes off before entering my house would seem very unfriendly. My friends are more important than my floor.

That's how I feel anyway.

Metranil_Vavin

I just had our new car delivered and asked the chap if he would mind taking his shoes off, and he was absolutely fine about it. he has a little one the same age as us and feels the same about his son crawling about on dirty carpets.

I don't actually think I've ever had an objection from someone to take their shoes off.

I'm going to a friends for dinner this evenng, and whilst she never asks me to take my shoes off, I will anyway as courtesy to her.

FatVonD

I'm beginning to think it there must be some regional/generational differences, all my son's friends automatically take their shoes off inside the front door with no prompting and my son does at theirs too.

This thread has been quite an eye opener, in my last job I often visited other people's houses and thought I was being polite taking my shoes off, it's never occurred to me that they might have thought my feet were dirtier than my shoes :eek:

In my own home I'd still rather take my chances on other people's veruccas than the TB-infested phlegm on London streets.

fluffpot

Don't you think it's a bit unreasonable to ask builders to remove their shoes? Do you expect them to go up a ladder in socks? Or how about when they drop a hammer on their toes? Or tread on a nail?

I'm a sparky and would refuse to work for someone who requested this - my health and safety is more important than someone's carpet. I would (as always) give my boots a very good wipe on the mat on entering the house of course

Savvy_Sue

I found someone I visited today had a semi-circular doormat against the wall, just inside the back door. It was just ASKING to have my shoes parked on it! :rotfl:

Have not read the whole thread, just skimmed the first and last pages. I can see why some people might prefer not to take their shoes off if they haven't got slippers to put on, and they might not want to put other people's slippers on. I take my own when I go to my Mum's house, for example. And older people might find it hard to get shoes on and off.

For tradesmen / workmen, I think you have to offer shoe covers, for H&S reasons. And you need to make sure your floors are clean and non-slippy for everyone else.