Confessions of a very tired old styler. Please join in.

soappie

In my house, it's imperative you keep shoes ON - particularly if you head through the utility area to go out the backdoor and I haven't had time to mop up the puddles from the animals who were desparate to get out but couldn't because the back door was shut so went anyway right beside it.

There was one seriously memorable occasion one not so nice neighbour from next door popped by to discuss something in the back. I have a porch. He entered the porch and automatically slipped his shoes off before coming inside. I was thinking OMG - he's wanting to go out the back - I hope there aren't any puddles.....

:eek:

arkonite_babe

We have relatives in Canada where it's bad manners not to remove your shoes when entering someone's home......

Fozz

Thank goodness for this thread!
My house is usually in a state of semi-organised chaos, I hate housework and have to force myself to start doing any.
The dining room table is so often covered with clutter that we usually end up eating on our laps, there are two piled up linen baskets of washing to put away in my bedroom at the moment which have been there 2 weeks, the beds haven't been changed for far too long, my kitchen window is filthy....... the list goes on!
I have a friend at work whose house is like a show house, she loves cleaning and tidying, but to be honest I wouldn't feel at home in a house like that, I need some clutter to feel cosy. She hasn't been in my house, if she were to come round I'd feel the need to clean for a week beforehand!

stressedoutmumof1

Caterina wrote: »

I found the posts about shoes on or shoes off really strange, in Italy it would be plain rude to go into someone's home and take one's shoes off!

A friend of mine from the UK visited my parents in Italy (while I was somewhere else) and during the day took off her shoes and went to have lunch with them in bare feet (hot summer, cool marble floor, you can't really fault her, it is not like she had smelly feet!).

She told me afterwards that she felt really mortified because both my parents looked at her feet and later mentioned it to each other in Italian (that she was barefoot) thinking she did not understand, but she had enough Italian to understand.

Incidentally, since finding out this shoe lark here in the UK, I always offer to take my shoes off when I visit people I don't know well and the reactions are mixed, some say yes some say no.

Cultural differences!!!

Caterina

In Hawaii you must take your shoes off if you enter a house. They even sell signs to hang outside your house

Lillibet_2

Humm.....forgot to bring the washing in last night (actually for the last 3 nights:o), including my duvet & bed linen, now it's frozen to the line & getting steadily covered in snow........:rolleyes:

lotto-dreamer

With the taking your shoes off/leaving them on debate - what happens if you go to a dinner party wearing your Jimmy Choos (should you actually own a pair) - I think I'd be a bit miffed to have to remove them at the door

Seriously, I always thought the whole point of wearing shoes was to protect your own feet - not other people's carpets. I quite see the hygiene thing behind it - but carpets can be cleaned.

EmptyPurse

Have just spent rather a lot of money buying a couple of bottles of Method cleaning spray (one for kitchen, one for bathroom). Yes, I know I should be making my own cleaners from scratch but let's face it, that's never going to happen......! I just wish I'd stuck to buying Flash, though. It's the first time I've bought Method and I've totally fallen in love with it. Bang goes my grocery budget (again!).

Softstuff

lotto-dreamer wrote: »

With the taking your shoes off/leaving them on debate - what happens if you go to a dinner party wearing your Jimmy Choos (should you actually own a pair) - I think I'd be a bit miffed to have to remove them at the door

Seriously, I always thought the whole point of wearing shoes was to protect your own feet - not other people's carpets. I quite see the hygiene thing behind it - but carpets can be cleaned.

People over here in Australia tend to take the shoes off at the door, it's more of a comfort thing to my mind though. As one of my friends has gotten more comfy in here he's taken to putting his sweat pants on, mostly since I've already told him that it's at least another year until he can sit on my sofa in his boxers :rotfl:

sparrer

In my home visitors get a definite 'invite' to take their shoes off in the porch - I provide slip-ons/mules for them to wear if they want. Having just been able to afford brand new (beige) carpet for the first time ever I don't want mud, dirt, wet shoes etc traipsed all over it - it's got to last me the rest of my life. Imho it's my castle and I have every right to look after it how I like. I always ask in other people's homes and never object when they have a no shoes rule . Having said that, I'm still a slob when it comes to housework, the carpet has got plastic runners, rugs on it to save [strike]me vaccuuming[/strike] it from getting dirty

Sharra

Thank you everyone for this thread - I feel as tho a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I am normal not hopeless!
I don't iron, cups scattered around my house tend cultivate their own life forms, my curtain hems are coming down cos I wonderwebbed them rather than stitch them shorter, I only change my sheets fortnightly, etc etc etc