Outdoor shoes inside

I don’t understand this business of removing your shoes when you visit someones house. I wouldn’t dream of asking anyone to take their shoes off at the door as I think that is the height of bad manners. Fancy asking guests to remove their shoes before they are allowed into your very precious house!.
A bit of dirt never hurt anyone and I’m so glad that I don’t actually have any friends who are so fistidious.

I agree. All of my family remove shoes indoors, but it's a comfort thing! "Ahh kick off your shoes you're home" sort of feeling!

They are FLOORS! we don't eat off them! The outside isnt evil anyway, if a bit of mud gets walked in we would just clean it

Raised 5 Children in a house with cream carpets throughout except kitchen / diner, bathrooms and utility room.

Always a shoes off house except for annual pre Christmas Party, 18th and 21st birthday parties, just got it cleaned afterwards.

I always offer o take my shoes off in other people’s houses.

yehbutnobut- we'd have had to have a massive porch for all the patients' shoes! It just didn't happen.

Thinking about some of the comments on here, what I would really hate to do, is wear slippers that someone else has worn! Now , that really does make me squirm!

Pudding123 - Where does the 'dirty' shoes/feet thing stop? Imagine your sister and brother-in-law calling in the summer both wearing sandals and no socks. Do you think your cream carpets would suffer equally with their sweaty feet leaving moisture on them, as if they were wearing shoes? I am simply asking a question here as for me that has been a real issue. Before my dear Mum died, we had carers coming into the house three times a day and two at a time - when we moved we also had light carpets and coincidentally all the carers were Muslim and automatically took their shoes off at the door but some were completely barefoot, and arguably were bringing in germs on their feet from other houses, and others wore socks which could also have been carrying germs. I requested they wear disposable shoe covers bought from amazon and these worked fine. Personally, I think if you want your visitors to take off their shoes to keep your carpets clean you should provide slippers for them and keep them at the door. Otherwise put some plastic down on your carpets when you know your sister and bil are arriving.

People have all sorts of personal reasons not to want to take their shoes off. They have made the effort to visit you and you should respect their wishes. People are more important than carpets.

Pinkquartz.. you’re entitled to your view just as I am to mine.

I would consider it to be bad manners to ask anyone visiting my house to remove their shoes.

Buy some of the throw away plastic shoe covers just for these situations. Keeps your floors clean and they can kerp their shoes on.

It comes down to this...if you were taught to leave outdoor shoes in the porch/hall/mud room as a child then that is your philosophy.

If it was acceptable to wear outdoor shoes inside as a child then that is how you prefer it now.

nightsky2

what rubbish! it is not bad manners if it is to show consideration for other people with health issues or because it is a cultural way.
or even to keep a clean carpet.

Jane10 coming from a medical family myself I disagree. Shoes were always left in the porch.

This is not a new thing. I can remember even at school in early 1950s having indoor and outdoor shoes.,

It's good hygiene, like washing your hands as soon as you come in form outside. Buy those horrid cheap plastic bag type overshoes that decent tradesmen wear in the house, and buy them slippers for Christmas. Can't be having all that dirt, potential dog mess, and germs in my house.
Available on Amazon, £6 for 100.

What do they do in their own home?

Yes, it has become increasingly common not to wear outdoor shoes indoors. I don't insist that visitors do so, but I do always ask when I am the visitor whether I should take my shoes off.

I believe in Switzerland it is common to provide slippers for guests, perhaps we should consider doing so too.

Guineagirl. It must be a lot of fun visiting your house.

I don’t understand this business of removing your shoes when you visit someones house. I wouldn’t dream of asking anyone to take their shoes off at the door as I think that is the height of bad manners. Fancy asking guests to remove their shoes before they are allowed into your very precious house!.
A bit of dirt never hurt anyone and I’m so glad that I don’t actually have any friends who are so fistidious.

I agree. We never used to take shoes off if visiting a house nor did we expect others to remove footwear either. We were a doctor's family and lived at the surgery. The waiting room was our dining room. Somehow we survived the shoe borne germ onslaught! 'Health reasons?' - nonsense. Get a hoover and use it.

We never used to do this, did we? Wiping our shoes on the doormat was perfectly acceptable. If visitors ask if I'd like them to remove their shoes I always say, "No, I'm not that houseproud - unless you've just walked through a freshly ploughed field."
However, one friend insists on removing her shoes and as she doesn't undo the laces she has to dance about in a ridiculous fashion to get them off. Plainly ridiculous, not to mention a waste of time. I'm expected to take my shoes off at hers which is annoying as her floors aren't exactly pristine. Illogical. Slippers are a must when visiting.

Nothing to do with the colour of carpets or materialism. Everything to do with what’s lurking on the soles of shoes.

Sorry forgot to mention a neighbour held a bonfire party for several people. They put plastic sheeting down which was a good idea as people were in and out watching the fireworks and then popping in for supper. Everyone actually left their shoes on.

The world is more of a materialistic place these days. Fancy homes where shoes don't quite fit in

I have never asked any visitors to our home to remove their shoes. We wear our shoes indoors, and as we have a (often wet and muddy) dog and wooden floors I don't worry about a few extra footprints. But if I'm visiting someone and they have light carpets, or I notice they are not wearing shoes, I will offer to remove mine.

My Japanese daughter in law always took her shoes off when visiting us. We do the same. Who wants to spread dirt from shoes onto your carpets regardless of colour cream or not. A friend held a Christmas get together just prior to Christmas. She had a large basket in the porch with various different slippers. Everyone took their shoes n boots off n slipped a pair of slippers on. I’m sorry but I think your bil is extremely rude not to take shoes off. Put your foot down n hand then slippers on arrival.

GrannyO put my view succinctly. The most important thing to me is that my guests feel comfortable rather than the state of my carpets. Mind you, the cats and dog go in and out without changing shoes so the socks of the guests are likely to go out dirtier if they take off their shoes!

I think Urmstongran and others are right.
When I was a girl only one family I knew expected you to take shoes off and that was only if you came in through the back door. It was mainly a children's rule but my mother did occasionally take hers off if she came to collect me.
Front door was for "proper" guests and it would not have been expected there!!

In my home most people do remove shoes. I certainly prefer it but would never expect it of visitors.

Feeling really embarrassed now as none of this has ever entered my head before!!! How many houses have I been in where the house owner has been secretly seething at my wearing shoes and not even asking if I should take them off? Sometimes people ask me if they should remove their shoes when visiting me and I have always been surprised and said not to unless they preferred to. I rarely wear slippers . I will go barefoot or in socks at home until I put shoes on to go out and then they tend to stay on for hours. Maybe I should rethink my behaviour when I go visiting, but if any of you come here (Urmstongran, you must be close), please don't worry. I have a Dyson!