Outdoor shoes inside

What do you mean, Jane10?
They come with plastic on them when new, don't they? You're not telling me that some people actually remove that, are you? Surely not!

Not even in the kitchen ...
Take off your shoes or you stay outside

MamaCaz

We've had our dishwasher about two months now and yesterday I thought I saw a piece of selotape on the side of the door, pulled it and a whole sheet of polythene came off which was apparently protecting the door. We never noticed it.
Perhaps some people don't realise there is plastic still on their chairs!!

I wonder if the carpets will fit in the dishwasher?

I think it is reasonable to offer to take off your shoes, which I do.

I think it is unreasonable to order visitors, those invited to your house to take off their shoes or to put up a notice telling them to do that.

Workmen yes.
Children yes, you don't know where they're been, mucky creatures.

Some people are getting really OTT here. Of course if emergency services had to visit no one would make them disinfect their feet. How ridiculous.

Hyacinth Bucket may do suzied!

'Richard, dear, just hang on in there, the paramedics are just taking off their outside clothes and putting plastic overshoes on and then they'll be with you!! Richard - Richaaard??!'

RIP Richard aka Clive Swift

I didn't realise that he was the father of Joe Swift, the TV gardener.

What about those of us who wish to die with our boots on?

Am a bit fed up with being invited to say, a drinks party or dinner, dressing up ( slightly!) then being asked to take shoes off.
So much so that I now always take another pair of shoes with me to wear.

I have never been asked to take my shoes off - my friends and relatives must all be very mucky.

I think you are B a bit U having cream carpets and expecting everyone to take their shoes off. Maybe your sister and BIL think you shouldn’t have cream carpets. However, if I was in their place I would bring my own slippers.

I have only ever known two people ask me to do this, and I hated it because I got my feet cold and wet on their kitchen floor in both cases. One of them did start offering slippers, but I am not particularly keen on wearing slippers that other people have worn. It also feels weird wearing slippers and spoils my outfit.

The friendship is more important than the comfort of my feet though! I take my slippers if I go and stay.

I don't mind if people do or don't take off their shoes. It is your house though so they should do as you ask.

Is it that their feet swell when they take off their shoes and they worry they won't get them on again? This is a possibility and perhaps they don't want to tell you.

If anyone comes into my home ( perhaps with the exception of burglars), whether they be friends, family, officials or even workmen, the one main thing that I want is for them to feel comfortable and relaxed. I find the whole " my house, my rules " thing terribly aggressive. Most people are sensible. If there shoes are wet and muddy they would obviously remove them. Nobody would deliberately walk dirt through a house. Workmen I have used have always brought sheets to put down and they can't take their shoes off for health and safety reasons. ( Just imagine if they dropped some heavy tools on their unshod foot!)

I find the whole " my house, my rules " thing terribly aggressive.

Me too. It's also very inhospitable - as though visitors are only welcome if they toe the line (perhaps literally, in this case ).

I also agree about health and safety for workmen, and am very surprised that people would put carpets ahead of that, even if they don't care about the comfort of their friends.

I'm sorry to the poster(s) who think I am insulting them. I would like to separate the behaviour from the person.

Do I think you are dirty for wearing your shoes in the house? No! I think your shoes are dirty.

I'll respond to some perplexing statements made in this thread now.

I was in a public toilet today and there was wetness all around the bowl on the floor. I stepped in the wetness or PEE, it as there was no other alternative bathroom at that pastry shop. I had and I still have dried human urine on the soles of my shoes. Will I be bringing that into my house? Of course not. I take my shoes off at the door.

I once went into my MILs house (they wear shoes indoors) and had unknowingly stepped in their elderly dog's feces just outside the door. To my horror, I had brought it into their home! We realized a few minutes later, due to the smell. But the visible poo was already on their floors. Disgusting! The in-laws were very upset with their dog for having a poo so close to their front door...but outside is his bathroom! How can he know where to go and where not to go?

Anyway,

I enjoy using every space in my home. I sit on the floor (no carpets) and play with my child or I do yoga or meditate. I enjoy feeling comfortable at home and using the space in and around it as I please.

My child drops her toys on the floor and puts them into her mouth.

When people visit, I'd prefer not to have to clean up after their shoes, even if their shoes "appear" to be clean.

When you take a mop and bucket out, you simply wipe all the germs around and spread them all over the place, unless you use a disinfectant (I don't use any cleaning solutions on my floors that might compromise my family's health. I use just good old fashioned water).

To the posters talking about allergies due to being too clean: many children have allergies due to bad diets and pollution (not only excessive cleanliness).

I am not house proud, but I do love and care for my home as well as the people in it.

Eliminating shoes indoors cuts down on housework and allows me to enjoy my floors fully.

Also, the more you are able to get up and down directly from the floor, the better! Flexibility = longevity. They have done studies on this. If you are able to get up off of the floor from a seated, cross-legged position without touching the floors with your hands, you are likely to live longer. The more times you have to assist yourself by using your hands, the more years are taken off your life expectancy. Enjoy your floors, people!

If someone genuinely cannot take off their shoes for extreme health reasons or the inability to balance, that's okay. There are always exceptions to rules. I am not heartless.

If someone has excessively smelly feet, it's probably because they do not take their shoes off and air out their feet enough.

And paramedics, police officials can keep their shoes on. They might come to your home once or twice in a lifetime.

Workmen can wear shoe covers. If workmen are using heavy tools, they can keep their protective shoes on.

As for people coming to visit? From now on I'll give them a warning of the no shoes policy because it's obvious some people are truly uncomfortable without shoes on.

If I invite you, I really do want your company. The visible and invisible filth on your shoes is not welcome. That can stay at your house or outside.

I think we'll just have to agree that everyone is entitled to do as they please in their own homes. This includes adopting a shoe or shoe-free policy.

Take care.

All I can say naty is that you must be a lot younger than me if you can get up off the floor crossed legged without putting your hands on the floor!
You also must be warm blooded as my feet get very cold walking on uncarpeted floors in just socks or bare feet.
Oh and neither of my children have allergies of any sort and their immune systems our pretty high.

Very sensible post naty. It’s not aggressive to prefer not to have outdoor shoes inside your living space. Of course exceptions would be made.

I remember visiting a friends house 35 years ago and being told at the door it was a 'no shoes household' and removing my shoes. I have always got our 5 boys to remove shoes. Their friends always do the same. I am motivated mainly by laziness so I can hoover less often.

Naty

I don't think you have read my posts properly!

We don't wear our outdoor shoes indoors.
In fact I explained in full for the benefit of another poster what we wear on our feet indoors as we think that sloppy slippers are dangerous, especially on stairs. Evidence and warnings from the NHS justify that decision.
So read my posts please - we do not wear our dirty shoes indoors.

Secondly, I would not want to make guests feel uncomfortable by barking at them to remove their shoes before they have scarcely got through the front door, putting up notices to that effect or offering them slippers or, even worse, plastic overshoes.

Still laughing about getting up from the floor without using hands

Yes, everyone can do as they please.
I'd prefer people to take off their shoes but I'm not going to ask that they do it.

Can I just say that I had the police visit my house, they looked at my little sign of shoes with a cross through it and removed their boots. I did tell them it didn't matter but they just laughed and said they were glad of an excuse to take them off. Also Mr B and I wander around the house all day in socks on a wood floor.

why would anyone bark at a visitor to remove shoes?
You can just request in a friendly and polite way.
No-one objects to my requests but then they understand my reasons.

Those of you outraged at such an idea or removing shoes why are do you care? Not much tolerance being shown for different ways on here.

It's disgusting to wear outdoor shoes inside. Think of all the dog muck, traffic grime and God knows what unmentionable gubbins that can get trodden in!
I keep freshly laundered slipper socks for my guests, and there's a perching stool and shoe-lift available for those less sprightly. I'm disabled myself, but not above helping others to get their shoes on and off when necessary.
The shoe covers mentioned are also a good idea. Visiting tradesmen quite properly won't want to take off their safety footwear, but I find that many of them carry disposable shoe covers with them, anyway.
In Japan its unthinkable to enter anyone's home wearing outdoor shoes, and I think it's a custom we should adopt.
All this rubbish about it being unhealthy to be too clean is an excuse for being grubby, tho' I agree that over use of antiseptics and biocides is probably causing lack of natural immunity.

This thread has given me more understanding of the point of view of people who ask visitors to take their shoes off. Thoughts:

- Certainly people are entitled to do what they want in their own homes.
– Horror at the idea of wearing shoes indoors is not really rational, given that plenty of people have brought up healthy families this way.
- There are physical reasons that can make it difficult to put shoes off and on.
– I can see it cuts down on cleaning to take shoes off at the front door.
– However, to people like me who feel cold and uncomfortable with shoes off (one of my feet needs support), that’s like you want us to have the unpleasantness of having no shoes so that you can avoid the trouble of cleaning, which we expect to go to for our visitors. It feels like an unreasonable demand.
- Plus some people are judging us for not doing things the same way as them, even though our way has been the usual way in the UK, perhaps still is. And it’s worked fine.
- To get on and to go and visit each other, I guess we need to see the other point of view!

Me again,Well what a can of worms I seem to have opened!I will just say it goes to show how different we all are and reading through the posts I will consider these different points.For the record I get on wi th my BiL very well and we joke and have a good laugh also be doesn't have smelly feet(I will show him this post and he will dine out for months telling friends about my dilemma) nor does he have mobility problems.Thank you all your imput.