Outdoor shoes inside

I brought my children up to always take their shoes off in the kitchen before going into the house. Their friends always did the same from being very young. Their friends never needed asking as they did it in their own homes anyway. I can not understand why anyone would want the dirt from outside, inside on their floors and carpets??? Pavements have goodness knows what on them?!?! and don't get me started on all the mud from the fields and woods around us ha ha.

Cazzarl It must vary from house to house, as I never came across it as a child, or very much as an adult, apart from the party I mentioned (and yes, now I think of it the couple were a bit 'Hyacinth'). We were always taught to make guests feel at home, and my mum would never have implied that someone was dirty by asking them to remove their shoes, and the thought of people sitting around wearing shoe protectors is making me chortle. Are they like galoshes?

Strangely, my parents and grandparents all lived to ripe old ages (my mum is still with us, in fact), so maybe all the 'shoes encrusted with faeces' and 'urine-soaked footwear' they must have encountered built immunity .

When my children were teenagers I would often come in to find a pile of enormous trainers in the hall, as their friends had removed them, which is why I thought it was a more recent phenomenon.

We have always been use to removing our shoe when going indoors, its the expected in SE Asia as people often sit on the floor to eat.
Here in the UK we have a different eating culture and eat from the table but we have a sign on the door showing no shoes allowed. We find it keeps the house cleaner and its just something we are use to, I also remove my shoe when entering other peoples homes.

Yes I agree with you Urmston a few germs never hurt anyone and carpets can be cleaned.

I must agree with Saxifrage. I hate having to walk around in another persons slippers or worse still woolly socks when I have shoes on that fit to my outfit. I just don't feel comfortable. I sometimes take a pair of "clean" shoes to wear indoors if I know that I will be asked.

Do those who insist on shoelessness use doormats? I have found that even muddy wellies get clean when scraped against a decent doormat, and have them at both front and back doors.

I don’t think it’s a Mrs bouquet thing at all, it’s about having respect for other people’s homes, their house, their rules, and if some people wish to have cream carpets then it’s nobodys business but theirs, wether you think it’s silly or not, we have wooden floors and high heels would ruin them,

I agree with the Mrs Bucket analogy

She'll have thought that's how the upper classes would behave

In actual fact the uppers are never going to ask anyone to renove their footwear

Oopsminty

But I very much doubt that many, if indeed any of the "uppers", as you call them, are likely to have to get down on their own hands and knees to clean any soiled carpets after guests leave, unlike us common folk. .

My feet and legs swell when I travel and if I have to take my shoes off I may not be able to get them back on again. I do take slippers with me though, when I go visiting

Well, if someone came in with their shoes covered in mud from a walk, dog poo or wearing hiking boots I'm sure they would have enough manners to take them off or I would say 'can we clean those for you - Richard, where are you dear, just ask the butler to clean these would you!'

Someone getting out of a car, walking down my drive and into my house - no, I would not ask them to take off their shoes.

There are far more germs on money, or perhaps some people are like the Queen and don't carry cash.

Well for the house proud who are concerned for their carpets - besides vacuum cleaners there are now also steam cleaners to clean deep down dirt from amongst the fibres. I’ve seen them on the telly. Another gadget my mum didn’t have.
?

She did have a Ewbank though. Sometimes we were even allowed to ‘do the carpet’.

She did have a Ewbank though.

My Grandma had one of these. I thought it was wonderful!

Could never understand why my Mum didn't want one

Mind you with all of us children, numerous dogs, rabbits, friends etc it wouldn't have been much use

Actually. mentioning dogs. What do the 'take your shoes off' folk think about dogs? Do any of them have dogs?

Do they have to wash their feet when they come in the house? Plastic coverings maybe?

Or a nice pair of fluffy slippers.

That wouldn't work with my dog though.

She'd rip them to shreds before they were on.

In fact the no shoes wouldn't work in my house at all. My small dog loves to attack and pull socks off people's feet. Of course we're used to it but I can't see the vicar being impressed.

So....now I have this vision.... It is a party...loads of people dressed to the nines and all wearing shoe covers. Will I ever get this out of my brain...sighs

Oopsminty...I just laughed out loud at your post...good one

I can't see the vicar being impressed


I think our vicar would find it hilarious!

FROM ‘ONE GOOD THING BY JILLIE’ website:-

“ 11. Wearing Shoes In The House
Want to keep your floors clean? The easiest way to do it is by instituting a “no shoes in the house” rule! Dirty shoe soles can spread dust, allergens, and bacteria all over your house. They can also scuff up floors and track dirt all over, and the solution to all of these issues is simple: take off your shoes at the door! “

Requesting that people take off their shoes before they can venture into your house all seems rather non-U to me.

We go to and are going to a hotel at Loch Lomond where there is a sign to take off your muddy boots and leave them in the landing. Fair enough. Lots of us have just done a bit of the West Highland Way. Would never dream of taking muddy walking boots/shoes inside the rooms. Roll on 2nd January for our next stay. We love it there.

Is there not a boot room?

Inconsiderate friends don't keep people warm at night, either.

You are only kept warm by the kind, caring and mostly like-minded people who love you and won't mind keeping them on or taking them off either way
And at night in bed when it's cold, shoes come off I pray to God.

I'm not sure why society has gone down the drain by keeping things clean.

There are many imports and various cultural practices that have credence in the UK...

What's with saying upper class people don't remove their shoes?

So rich people are allowed to keep dirty shoes on in people's homes because they have money? Does money make them exempt from being clean? Or is money some sort of protective bubble that makes them untouchable?

I'm curious as to how this works.

Civilized people are considerate of others. And that includes following house rules in homes that don't belong to you.

There is a balance in everything - no-one would expect someone to tramp through with mud on their shoes and few people I know would be that inconsiderate.

However, insisting that people take off reasonably clean shoes, put on plastic covers or offer slippers which someone else may have worn (yuk) goes beyond the bounds of hospitality.