Do you ask people to remove their shoes in your house?

[BabyPiglet]

I would never ask such a thing.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

We take our shoes off the minute we come in. Everyone around us knows this and most refuse to respect this in our house. But these mostly include people who keep disgusting homes of their own. My FIL walks through dog poo and walks through his house and he will say oh that's ok we don't care about things like that in this house. When I go to any of my in-laws homes I take my shoes off just the same 'cause I don't have a double standard but the minute I get home the shoes and the socks come off and clean socks go back on because their floors are so disgusting. Their homes are all disgusting. I think it really boils down to that. Anyone who wears shoes in their house just doesn't care about cleanliness. I have never been in a spotless home where the owners wore their shoes in the home and I have never been in a home that was not well kept where they did take their shoes off. And that is fine for them in their house but people who do care about cleanliness deserve to have respect in their own homes. I work a full time job (50 hours/wk) and don't consider being a good "host" to include scrubbing my floors and carpets for hours after they leave so as to not offend anyone and ask them to remove their shoes because that is the environment that I want to live in. And why is it acceptable for "custom" people but clean americans are rude???????? I don't consider someone a "guest" in my home when they trash my floors and cost me hours of work. It's not about floors over people. Besides, I consider myself the victim here. I told my DH recently I wanted to move to Hawaii because it's "normal" there. We watched house hunters the other night and the realtor told the buyers in every house to take their shoes off. Through the countless homes we have looked at over the years to buy we have walked right back out of any that had owners that obviously wore shoes in the home. GROSS!!! We have people who come to our home for "tours" and have had family invite people to come to our home for "tours". ARGH!!!! Believe me, the hostess does not give upstairs tours to those who have left their shoes on. My house. My rules. Now would all those with their shoes still on please leave! I have floors to clean.

Sorry, my house is spotless and we allow shoes in our house.

Somebody wears shoes in your house and you have to scrub for hours after? Have you tried a therapist? This sounds more like a phobia.

 

[Stacerita]

No, I don't ask people to take their shoes off when they come in to my home. I dont' want my house smelling like corn chips.

 

[goofyernmost]

Personally, I would never go to a house that "required" me to take my shoes off. I am very uncomfortable anyplace other than home with them off. I don't know exactly why but it just seems invasive to me.

Another thing I dislike is when you have a large number of people in, and you don't have a vestibule, you spend the day tripping over random shoes. It is just not cool, IMHO!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Hmmmm. I'm a paraplegic. While I would never knowingly enter someone's house with anything on my tires, would some of you rather I'd leave my wheelchair in the car and piggyback me into your home?

 

[slo]

I voted "I prefer for them to take them off, but I don't ask"


The only people that I insist to take off their shoes are kids.
If my DD has a friend over, than I insist that the friend remove their shoes.


When it comes to adults, I hope that if they see me w/o shoes, than they will take theirs off. But if they don't, it's not the end of the world

 

[meandtheguys2]

Hmmmm. I'm a paraplegic. While I would never knowingly enter someone's house with anything on my tires, would some of you rather I'd leave my wheelchair in the car and piggyback me into your home?

I'd say your tires have to come off...they have touched the ground...ewwwwww! sarcasm, btw!

 

[grlpwrd]

Ditto--I'm in Hawaii and it's cultural to do it. When you approach a door you'll see a pile of "slippahs" (flip-flops)! We are barefoot family and my friends are the same. It's rude to wear shoes in the house here. Big part of it is the red dirt that gets tracked in I think.

I have a sign that says "Mahalo for removing your slippahs" that I got at the swap meet but if someone wears shoes in my house, I wouldn't say anything unless they are family or close friends.

My IL's live in KY and think "Whoa you are really making yourself comfortable" when I take off my shoes at their house. Whatever, I am!!!

Thank you for posting. I am from Hawaii and though we are in Virginia now I still live the no shoes in the house lifestyle. Friends and family who come over know it and they comply. We practice no shoe etiquette and offer slippers or socks. I have a sign, too, and whenever we have functions at our house I preface everyone on our guest list to avoid "surprises."

dcgrumpy, for service people and repair personel who come into our home, I lay down sheets for them to get to the part of the house they will be working. After they are done, I wash the sheets.

As for those thinking it is rude or what not, I don't think posts on a message board will change opinions. It's such a personal/YMMV kinda thing. Besides, it's not as if anyone of us are visiting each other. lol (oh except I do have one IRL friend who is a DIS'er )

We have the no shoes in the house rule for cultural reasons, but also because it has been scientifically proven to be cleaner to do so. We also live a more green ("natural") lifestyle than most people. I found this online and I am sure there are many others, even more recent, floating around:

The US Government gets involved with dirty floors
Interestingly, in 1991 the EPA conducted a study called the “Door Mat Study” that measured the amount of lead dust that was in homes. The study found that in homes where there was a doormat at the entrance and where shoes were NOT worn, there was a marked reduction (about 60%) of lead dust and other chemicals in the home. Not only that, but in homes where shoes are removed, there is a reduction in allergens and bacteria being tracked into the house.

Removing shoes has been scientifically proven to reduce contaminants in the home. If that still doesn’t convince you to have your family remove their shoes before entering the house, then think about how much longer and nicer your carpets and floors will stay and how much easier it will be to clean if shoes aren’t permitted in the house. When you look at it like this, it won’t be so hard to ask family and friends to remove their shoes before coming into the house.

What else can you do to keep floors clean?

Use cleaners such as Mr. Clean or TSP to clean hard floors

Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter or vacuum bag to trap lead dust and other chemicals or allergens

Vacuum or sweep twice a week

Mop at least once a week

Steam clean carpets and floors at least twice a year

Have a good quality door mat at entryways that has fibers to trap dirt on shoes

Avoid wearing shoes in the house

 

[meandtheguys2]

My DF and I always take our shoes off at the door. We have a mat by the door and we take them right off when we get inside the door. I think it's gross walking around all day and then tracking whatever you might have stepped on through the house. I never make guests take their shoes off, but if it has rained/snowed and someone came over, I probably would to save our tan carpeting (offended or not, it's my carpet and it's me who would have to clean any mess you left behind.)

LOL, your carpeting probably has far more "gross" stuff in it than can be dragged in by others. Most of the stuff has nasty chemicals, pet dander, dust mites...

The concept of hospitality has surely gone down the drain, as the "all about me" beliefs have thrived.

 

[swilphil]

My kids drop their crackers and sippy cups on our floor, I'd like to think they aren't ingesting the crud off the ground where dogs have pooped and people have hocked loogies when they pick those items up and then put them back in their mouths.

You might want to start teaching your kids not to put stuff in their mouths if it has been dropped on the floor. Even if everyone takes off their shoes, floors have germs, no matter how often you clean them.

I rarely take my shoes off because I have had problems with bone spurs on my feet. It's aggragavated by walking barefoot, especially on hardwood floors. Plus sometimes I may be wearing shoes or stockings that make my feet sweaty.

 

[sunlver]

So for those who do not wear shoes inside your house and insist everybody take them off, do you have dogs?

To me, I dont see the point. If you have dogs who go in and out all day long, why would you want people walking around your house(inlcuding the homeowner)with no shoes on????

I am curious if you no shoe people have inside dogs?

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I am curious if you no shoe people have inside dogs?

We are not "no shoe police" but for the most part, our family and our guests do take off their shoes. We have two inside/outside labs that spend about equal time between their indoor crate, roaming the house, and outside.

I guess I don't see what difference that makes??

 

[Disney Doll]

I don't require it of guests in my home. I have hardwood floors and area rugs, so it's pretty easy to clean up. No babies to worry about eating gross stuff off the floor, and we had a dog for 13 years and there was no way to ask him to take off his feet, so stuff was getting tracked in all the time anyway. I just do a lot of vacuuming & floor washing.

I defer to whatever the host in another home requests when I am a guest there.

If my shoes were really muddy or something, I would remove them, whether I was asked to or not.

I had a friend whose mother had pale pinkish carpets and she used to like people to take off their shoes. She used to ask the "regulars" at her house....kids, kids friends, adult friends...to do so, but if someone was more of a guest, she didn't say anything. Like if her parsih priest came to visit, she probably would not have asked him to remove his shoes.

I probably would never decorate my house in something that required so much stressing over, like a really light colored carpet or something. Like I said, we have hardwood and area rugs that are braided...living room is green with flecks of other colors through it, dining room & den are blue with flecks of other colors through them, the front and back halls are brick red/multi-colored, so they really do wear well and don't show dirt. Our house is, in general, pretty casual.

 

[sunlver]

We are not "no shoe police" but for the most part, our family and our guests do take off their shoes. We have two inside/outside labs that spend about equal time between their indoor crate, roaming the house, and outside.

I guess I don't see what difference that makes??

Because if you are so concerned about what people bring in on the bottom of their shoes, arent you concerned what the dogs bring in from the back yard? Or whereever else you walk your dog. They walk through urine, and dog poop, and may not look like it, but dont you think the germs are on their feet when they walk through the house, the same place people walk? I just dont get it?

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Because if you are so concerned about what people bring in on the bottom of their shoes, arent you concerned what the dogs bring in from the back yard? Or whereever else you walk your dog. They walk through urine, and dog poop, and may not look like it, but dont you think the germs are on their feet when they walk through the house, the same place people walk? I just dont get it?

Germs are not my concern. I am worried about gum, snow, mud, etc. All of which if they are on my dogs' feet it's either cleaned off or they are not allowed to roam.

Try letting 30 teen boys into your home during a snowstorm and see how your floors fair if they leave their shoes/boots on.

BTW, NONE of these kids have even been asked to remove their shoes. But they ALWAYS do. I guess some think it's common courtesy.

 

[sunlver]

Im sure we can all agree, we are all different. Personally I do not like having to take my shoes off at somebodys house. Sure, if they were muddy, or if I stepped in gum, or something like that, I would to it in a heartbeat without being asked. I feel more comfortable with my shoes on.But, thats just me.
We have 2 dogs and a foster dog, plus I dogsit out of my house. We wear shoes here. My kids take thiers off. We dont ask them too, but they just do Sometimes the kids friends come over, and sometimes the friends take their shoes off sometimes not. It doesnt matter to me. It would be so hypocritcal of me to require that in my house where my dogs are running in and out all day long. We vacuum everyday, and probably steam clean at least once a month if not more...
I prefer shoes on, except when I am sleeping or in the shower

 

[lilyv]

So for those who do not wear shoes inside your house and insist everybody take them off, do you have dogs?

To me, I dont see the point. If you have dogs who go in and out all day long, why would you want people walking around your house(inlcuding the homeowner)with no shoes on????

I am curious if you no shoe people have inside dogs?

At this point I have to be somewhat amused at this thread. We don't wear shoes in our home, we don't "require" others to, and we are kind and welcoming to all. Period.

You'd probably have to have a honest conversation with good carpet cleaners to really understand this. Most can tell immediately if you wear shoes (constantly grinding dirt into fibers) vs. choosing to go with socks.

It makes no difference, in the long run, if you have guests that wear shoes.
The real benefit (should one choose to do this) comes from just not bringing all the dirt and dust into the home on a daily basis.

Pets are pretty irrelevant, unless one doesn't keep them clean. Most pet owners I know are careful to keep their four legged friends tidy.

 

[CEDmom]

So for those who do not wear shoes inside your house and insist everybody take them off, do you have dogs?

To me, I dont see the point. If you have dogs who go in and out all day long, why would you want people walking around your house(inlcuding the homeowner)with no shoes on????

I am curious if you no shoe people have inside dogs?

We don't have dogs or any hairy pets. We don't wear shoes in the house because it just isn't comfortable. However, we don't make people take off their shoes although many just do.

Kids are a different story though since most don't know the meaning of "wipe your feet". We have hardwood floors and I don't want to worry about a child scratching it with dirty shoes.

I Swiffer the floors several times a week so people have nothing to worry about with regards to stepping on something.

 

[1rockinmamato2]

You might want to start teaching your kids not to put stuff in their mouths if it has been dropped on the floor. Even if everyone takes off their shoes, floors have germs, no matter how often you clean them.

My children are 14 months and 27 months. The 2-year-old isn't as bad about putting things in his mouth anymore, but that's what 1-year-olds do! I shouldn't have to work tirelessly to train my child not to do what comes naturally to her when it's easier for someone to remove their shoes at my door.

I agree our carpet and our home is not a sterile environment, but it's as germ-free as it can be while I do my best to protect my children from unnecessary exposure to the any number of things hanging around on the soles of shoes.

Try letting 30 teen boys into your home during a snowstorm and see how your floors fair if they leave their shoes/boots on.

 

[MareQ]

Because if you are so concerned about what people bring in on the bottom of their shoes, arent you concerned what the dogs bring in from the back yard? Or whereever else you walk your dog. They walk through urine, and dog poop, and may not look like it, but dont you think the germs are on their feet when they walk through the house, the same place people walk? I just dont get it?

Maybe the dog wears shoes while outside?