taking shoes off

The amount of spit, gum and dog poo outside. Sometimes it is more to do with being hygienic.

All I can say is thank goodness I live abroad and most houses have tiled floors and no germridden carpets around. Friends are welcomed and no shoes need to be removed. A quick mop over and the floors are clean.

I'd be happy with mud, Madmeg. It's DIRT that bothers me. Have you looked at the state of our pavements recently? I wouldn't want a toddler picking bits of animal waste which have rubbed off the bottom of shoes & putting it in their mouths. What about toxicara canis? Yeucchhh. It's simple hygiene. On carpeted floors especially, it's a no-no. I'm amazed people are happy to expose their g/c to this risk.

We remove our shoes in this house but I don't have any hard and fast rules for visitors. Most people are pretty thoughtful and will ask, though the Tesco delivery man never offers to take his shoes off! I don't like being barefoot so will take soft mules with me when I go to other people's houses, just in case.

I do know someone who has special slippers for going to the lavatory so no nasties are trekked out from the bathroom into other rooms!

SIL's family take theirs off so DD expects the same. I always have cold feet so I take slippers. I would NEVER ask a visitor to mine to take shoes off unless they were clearly dirty. Yes, we have a pale-ish carpet but dried mud brushes off easily and I'd rather people were comfortable coming here.

Mrs Bucket. yes funny . Nothing funny about People walking into my house with their shoes on. Inconsiderate, selfish, and rude. I am with Polly on that one about not inviting them again, but I would actually ask them to remove them, anyway as I already said I only have Family in here and they do take off their shoes.

Visitors taking shoes off sound very Mrs Bucket! We all laughed at her ridiculous OTT pretentions and misreading of good etiquette

Yes Hilary I agree that there are interesting view points and very different ones. I don't suppose people will change their opinion (and why should they?) as a result of this thread but interesting to note the differing attitudes and reasoning behind them. Quite eye opening in fact.

It's the height of rudeness to tramp road dirt & possibly dog shit & god knows what else through someone else's house. Nothing to do with carpet colour. I & my family & friends always remove shoes. I expect others to show the same courtesy. I wouldn't ask guests to remove their shoes but if they don't I wouldn't invite them back

I don't like having just bare feet with just sock on. I would not want to go there again.

acanthus you are very rude.

I think it's rude to ask people to take their shoes off. I belong to a group where we meet in each others houses. Quite a few carry their slippers with them! I always forget! When our beloved dog was still with us I always said don't bother, and I still say that, obviously if I was visiting someone after I had got very wet or muddy I would take off my shoes or boots. I do't remember being asked to do this when I was young.

I've thought about this topic before, even wondered about starting a message thread about it. It seems pretty recent. Years ago my old book group, National Childbirth Trust group, parents picking up visiting children - we never took shoes off at each others houses but my current book group always de-shoes (or is it 'unshods'?), one or two workmen have also done so (which I appreciated). No-one has ever asked me to take off my shoes but I now do so automatically. I've just bought a pair of slippers to carry in my bag for visiting. DH doesn't do any visiting but would not be able to take off his shoes, he has high risk diabetic feet and so has to wear shoes all the time to avoid catching his feet on furniture etc and breaking the skin.

Stayed at a lovely B&B in Wells where guests' shoes were lined up in the entrance hall, so bare feet were the order of the day - thought this was a bit odd being a B&B but as we are a no-shoe home, it was fine by us. Prefer to be barefoot anyway wherever I can. Love being able to lie out on the floor knowing there are no traces of dog poo, or other bacteria from the pavements sharing my hair. Always remove my shoes when visiting people - feel it is respectful, and appreciate friends removing theirs when visiting us.
Have been in a few houses where you feel the need to wipe your feet on the way out!
Some interesting viewpoints on this thread.

PS. Of course you'd use disinfectant if one of the children or animals had vomited on the floor!

I also find it odd that people actually 'disinfect' their uncarpeted floors.

One has to wonder how any of us, or our children, survived our childhoods considering all those germs we must have crawled through and sometimes actually ingested!!

I think it is very rude, actually. I have foot problems, (two replacement toe joints and arthritis) and if anyone asks me to remove my shoes, I tell them I can't. I just can't walk around in bare feet - it hurts too much. In the case of people walking around in stockings or socks, this can be quite dangerous if it's not on a carpet. I know of someone who walked around at work in stockings, and she slipped and became completely paralysed!
I think the message you are giving, if you ask them to remove their shoes, is that your beautiful home is more important than they are as people. I think you should welcome people and accept them as they are.

Didn't used to take shoes off but got in the habit when visiting daughter and friends in Germany where it's the norm to remove shoes and usually there is a Basket of slippers to put on if required. Now it's second nature for us and find most though not all visitors do this automatically without being asked. We provide slippers if they do this and are grateful because though shoes may not look obviously dirty they usually are. Our grandchildren 6 and 3 have always done it as a matter of course as they come in through the front door.

I always take mine off at the door and put on slippers, unless I'm expecting guests and am dressing up, then I wear nice shoes, but clean the soles with a damp sponge so it keeps the carpet clean. However, I would not ask guests to remove theirs. Some people take them off at the door anyway or if staying overnight, would bring slippers. If you had people round for a dinner party I think it would be weird to see everyone walking around barefoot when they are all dressed up!

Not only is it the height of rudeness to ask people to remove shoes when coming into the house, I also deem it a lack of intelligence.

sorry, wrong thread! Not sure how that happened

or was it just a Freudian slip?

I do ask the children to take their shoes off when they come round but, other than that, I wouldn't ask anyone else. Many of our friends and relatives (especially the Asian ones)take their shoes off anyway even when we assure them it isn't necessary.

I always take a pair of slippers with me when invited to fussy friends houses.

Why do people have beige carpets anyway.

My shoes are part of the care I take when I go to visit friends..i like my shoes and do not wnat to put on some old bloomin slippers! I wipe my feet on entering a house, if it was muddy I would take them off!