taking shoes off

If it is very wet or shoes are muddy I would expect visitors to offer. Grandchildren always automatically take their shoes off. If I was visiting I would offer to take mine off generally but not for a dinner party where I would consider shoes an integral part of my outfit.

My family in Canada all take their shoes off as soon as they enter their house. Germs from outside, don't you know? However the dog must just float above those dirty pavements and garden dirt since he's not asked to remove his paws, or cover them with indoor shoes

I'm happy for people to do just as they please shoewise. I want my guests, whether for a cuppa and a chat, or full blown dinner, to be comfortable.

As I said earlier, in Sweden its the norm, but I must admit, I was a District Nurse, and especially in the Winter, it was a nuisance on and off the shoes all day visiting patients, in some places we had those blue plastic over shoe things, which were good if the places we were visiting were a bit "dodgy" cat/dog hairs and other things!
Then as another gran said, tripping over a mound of shoes when coming through the front door is a hazard to say the least. One point to remember, if having those very "attractive" blue plastic creations, dont forget to take them off when leaving!

My goodness, what a lot of discussions about something which should be common sense. If your guests during a country weekend have been tramping through the woods and fields, then of course they should remove their shoes. . But if you have invited people to dinner and they arrive nicely dressed then it would be rude and silly to ask them to take of their shoes. That to me seems to be a really naff old fashioned thing to do.

Like keeping the plastic cover on your sofa!

That is just the height of houseproudity! Would not expect it in my house and if asked to do it at anyone elses house it would be my last visit. Only exception would be if I had muddy shoes, that's just being thoughtful.

I agree with you yulle. Let common sense and courtesy rule! I think it is impolite to expect guests to pad about barefooted.. it is not a custom in this country. It might be in places with dusty streets. they will be warm places so barefoot is not an issue!In snowy areas I guess homes are well heated but UK is a temperate climate, some houses are warm and some not!
I expect visitors to my house to wipe their feet on the mat especially if it is wet outside but not to remove shoes! The DGC automatically do take theirs off but I have slipper sox for them if it is chilly.

I agree with yullie too!

Some friends of ours have a basket in their hallway full of slippers for guests. It's a good idea and I haven't known anyone to complain.

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!

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

Why do people have beige carpets anyway.

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.

or was it just a Freudian slip?

sorry, wrong thread! Not sure how that happened

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.

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!

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 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.

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!!

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

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.

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.

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.

acanthus you are very rude.

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