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This is funny but I'm facing a bit of a dilemma..... My first visitors are coming to see me in my new place and I'm not sure if I should use the 'shoes off' or 'shoes on' rules with them. I have very light tan carpeting and white rugs in certain areas. Besides that, I LOVE to just lounge on the floor so I never walk around with shoes on. I have indoor slippers or something comfy like that to wear.
How do you (politely) enforce that rule? Should I just hold my breath during the visit and then vacuum like a mad woman after they leave? I'm always prepared to take my shoes off when I visit someones home but some people are put out by that and are kind of icked out at the thought of it. I don't want to put anyone on the spot, either.
You might want to offer your guests their own house slippers. This way they have a choice between barefoot or slippers and they'll realize that keeping street shoes on is not an option.
I guess this is something I've picked up from my Japanese wife, but it has now become a pet peeve of mine. I can't honestly understand how people walk in their house with shoes on. Next time you walk into a dirty gas station bathroom with urine and who knows what else all over the floor try to remember that as you walk into your house and then lay on the floor. It's just disgusting to me and you never know where someone has walked either...
What if your company had just gone into a porta-potty at a concert or they were walking by the "Vomit Machine" at the local state fair and accidentally stepped in something??? Yep, that's what is being tracked across your carpet and floor.
I guess this is something I've picked up from my Japanese wife, but it has now become a pet peeve of mine. I can't honestly understand how people walk in their house with shoes on. Next time you walk into a dirty gas station bathroom with urine and who knows what else all over the floor try to remember that as you walk into your house and then lay on the floor. It's just disgusting to me and you never know where someone has walked either...
What if your company had just gone into a porta-potty at a concert or they were walking by the "Vomit Machine" at the local state fair and accidentally stepped in something??? Yep, that's what is being tracked across your carpet and floor.
*Shudder*
My thoughts, exactly! LOL. The bottom of a shoe is the most digusting thing brought into a home, I think.
Sorry, to answer your question about how you politely enforce the rule, I always feel a bit odd but I usually just sort of add my own peeve into the comment. Something like, "I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a neat freak and I'd appreciate it if you'd take off your shoes." To me, it seems like it takes away the straightforwardness of labeling your company as rude and lets them know that it's not them but you.
We have a shoe rack near our front door, and if you walk someone in and they see you taking off your shoes, it's a given that they are expected to take off their shoes. Most people when they see shoes by the door will ask though. I've never had a problem with even having to ask someone to take off their shoes.
I tend to not enforce the shoes-off rule though when we have a party at the house, because people will be going in between the patio and the house, and it's a safety hazard to be walking around outside shoe-less, and it's too much of a hassle to take the shoes on and off. I hate those times, but they happen.
Even if you don't offer slippers....if RIGHT at the entry area you have a rug, and you have several pair of shoes there so it's obvious that shoes are being taken off at the entry, most people I know would follow suit. Especially if you come to greet them in sock feet.
Here in North Idaho, NOBODY walks around your house with shoes. Snow, mud, manure, etc. So here we learn that women like to wear cute socks, and men don't go to friends houses with "holy" socks since everyone's going to see your feet.
Family rule - all shoes off. Visitor rule . . . I don't mention it. Just have good rugs available to wipe off feet. Workman rule - either they come w/ "booties" to wear on their shoes when they come in or they are told to take off shoes/boots at door.
I used to live in a region where "everyone" put white or off white carpet in their houses. It was so common, people rarely even considered anything else, LOL. It was "standard." I have seen friendships ruined b/c 1. people went nuts if shoes were not removed at the door and 2. people ruined carpets when they didn't remove their shoes, LOL. I had neighbors who just refused to visit in each other's homes b/c of "rules" about carpeting!!! "She's too uptight about that carpet - if she can't keep up w/ it - why did she put it in." I just take my shoes off when I visit and that is that, but some people are quite offended at the prospect of visiting in someone's home and being asked to take off shoes at the door!
Just weigh it out . . . In rain, I would perhaps consider enforcing a shoes off policy when usually I didn't have one! Good luck!
Ani - more reason why you should sell that house and move into my neck of the woods. We had our neighbors over for dinner one weekend, nice elderly couple, and they started to take their shoes off at the door. We told them no no no, not necessary as we have hardwoods on the first floor. Nope, they took it off anyway. But unless we've had a torrential downpour and know for sure that they have an inch of red clay on their soles, they could come in with their shoes on. Now if I could only get H to take off his when going upstairs where everything is on light carpet, that would be a different story!
Location: Sometimes Maryland, sometimes NoVA. Depends on the day of the week
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I guess I am in the minority here, but I hate taking my shoes off at someone's house. My feet get so cold, and if I am wearing sandals (which I do a lot in the summer), now I am wandering around with bare feet. When I visited my in-laws last Christmas, they insisted on no shoes in the house. Now, I've known them for 19 years and they have never before been a no shoes household. I did not come prepared with slippers, nor did they provide them. I had 3 days of my toes completely freezing. I have Raynauld's syndrome, which means when my fingers and toes get too cold, they turn white and numbs. I was miserable.
I remember going to a baby shower once wearing cute sandals and was told to take my shoes off b/c "there are babies crawling around on the floor." (a) There were two dogs with free roam of the house and (b) what if someone had a foot fungus or something. Since I was totally not expecting this (hosted by someone I had never met before), it really put me off. And given the feet I saw (in was June in TN - every woman was wearing sandals), my feet were not the ones to be worried about. Maybe my shoes have a few germs on them, but no more than the dog's feet. Plus, my shoes contain any foot funk I have and keep other people's foot funk away from me.
I don't know... it just annoys me. More worried about your clean floors than your guests comfort.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anifani821
Family rule - all shoes off. Visitor rule . . . I don't mention it. Just have good rugs available to wipe off feet. Workman rule - either they come w/ "booties" to wear on their shoes when they come in or they are told to take off shoes/boots at door.
Do they actually take their shoes off? My husbands company provides booties for them, so its not an issue. But it would be a huge safety issue if he did not work in his boots.
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Good luck!
We had our neighbors over for dinner one weekend, nice elderly couple, and they started to take their shoes off at the door. We told them no no no, not necessary as we have hardwoods on the first floor. Nope, they took it off anyway. But unless we've had a torrential downpour and know for sure that they have an inch of red clay on their soles, they could come in with their shoes on. Now if I could only get H to take off his when going upstairs where everything is on light carpet, that would be a different story!
