Please Remove Your Shoes

iheartsippycups

I'm totally grossed out by feet in general, so I would rather see peoples shoes than their feet in my house.

If someone asked me to take off my shoes in their house, I would- it's their house.

ridesbuttons

CTGirl30:

Some food for thought:

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=5177409&page=1

Children under age 2 are the most vulnerable to the germs we track into the house, because they play on the floor and put their hands in their mouths an average of 80 times an hour.

"That means that your child can possibly be exposed to every single bacteria that you picked up on your shoe [...] all the bacteria from the park, the store, everywhere you went that day," Sexton said.

This is the kind of thing that gets germaphobes all worked up.  The fact is, your kid (unless you keep them in a sterile bubble) will be exposed to all kids of things everywhere they go.  The park, the library, the gym...where ever... 

Even though we don't wear shoes in the home, I'm sure that my kids were well exposed to all of this sort of thing while they were crawling.  I let my kids crawl outside, I let them swim in the lake (where birds and fish pee and poo every single day!), I let them crawl inside malls, etc.

 

Five Months to Plan

I like people to remove shoes. DH and I were both raised with no shoes in the house. I still do not think I would ask people though. Usually people who know us and come over often do becuase they know. If I had guests they could or not their choice. The only person I ever asked to remove their shoes was my dad once, when DD was in her crawling and eating off the floor stage and he had work boots on. He was not offended he was just not thinking. 

LadybugPicnic2011

I am another vote for it is a regional thing and from what I have read of these replies it is mostly a northern territories issue. I live in Alaska and we typically don?t even have to ask people to take their shoes off, it is automatic. If someone is coming over to just pick up their kid who stayed the night or something I typically don?t make them take their shoes off, but then they typically don?t come beyond the stairs. If someone is coming over to hang out for longer than a few minutes, I do request they remove their shoes.

IrishEyes0530

GhostMonkey:

mbenit4:

GhostMonkey:

mbenit4:

jackieboyd:

I didn't read all the responses, but IMO it's rude to go to someones house and not at least ask if they would like you to take off your shoes. It really irks me when people come over and just stroll right in with their shoes on. I have no problem asking them to take them off though I like the sign idea.

This is the part of the whole thing that irks me is people saying you think it is RUDE to NOT take shoes off. If you don't get anything else from the thread, can all of you realize that this does not happen everywhere. I only hear of this online. Don't assume someone is being rude maybe they just never encountered this before. 

It is rude to not remove them when in someone's home that does not allow shoes on indoors. It's also rude to demand your guests remove them. 

 

I am talking about the whole "I think it is rude if someone doesn't ask . . " I am just stating be aware that some people might not have encountered this ever. Don't assume rudeness, let them know your preference. I am not a world traveler. However, I am 39 years old and have never encountered this in life. So all I am saying is I would never think to ask about removing my shoes, but I am not trying to be rude.

The daycares I used didn't have carpet in any of the rooms. There were mats on the floor in the rooms where babies were crawling. You didn't walk or stand on the mats. They were cleaned daily.

Snow is an anomaly here. 

Oh I know it is. We were down there one time and everyone was freaking the fuvck out because it was going to get down to freezing (maybe). The news was downright entertaining.

 

Now you do know. Not everyone does rude things intentionally- sometimes it is because it's just not something they come across often. But when you walk into a house and see everyone has shoes off and there is a big pile by the door, it's rude to walk in with your shoes on. My husband did this on Saturday. He knows better and still forgot.

I didn't realize it was such a regional thing. I grew up automatically taking my shoes off at any home I went to and anyone who came to our house did the same. I always ask when I go to someones house if they want me to take off my shoes, or I just take them off. I wasn't trying to offend, just stating my opinion. I grew up in upstate New York and now live in Georgia and noticed that people aren't so "polite" about it, for lack of a better term. I guess they just don't think about it here?

Daynaw543

My DH and I disagree on this one and we grew up only a few towns away from each other. His family growing up they would always take shoes off upon entering each other's homes. My family and friends never took their shoes off upon entering (exception for muddy shoes).

He thinks it is soooooo weird that I keep my shoes or slippers on at home. All. The. Time. I just laugh at him. I am laughing right now.

ali_bl-nov05

We had LO's seconf b-day party at my apartment. It was only his cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Still, with at least 3 toddlers and 2 kids dropping food all over, our floors were FILTHY by the end of the party. I just cleaned them and move on.

I love entertaining and it is expected that floors will be dirty afterwards, shoes or no shoes.

I have no idea why I would put a carpet in my home that I can't have people walk on, or furniture that people can't sit on. I would never even dream to ask a guest to not walk to a particular part of the house solely because it will stain my precious carpet. Things are just things and my house is a place to live on.

albl508

I feel like I'm from another planet. Here I remove my shoes automatically without being asked and open bars at receptions are unheard of. I feel put out be neither.  However, I would not ask my guests to take their shoes off because I personally don't care.

AimeeL85

DH and I never wear shoes inside, only because we hate having them on, so we kick them off as soon as we get in.  I have never asked anyone to take off their shoes, but whenever we have a get together, I notice everyone is coming upstairs without them - they see all our shoes near the door and assume we don't want shoes in the house. I'm always telling them "you didn't have to take off your shoes."

I have never been asked to take off my shoes. I hope it's not normal around here, because I never offer to, either.  I wouldn't mind doing it, but I would never think to do it automatically.

changingnames

First of all I can't believe how many replies the are! I haven't read them all but I figured I would let everyone know that the socks a new. Whenever they hand out socks in the little bags on flights I just stow them away in a bag for guests or if run out I grab some cheapies at target.

It isn't so much the dirt that skeeves me out (thou that is certainly part of it), it's also the dangerous chemicals that are used outsider in gardening, exterminators, etc that are then tracked in and eventually on my crawling baby's hands. I was reading an article linking autism (which m oldest has) to exposure to these chemicals and one of the ways they listed to avoid exposure is to take of shoes. Also any little rocks you track in an scratch the finish on our new floors

changingnames

mbenit4:

We have talked about this before on here. It seems like it is a regional thing. I never grew up taking or asking people to remove their shoes. To this day, I have never gone to someone's house and been asked to take off my shoes.

You just clean up after the guests leave if need be. Most of the time they just walked from door to front room anyway. It isn't that serious. If you are worried about beige carpet then don't buy it. We've had beige carpet before and never had a problem removing any stains except some red stain that was juice or something and even that faded over time. I think it is rude to ask. I had a baby on the floor so I was sweeping and vacuuming a lot anyway even with no guests. I just don't feel like it should be that serious. I also don't get the toxins thing either. Who is hanging out in public restrooms? Or walking where there would be fertilizer or bug spraying? A bench with your family's shoes outside also would not tip me off since no one I know has a no shoe rule and I never encountered this growing up either.

. I don't relly unrstand your reasoning. You don't have to "hang out" in anpublic stroom to step in urine etc- just walk thru and use e potty. As far as who is walking in fertilizer and bug spray? You are! Everywhere you go, every day you are walking in chemicals. I guarantee it. My husband was (he went into another field years ago) a scientist and when he told me what was out there I was convinced to start cleaning up my environmental act- the stuff we encounter every day as we go about our business is pretty nasty.

agytay

I'm in NYC and I can guarantee you that I ask people to take their shoes off. If they feel it is rude, then I will not be offended if they leave. I also provide clean never before worn socks for anyone that may be uncomfortable in bare feet.

When visiting other people's houses I always ask.

I'm really not sure why this is a debateable issue. Your house your rules, my house, my rules....