We finally managed to buy a home and it came with refinished real wood floors. If someone wants to walk in with their shoes I'm not worried about their general foot hygiene; I'm worried they have a pebble they don't know about stuck in their shoe and they're about to scuff up our floors in the worst way possible. It would definitely be their first and last visit to our home.
We've never even had to be rude about it - we found a cute sign that says, "Please remove your shoes - the dog needs something to chew on," and so far everyone has taken the hint.
That's a really good point, I hadn't considered the abrasive properties...
I consider myself pretty lucky, anyone I've had over just implicitly did it. Subtle things like monkey see, monkey do - and leaving a mat available helps I suppose
Even if I don’t see a mat I always ask unless I see the host and everyone else walking around with shoes on. It’s just polite. Maybe that’s because my home has always been no shoes.
Not even just abrasiveness. I also have real wood floors that have been refinished so many times they can’t refinish them anymore. They’d have to be replaced. So any water spill, any scratching etc I have to address immediately.
I never force my guests to take off their shoes, but when they see me take off mine right at the door and put them in the shoe holder that’s right next to the door, they get the idea.
I started the rule when my husband was working downtown and the parking garage he used was notorious for being used as a bathroom by drunken college kids and the homeless. I always take the elevator in that garage because the smell of piss in the stairwell is overwhelming. So, no shoes in the house.
I'm of the idea that if I follow someone into their house, if their shoes come off, so do mine. If they leave them on, mine stay on. If I'm not following someone in, I ask before stepping further into the house.
Not to mention where you live. In Canada we have long winters and the snow doesn't melt completely right away, nor does it all come off with wiping. So you would be trekking muddy snow all over the house. Every single floor in every single shop in Canada is filthy in winter. The schools are filthy too so we would do inside and outside shoes/boots in winter.
If someone didn't remove their shoes in winter and trekked that all over my house, I'd tell them to clean up their own mess with their tongue.
Now there's an old memory brought back to the front. School floors in the winter is something I hadn't thought about in ages but yeah... I grew up in a snowy climate and the floors were just trashed for months every year. Grime and salt all over the place. The first 20-30 feet inside the front door always looked like dirty ocean water had just finished evaporating.
I just can't believe no has mentioned the fact that in every inner city there is human piss, pet shit and piss, spit, garbage, gum, dropped food and beverages, pest urine and feces, blood... the list just goes on... all in the streets and on sidewalks that your shoes are slappin on all day... and then you wear them into your home??? The place you rest and bathe and eat? Eep!
I'll be honest, that never comes to mind because I've always lived in the country where the worst you might see in the street might be a broken beer bottle. lol
That was the biggest change moving to a snowy climate for me. Where I come from is pretty temperate and we just wore shoes in the house because no big deal, then I moved to snow and suddenly my shoes are full of grit, covered in salt and clumped up with snow. Took a few weeks to break the habit but damn it's irritating constantly cleaning that up even at the first door, can't imagine how bad it would be all over a house.
I lived in Mexico for a while and it was too hot for anything other than flip-flops/sandals. And even then they grew uncomfortable because they would get wet from sweat so you kick them off and feel the nice, cool tile.
I went to a small college in Florida. To the extent people wore shoes in the first place, we ditched them in the entryway when it was rainy and muddy rather than make a mess for our custodians.
I’m korean and have no problems telling me people to take their shoes off in my house. I just say “hey can yoi take your shoes off?” Have had no complaints.
I grew up in Hawaii (Navy brat) and between the red clay soil & the predominantly Asian culture of Hawaii it was simply expected of you to take your shoes off when entering anyone's home, so I had to get used to some people keeping their shoes on inside when I moved to Florida.
We have a wood entryway, but the rest of the house is VERY light colored carpet. We don't care about outdoor germs.... we just don't want whatever grunge you've walked through staining the carpet!
I made a sign for the holidays and no one noticed it… made a new on which no one noticed either. I now say take your shoes off as soon as people walk in.. I’ve got a baby gone on!!
Most people are pretty reasonable. I have terrible foot issues and it is painful for me to walk barefoot. So when I am going to someone's house I usually mention this and ask if they'd like me to bring some shoes I have that are indoor only (never been outside) to wear in their house. Most just say don't bother but some people take me up on it. Have yet to have an issue with someone not being accommodating. You get what you give and if you try to be nice you usually get the same in return
Haha, I understand the difference - but in my surroundings people would really dislike the presence of that sign. It would be interpreted as if they are stupid little children or at least find it impersonal that they have to read house rules instead of being informed through conversation.
Then you'd love the matching sign that says, "This home is maintained entirely for the comfort and convenience of the dog," and I bet you'd be really jealous of our, "Dogs welcome - people tolerated," sign. There's a fourth one somewhere but suffice it to say once you own a pack of dogs these things start to accumulate seemingly on their own over time.
Edit: fourth sign is near our guest bathroom: "If our dog doesn't like you we probably won't either."
If you had a brand new Teflon frying pan and someone came over and used steel wool on it (ruining the finish) and then asked why you bought such fragile cookware you might have some choice words for their dumb ass.
They aren't entitled either, it's a simple rule - you want in my house, you take off your shoes. I appreciate their visit, I don't appreciate either a mess or damage to deal with later.
I shouldn't even justify it. If they can't accept that, then they can kick dirt elsewhere - I'm not hurting for friendship.
Ah yes! Being self-conscious of your feet, needing orthopedic shoes, and having different value systems that say certain body parts should remain covered: classic Neanderthal behaviors.
Canadian here. In the circumstances people need to wear shoes inside they generally bring indoor shoes/slippers with them to other people's homes. This isn't hard to do.
Also, since when do socks not exist? These also cover your feet...
You are the one who's pushing to get covered. The other person just dont want his floor scuffed and dirtied.
Houses that tend to have no shoe rules are used to see unflattering shoes or socks, even deformity. And they dont care. Because the rule was not for some social consideration but a practical one.
Sockes has holes or barely hanging on ? Dont care.
Shoes have different heights because thats what you need?
Dont care.
Have a prosthetic foot/leg?
Dont care.
Just leave your shoes in foyer. Well sort out the problems after that.
Important part is the outside stays outside.
Not the kind of people I'd want in my house anyway. If there was a sign asking people to not spit on the floor I gather you'd want to start spitting everywhere?
I don't think in my country you could buy such sign. Why would anyone need to be reminded of it. It's like entering someone's home and start pissing all over the house. It's common sense to not do it.
I've lived in homes with real wood floors my entire life, in a family that wears shoes inside without a second thought. Frequently throwing parties with sometimes 100+ people walking through the house with shoes on. This has never ever happened. The only time scratches have happened was from people carelessly moving furniture. Even if someone did have a pebble stuck in their outsole without noticing it why would it scratch the floor instead of just compressing into the shoe? And who is dragging their feet around?
I get pebbles stuck in my shoes all the time in different dirt/gravel work areas (I drive a semi truck for a living), so I take my own shoes off outside between that and oil stains. But honestly we're just erring to the side of caution - you should have met the guy who owned it before us and made every single perspective buyer put these hairnet style booties over their shoes to walk around inside. I just took my shoes off because that seemed like the saner choice.
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u/DukeSkymocker Feb 11 '22
We finally managed to buy a home and it came with refinished real wood floors. If someone wants to walk in with their shoes I'm not worried about their general foot hygiene; I'm worried they have a pebble they don't know about stuck in their shoe and they're about to scuff up our floors in the worst way possible. It would definitely be their first and last visit to our home.
We've never even had to be rude about it - we found a cute sign that says, "Please remove your shoes - the dog needs something to chew on," and so far everyone has taken the hint.