Then don't ask me in...

[Tradewind36]

I lived in Japan back in the 60's and adopted the custom. It's shoes off in my house. I don't ask workers to remove their shoes, but friends and family know that's what we do here. No one is offended and if they are its not mentioned. Living in Florida most everyone is barefoot or flip-flops anyway.
As far as offending someone, at my age I really don't give a carp.

 

[DWalt]

Some years ago, we did away with carpets on the first floor and put in parquet wood flooring. Mainly because of the dogs and cats tracking stuff in and occasionally having accidents on the carpeting. Also much easier to keep clean than carpeting. We do have a few small area rugs.

 

[rwt1405]

As a mail carrier for thirty years I have been asked outright to remove my shoes and had rude people point out their tiny, sloppily hand written signs on the door requesting guests do so. Many, many times.
911
Well, folks, I am not your guest, I am your mailman. More importantly, we do not enter homes. I will set a package down inside the door, but I will not carry it into the kitchen or up the stairs, down the hall, to the third door on the right.

As luck would have it, these stocking feet Nazi's order on-line 24/7/365 so they have a steady flow of packages to be delivered.

As a career Paramedic for over 33 years and EMS/Fire for over 37 years, I have had this happen a few times, and sorry, but if you call 911 and request my presence, I am NOT removing my boots.

 

[Walter Rego]

The first thing I do when I walk in the front door of my own home is take off my shoes in the tiled entry way. Why track dirt all over the carpet or worse, on my $8000 Persian rug ?
I recently had a refrigerator delivered. The workmen told me that they didn't have or use protective booties as it was too easy to slip with them on and they were required to wear safety boots. I got that. And I had to clean the dirty footprints after they left too.

 

[31FordA]

I was arresting a guy in his apartment once, and while I'm cuffing him he begins demanding my partner and I remove our shoes. He was very insistent, asking why we ignored the big sign on his door. My reply was "our shoes are the least of your problems". I've visited numerous other residences for work that have signs about shoes, but no one else has ever actually said anything about my shoes.

 

[coltle6920]

I don't have a "no shoes"policy at my house but I do require guests to wear nothing but a hospital gown while visiting.

It's sure been lonely the last 25years...

 

[Muley Gil]

I spent 5 years in Muslim countries (Kosovo 2 years and Afghanistan 3 years). The custom was to remove your boots or shoes.

 

[moosedog]

Here in Michigan the weather is rainy or snowy a good portion of the year, so it's seems normal for me to kick off my shoes or at least ask.
I've had contractors come over and track mud, etc through my house and never think twice about it until I told them to clean it up and either lay down a tarp or take your shoes off.
I've seen a few contractors who actually put slip over covers on their shoes before coming into a home.
I try not to let little things upset me, life's too short.

 

[DeathGrip]

This has been one interesting thread.

Hey, Take your shoes off.

Some might want to reconsider,

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9FBQ1O5F8k"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9FBQ1O5F8k[/ame]

 

[6518John]

I spent 5 years in Muslim countries (Kosovo 2 years and Afghanistan 3 years). The custom was to remove your boots or shoes.

One certainly would not want to track in any dust in a Garden of Eden like Afghanistan!

 

[Arik]

Coming from my side of the Atlantic it's normal. No shoes in the house. However, there are exceptions. Workers obviously don't have to, friends coming over to lend a hand don't have to. People coming in for minute don't have to. But, if you're not here to fix something and you plan on staying shoes off. I have plenty of slippers/flip-flops. Most people coming over are from the same side of the Atlantic and it's in their culture too so it's done automatically. I take off my shoes automatically when I enter a friend's house. If I'm asked over by some else....say a neighbor asking for help.....I'll ask if I should take my shoes off.

It's not that I assume you're dirty. But there is dirt and dog poop outside and anyone can ACCIDENTALLY step into it. Wiping your shoes doesn't get in the shoe treads. I wouldn't want to ACCIDENTALLY track dirt/poop through my friends houses. Same reason you don't put feet up on the table

Another way to look at it, what goes outside stays outside

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[gman51]

I could just see the look on a guests face if I asked them to remove their shoes. With two dogs that go in and out and never even wipe their paws off. I just often run the mop. Carpet had to go.
Come to think about it I just might ask my next guest to remove their shoes.....just to see the look on their face.

 

[Captain TMD]

I can remember growing up as a kid in the sixties, my socks were dirtier than the soles of my shoes about 75% of the time. Back then kids played outside all day in the dirt and we only came inside when our Mother forced us to. I can't convince my grandkids to put down the video game controller and discover the great outdoors.

Mom was known to make us put our shoes on BEFORE we entered the house........

 

[mod29]

So far only seen mention of snow, wet , mud, leaves, and animal droppings. No mention of gravel and rocks so far. If you live in an area of gravel driveways, or just gravel in its various forms, you know that many types of footwear, including smooth soles like leather often end up embedded with small pieces of rock. Is it OK to scratch someone's wood, linoleum, or tile floors? Is it OK to leave small rocks in someone's carpet?

Exactly. Small rocks can scratch the heck out of a wood floor.
There's no way you're going to completely clean your shoes simply by wiping them on a mat. Who knows what you might be tracking into someone's house.

I might add that hardwood floors can cost thousands of dollars.

I always remove my shoes before entering someone's house, unless I see the home owners are wearing their shoes.

 

[peachhead]

I can remember growing up as a kid in the sixties, my socks were dirtier than the soles of my shoes about 75% of the time. Back then kids played outside all day in the dirt and we only came inside when our Mother forced us to. I can't convince my grandkids to put down the video game controller and discover the great outdoors.

Mom was known to make us put our shoes on BEFORE we entered the house........

Man how many times did I get in trouble for going outside in my socks? Constantly! Especially if I had new shoes that didn't slip on my feet easily yet.

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[retiredbadge8091]

Lots of interesting comments, some I agree with and some I don't. As a point of reference, my mother is of Swedish decent and one of the best home makers I've ever seen. It's no exaggeration when I say she was the best housekeeper in our neighborhood. She vacuumed the carpets twice a day and was always waxing the linoleum.

And in all that time she never asked a guest to remove their shoes. There was a rug near the door and if it was your best judgement that you should remove your shoes you were free to do so. Dad always took off his work boots at the door and slipped on a well worn pair of Romeos.

My friends and I would wipe our feet and tread lightly through the house. In all that time growing up I don't recall any disasters regarding our flooring. Maybe we were just lucky. But because of my mother, we've followed the same practice in our home.

Friends and neighbors are welcome and no ones asked to remove their shoes. Of course on those rare occasions where someone might have muddy or snowy boots they've always done the right thing. Most of the time, however, they've entered wearing shoes and have been made to feel welcome. Even the person who demanded that I remove my shoes at their house.

While some here think it's perfectly acceptable, I feel it's rude to be more concerned with a patch of carpet than with your guests. Know that when you come to my home you'll be welcomed, boots and all. But to each his own.

 

[Smoke]

I lived in a Korean household for a year or so back on the 90's that's where I got in the habit. As I get older I simply despise shoes and I kick them off as soon as I'm in the door.

When I first moved in with the Korean family my Platoon Sergeant wanted to inspect my quarters. I met him at the door and informed him of the house rules. He looked at me like I was full of it and tried to walk right by me. I stopped him and informed him that I was quite serious and that the owner of the home forbade shoes indoors. He got bent but he removed his jump boots.

The family was offended that he felt the need to inspect their home and only spoke Hangul to him while he was there. Then as he was leaving the lady of the house said ,in perfect English, God Bless you, have a good day. He didn't get it

 

[Kobold_27]

I see both sides of this.

If you are not used to it, it's an inconvenience, more depending... If you ever look down at the floor around a public men's room urinal, well, I don't want to be treading that into my house, especially when kids are crawling on the floor and I might just be down there with them.

If you wear a badge, have a heavy load-out out and are used to booting up before your kit goes on, yeah, it's a pain. In an emergency response role, who cares, but the fact that most cable/phone/internet and other service guys are issued disposable booties that slide over their shoes for going into homes says a little something about this.

I am so used to not wearing shoes in my house that I don't even think about it anymore. I have had some friends that complain and some that don't, the "friends" who really complain don't get asked back, though that's not completely my decision.

Like I said, I see both sides of it, to each his own I suppose, although I must caveat that with "When in Rome..."

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I live by myself and rarely entertain at home but I take my shoes off as soon as I enter, put on sandals/slippers. I sort of got that habit from my brother and SIL as it was the rule in her family's house.
Their house, their rules. I recall a high school girlfriend, her parents accepted and welcomed me but the rules were the kitchen, the dining room, the den, I could use the bathroom-but her bedroom was strictly off limits.

 

[tops]

That's the way it works at my house. I would remove my shoes if I was told to remove my shoes at someone house but I would never go back. Their house and their rules and I understand that but I also know that I don't have to go there and live with their rules. Larry