Is it rude?

[ksinger]

Suggesting is not rude, insisting or requiring is. We tend to have a no-shoes house. The first thing family and close friends do when they walk in the door is take their shoes off, but it would never occur to me to insist someone do that. For all I know they might have foot problems that require an orthotic. They might feel self-conscious about their feet, etc. When someone is a guest in my home, my concern is their comfort, not my "house rules." Carpets can be cleaned, floors can be washed, but a guest's comfort and pleasure in visiting my home is invaluable and irreplaceable.

Thank you Aoife. As one of those who HAS the orthotics, I appreciate this attitude more than you could possibly imagine. I don't go without shoes with orthotics very much in my OWN home - although I wish I could - and without them, because of an ankle weakened by multiple sprains over the years, I am in danger of either paying a price in having to wear an ankle wrap/brace periodically (a pain) or flat out falling down and injuring myself even more. In return, I will do all the things a good guest should do - I will skirt AROUND your white rugs if I can, I won't spill the wine, get crumbs or spaghetti sauce on your sofa, put my sweating drink glass on the wood furniture to leave rings, put my feet on your coffee table, or drink all your liquor.

 

[Aoife]

Suggesting is not rude, insisting or requiring is. We tend to have a no-shoes house. The first thing family and close friends do when they walk in the door is take their shoes off, but it would never occur to me to insist someone do that. For all I know they might have foot problems that require an orthotic. They might feel self-conscious about their feet, etc. When someone is a guest in my home, my concern is their comfort, not my "house rules." Carpets can be cleaned, floors can be washed, but a guest's comfort and pleasure in visiting my home is invaluable and irreplaceable.

Thank you Aoife. As one of those who HAS the orthotics, I appreciate this attitude more than you could possibly imagine. I don't go without shoes with orthotics very much in my OWN home - although I wish I could - and without them, because of an ankle weakened by multiple sprains over the years, I am in danger of either paying a price in having to wear an ankle wrap/brace periodically (a pain) or flat out falling down and injuring myself even more. In return, I will do all the things a good guest should do - I will skirt AROUND your white rugs if I can, I won't spill the wine, get crumbs or spaghetti sauce on your sofa, put my sweating drink glass on the wood furniture to leave rings, put my feet on your coffee table, or drink all your liquor.

Reading some of the comments on this thread, it occurs to me that a significant number of posters are not yet at the age that they have had to deal with this with friends and family members. Honestly, until about 15 years ago, I hadn't either. Then, my mother grew increasingly dependent on the support of her shoes for balance and comfort. One of my sisters underwent a painful bout of plantar fasciitis where walking barefoot was excruciating. My MIL's feet were increasingly crippled by arthritis, and one of my nieces, who has RA, stopped going barefoot because she was so self-conscious about the twisted state of her feet. As I said, we have a mostly shoes-off home, but valuing the state of your floors over the comfort of your guests? No, just...no.

I do understand the dust/germ concerns, especially if there are rag-rats in the home. But for those of you who assume bare feet are cleaner, I suggest you Google community based MRSA, how it's passed, and how increasingly common it is, and then think about whether you really want people traipsing around your home in their bare feet, or if you want to be the one handling slippers or socks that someone else has worn in your home, to keep your carpets clean. Overall I'm more concerned about people washing their hands frequently.

And ksinger, you're welcome to wear your shoes into my house and drink all my liquor!

 

[iugurl]

No I don't have pets.

I have another experience to share. My boss recently remodeled her house. The budget was extremely tight, so they opted for laminate flooring (perhaps on the cheaper end I don't know). The person laying the floor told them not to wear high heels (or at least thin, pointy heels) on the floor, as it can leave small dents. She had a housewarming party a few weeks later. Her close, self-absorbed friend arrived in stilettos and jeans. My boss asked her to remove her shoes, not for cleanliness but because of the warning she had been given. This friend refused. My boss was slightly surprised, but what could she do? After everyone had left, my boss saw the disaster the heels had caused. There are now small dents ALL OVER THE FLOOR. You can see every step she took. I guess all the weight on the tiny little support just was too much pressure for the laminate flooring.

I don't think her friends vanity was worth the thousands of dollars it would take to replace the flooring. I would be so angry

That's terribly unusual as laminate is dent and scratch resistant. The fact that it happened in one evening suggests a problem with the laminate product itself. My own laminate has some light scratches from my dog but I don't have dents in the flooring and it's pretty old. I actually consider this more a problem then with either the product or the fact that your boss chose incorrect flooring for their lifestyle because I don't think it's reasonable to not have heels in a house. I don't know who would want to live like that nor should a person with those type of limitations have any sort of parties or gatherings.

Google it hereanderson. Apparently it is not that uncommon. I think the friend was quite overweight and the heels VERY thin and tall. I don't think it is unreasonable to not wear heels in the house. For one thing, I have never seen my boss in heels. I have seen her in kind of heels- very low and thick. Plus if you look around this thread, many people NEVER wear shoes ever in the house. I really don't think it is such a big deal, as she doesn't wear them anyway to not "want to live like that." Plus that is very sad that she should never be able to have friends stop by. It is not like she is having fancy dinner parties that people would want to wear heels to. A simple BBQ party would not warrant heels, if the guests knew the problem... If her friends refused to come over because of shoes, I might want to rethink friends

 

[chemgirl]

Suggesting is not rude, insisting or requiring is. We tend to have a no-shoes house. The first thing family and close friends do when they walk in the door is take their shoes off, but it would never occur to me to insist someone do that. For all I know they might have foot problems that require an orthotic. They might feel self-conscious about their feet, etc. When someone is a guest in my home, my concern is their comfort, not my "house rules." Carpets can be cleaned, floors can be washed, but a guest's comfort and pleasure in visiting my home is invaluable and irreplaceable.

Thank you Aoife. As one of those who HAS the orthotics, I appreciate this attitude more than you could possibly imagine. I don't go without shoes with orthotics very much in my OWN home - although I wish I could - and without them, because of an ankle weakened by multiple sprains over the years, I am in danger of either paying a price in having to wear an ankle wrap/brace periodically (a pain) or flat out falling down and injuring myself even more. In return, I will do all the things a good guest should do - I will skirt AROUND your white rugs if I can, I won't spill the wine, get crumbs or spaghetti sauce on your sofa, put my sweating drink glass on the wood furniture to leave rings, put my feet on your coffee table, or drink all your liquor.

Reading some of the comments on this thread, it occurs to me that a significant number of posters are not yet at the age that they have had to deal with this with friends and family members. Honestly, until about 15 years ago, I hadn't either. Then, my mother grew increasingly dependent on the support of her shoes for balance and comfort. One of my sisters underwent a painful bout of plantar fasciitis where walking barefoot was excruciating. My MIL's feet were increasingly crippled by arthritis, and one of my nieces, who has RA, stopped going barefoot because she was so self-conscious about the twisted state of her feet. As I said, we have a mostly shoes-off home, but valuing the state of your floors over the comfort of your guests? No, just...no.

I do understand the dust/germ concerns, especially if there are rag-rats in the home. But for those of you who assume bare feet are cleaner, I suggest you Google community based MRSA, how it's passed, and how increasingly common it is, and then think about whether you really want people traipsing around your home in their bare feet, or if you want to be the one handling slippers or socks that someone else has worn in your home, to keep your carpets clean. Overall I'm more concerned about people washing their hands frequently.

And ksinger, you're welcome to wear your shoes into my house and drink all my liquor!

Since I was one of the "no shoes in the house!" people, I'd like to chime in here. I had to wear an orthotic growing up and so did several family members. In our area, people who require orthotics have a pair of "indoor" shoes. These shoes have never touched the ground outside. I get that its not the most practical thing (buying extra shoes and carrying them around), but its how some of the "no shoes inside" people deal with orthodics. I've had people come over and put on indoor shoes who are not related, so its not just my family being weird.

Again, I think its cultural. In school, we were required to bring indoor shoes and leave them on our desks at the end of the day. Some teachers would actually check out the bottoms on the first day of school to make sure they weren't dirty.

 

[Haven]

. . . A simple BBQ party would not warrant heels . . .

Honey, I think ANY party is an excuse to wear heels.

I do think if people have very fragile flooring in their home they should warn guests about it before they come over, that doesn't seem unreasonable at all, and I wouldn't want to ruin anyone's floors. We wouldn't dream of putting in flooring if heels could damage them, that just seems like a bad choice to me. We love having parties and we just want our guests to be comfortable, so fussy floors wouldn't work for us.

If a friend invited me over, especially for a BBQ party (which seems like it would be an indoor and outdoor thing,) I would be surprised if she insisted I take off my shoes in her home. I would have preferred some warning before the party, so I could dress accordingly. Of course, I'd take the shoes off and it wouldn't spoil my fun or anything, but I do think it would be nicer to have known ahead of time.

DH has cousins who redid their wood floors several years ago and have refused to allow shoes in their home ever since. They rarely host family gatherings, but they did host one holiday two years ago and it was a disaster. We came straight to their home after synagogue, so everyone was very dressy and the women were wearing heels and stockings. They insisted we all take off our shoes, but who wants to walk around in someone else's home in stockings? YUCK. It was so uncomfortable, and eating a meal with all those bare feet under the table--disgusting, in my opinion.

Casual get-togethers are one thing, but when someone asks guests who are dressed up to take off their shoes it is a bit off-putting, in my opinion.

I would also be very worried about my elderly guests and anyone who has orthopedic issues. My grandmother had horrible feet, and walking around barefoot was not an option for her. I can't imagine someone insisting she endure terrible pain for the sake of their floors. What a terrible host that person would seem!

THE BIG POINT, though, is this: We all have different opinions. I know people keep rebutting and reexplaining theirs, but there's no need. I accept that there are different customs and expectations, and I'll do what you want me to do in your home. I think it's good for everyone to just understand and accept the fact that what YOU believe to be right may not be the same in your guests' opinions.

 

[iugurl]

. . . A simple BBQ party would not warrant heels . . .

Honey, I think ANY party is an excuse to wear heels.

True, some women wear heels everywhere (grocery, mall, work, etc). I guess my point was that my boss is not the fancy party type. Her parties always consist of hot dogs, chips, beer etc. I guess some people will want to wear heels anyway, which that is normally fine. However, most people are in tshirts and jeans at her "parties." It would not be expected to wear heels, but more out of place than anything.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Where I live (Toronto) or at least going based on everyone I have ever known or met, no one would ever dream to enter someones home and not take off their shoes - it just doesn't happen - its automatic. I have never had to ask a single person to take their shoes off and I always take mine off when entering someone else's home. Here, it would be rude to NOT take your shoes off.

To answer your question - no its not rude to ask someone to take their shoes off when coming into your home - its your house and therefore you make the rules!

I'm from the same area and I find this thread really surprising. What if somebody stepped in dog poop and didn't notice? Don't heels scratch and dent wood flooring? .

A friend of mine went to a fancy salon which had been built in Seattle and she said the entire lobby areas floor was dented and pitted from womens' heels. I guess it looked attrocious.

 

[manderz]

. . . A simple BBQ party would not warrant heels . . .

Honey, I think ANY party is an excuse to wear heels.

True, some women wear heels everywhere (grocery, mall, work, etc). I guess my point was that my boss is not the fancy party type. Her parties always consist of hot dogs, chips, beer etc. I guess some people will want to wear heels anyway, which that is normally fine. However, most people are in tshirts and jeans at her "parties." It would not be expected to wear heels, but more out of place than anything.

I have a friend in her late 60's who wears high heels constantly, even to vacuum. Just the way she was raised.

 

[LGK]

Rude? Not really, it's your home and you can ask people to do that. But likely you will make some people uncomfortable. My MIL & FIL always try to get me & DH to take our shoes off. I don't care but he is very, very self concious and unhappy if asked to take his shoes off. He always thinks his feet stink (in actuality, no worse than most guy's) and he hates having to sit around with bare or sock feet in someone else's home. (In fact he doesn't take his shoes off in *our* home until he's literally right about to go to bed- he just prefers shoes on his feet at all times.)

And I'm not self concious but I'm definitely uncomfortable- I need thick socks or slippers to be warm, not just the tights or bare feet I wear if I'm dressed up to go out. And I never remember to bring any. So I will end up contorted into a pretzel trying to keep my feet warm and he'll be sitting in a far corner sulking over his imaginarily stinky feet. Not conducive to fun, haha.

Anyway, sure, you can ask people to do it and I wouldn't call it rude by any means, but some of your guests probably won't be thrilled.

Also? I would never wear disposable slippers or whatever- I'm too fussy about stuff and would rather be chilly, haha.

 

[Missy]

Rude? Not really, it's your home and you can ask people to do that. But likely you will make some people uncomfortable. My MIL & FIL always try to get me & DH to take our shoes off. I don't care but he is very, very self concious and unhappy if asked to take his shoes off. He always thinks his feet stink (in actuality, no worse than most guy's) and he hates having to sit around with bare or sock feet in someone else's home. (In fact he doesn't take his shoes off in *our* home until he's literally right about to go to bed- he just prefers shoes on his feet at all times.)

And I'm not self concious but I'm definitely uncomfortable- I need thick socks or slippers to be warm, not just the tights or bare feet I wear if I'm dressed up to go out. And I never remember to bring any. So I will end up contorted into a pretzel trying to keep my feet warm and he'll be sitting in a far corner sulking over his imaginarily stinky feet. Not conducive to fun, haha.

Anyway, sure, you can ask people to do it and I wouldn't call it rude by any means, but some of your guests probably won't be thrilled.

Also? I would never wear disposable slippers or whatever- I'm too fussy about stuff and would rather be chilly, haha.

All good points. Honestly, after reading all the responses I am feeling less strongly about asking guests to remove their shoes. It seems to me that there is too great a chance someone will be made to feel uncomfortable by the request, however subtle it is. I do not want anyone to feel that way in my home and just because it is no biggie to me to remove my shoes I can now see there are many reasons it *is* a big deal to others. Thanks ladies for all your perspectives. Really helped me prioritize what is important and I do not think I will be asking others to remove shoes. Except for stormy weather and also with the exception of upstairs (and there is no need to go upstairs) where it is all carpet (and white carpet at that!).

As always, viva la difference!

 

[LGK]

Rude? Not really, it's your home and you can ask people to do that. But likely you will make some people uncomfortable. My MIL & FIL always try to get me & DH to take our shoes off. I don't care but he is very, very self concious and unhappy if asked to take his shoes off. He always thinks his feet stink (in actuality, no worse than most guy's) and he hates having to sit around with bare or sock feet in someone else's home. (In fact he doesn't take his shoes off in *our* home until he's literally right about to go to bed- he just prefers shoes on his feet at all times.)

And I'm not self concious but I'm definitely uncomfortable- I need thick socks or slippers to be warm, not just the tights or bare feet I wear if I'm dressed up to go out. And I never remember to bring any. So I will end up contorted into a pretzel trying to keep my feet warm and he'll be sitting in a far corner sulking over his imaginarily stinky feet. Not conducive to fun, haha.

Anyway, sure, you can ask people to do it and I wouldn't call it rude by any means, but some of your guests probably won't be thrilled.

Also? I would never wear disposable slippers or whatever- I'm too fussy about stuff and would rather be chilly, haha.

All good points. Honestly, after reading all the responses I am feeling less strongly about asking guests to remove their shoes. It seems to me that there is too great a chance someone will be made to feel uncomfortable by the request, however subtle it is. I do not want anyone to feel that way in my home and just because it is no biggie to me to remove my shoes I can now see there are many reasons it *is* a big deal to others. Thanks ladies for all your perspectives. Really helped me prioritize what is important and I do not think I will be asking others to remove shoes. Except for stormy weather and also with the exception of upstairs (and there is no need to go upstairs) where it is all carpet (and white carpet at that!).

As always, viva la difference!

I think those of us with hardwood floors have it a bit easier in terms of cleaning them, for sure. I have *loved* having them the last year after having carpets forever! Especially with gruddy kitty feets to clean up after. (Though after switching to silica gel litter that's been less of a problem, thank god.)

I dunno, there's no perfect solution for sure. I mean- I do totally understand people wanting no shoes inside- it's just not always the most comfy option for everyone. I've sometimes washed the soles of my shoes at my in-law's. Can't see instituting that rule easily though, lol!

 

[labellavita81]

Suggesting is not rude, insisting or requiring is. We tend to have a no-shoes house. The first thing family and close friends do when they walk in the door is take their shoes off, but it would never occur to me to insist someone do that. For all I know they might have foot problems that require an orthotic. They might feel self-conscious about their feet, etc. When someone is a guest in my home, my concern is their comfort, not my "house rules." Carpets can be cleaned, floors can be washed, but a guest's comfort and pleasure in visiting my home is invaluable and irreplaceable.

Thank you Aoife. As one of those who HAS the orthotics, I appreciate this attitude more than you could possibly imagine. I don't go without shoes with orthotics very much in my OWN home - although I wish I could - and without them, because of an ankle weakened by multiple sprains over the years, I am in danger of either paying a price in having to wear an ankle wrap/brace periodically (a pain) or flat out falling down and injuring myself even more. In return, I will do all the things a good guest should do - I will skirt AROUND your white rugs if I can, I won't spill the wine, get crumbs or spaghetti sauce on your sofa, put my sweating drink glass on the wood furniture to leave rings, put my feet on your coffee table, or drink all your liquor.

Reading some of the comments on this thread, it occurs to me that a significant number of posters are not yet at the age that they have had to deal with this with friends and family members. Honestly, until about 15 years ago, I hadn't either. Then, my mother grew increasingly dependent on the support of her shoes for balance and comfort. One of my sisters underwent a painful bout of plantar fasciitis where walking barefoot was excruciating. My MIL's feet were increasingly crippled by arthritis, and one of my nieces, who has RA, stopped going barefoot because she was so self-conscious about the twisted state of her feet. As I said, we have a mostly shoes-off home, but valuing the state of your floors over the comfort of your guests? No, just...no.

I do understand the dust/germ concerns, especially if there are rag-rats in the home. But for those of you who assume bare feet are cleaner, I suggest you Google community based MRSA, how it's passed, and how increasingly common it is, and then think about whether you really want people traipsing around your home in their bare feet, or if you want to be the one handling slippers or socks that someone else has worn in your home, to keep your carpets clean. Overall I'm more concerned about people washing their hands frequently.

And ksinger, you're welcome to wear your shoes into my house and drink all my liquor!

Since I was one of the "no shoes in the house!" people, I'd like to chime in here. I had to wear an orthotic growing up and so did several family members. In our area, people who require orthotics have a pair of "indoor" shoes. These shoes have never touched the ground outside. I get that its not the most practical thing (buying extra shoes and carrying them around), but its how some of the "no shoes inside" people deal with orthodics. I've had people come over and put on indoor shoes who are not related, so its not just my family being weird.

Again, I think its cultural. In school, we were required to bring indoor shoes and leave them on our desks at the end of the day. Some teachers would actually check out the bottoms on the first day of school to make sure they weren't dirty.

I agree with everything Chemgirl has said - if you needed shoes to wear inside a house - they were for JUST that - inside wear!

 

[Autumnovember]

Question for those that have a no-shoes home... Do you have cats or dogs? I'm just wondering because I would imagine there is more disgusting stuff on their paws than on people's shoes. We have two cats so I speak from experience on that issue. Bleh!

Yep! We have a dog. We clean her paws off after a walk outside if it is raining/snowing. Otherwise, we don't do anything with her paws and she doesn't bring in half as much filth as actual humans do!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I ask people to remove their shoes. No one seems to care except my in laws, who somehow think it is a very strange request

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Ick! The idea of walking around barefoot in someone else's home grosses me out. I bring flip flops to shower in hotels and slippers around my house. I would be miserable if I had to attend a party and everyone had their icky bare feet out. Ew, just think of all the toe hairs, fungi, and smells everywhere..

I would prefer the germs of the world to be on my SHOES not on my FEET. If I ever move out of the south I think I'm going to have to purchase my own slippers so I can go over to friends' homes!!

 

[manderz]

I don't ask everyone to remove their shoes. Many people do, partly because of the weather. I'd hate to track snow and ice and dirt (and all the nasty road salt) all over my house, and I'd feel even worse getting it all over someone else's house. I prefer to not wear shoes for the most part myself, so unless it's an extra cold day, or I have lots of stuff going on and I'm running in and out all day, I'm usually bare foot or wearing just socks. We have a small mud hallway, I guess you can call it, and when we show guests in or arrive at the same time, they usually follow my lead and do whatever I've done with shoes.

 

[iota15]

Ick! The idea of walking around barefoot in someone else's home grosses me out. I bring flip flops to shower in hotels and slippers around my house. I would be miserable if I had to attend a party and everyone had their icky bare feet out. Ew, just think of all the toe hairs, fungi, and smells everywhere..

I would prefer the germs of the world to be on my SHOES not on my FEET. If I ever move out of the south I think I'm going to have to purchase my own slippers so I can go over to friends' homes!!

If it helps, almost all guests wear their socks around. So any germs would be on your socks, rather than your feet. I would go as far as to say there'd be far less than germs on the floor in general from a shoe-free house too. We've also never noticed any feet smells - and that's coming from anyone.

 

[Laila619]

no, it is not rude: your house, your rules. i do keep slippers here for guests....and one friend brings his own.

tradespeople [plumber, contractor, carpenter] are also forewarned and remove their shoes or bring cover ups with them.

Agreed. I don't think it's rude at all. Especially if you have kids or pets, it's not sanitary to wear shoes on carpets and floors that they walk or crawl on. I think I read that cats can even catch toxoplasmosis or other unsavory things from stuff on outdoor shoes--they lick their paws and there you go.

 

[iheartscience]

I prefer to be barefoot or in slippers at my house but it's more for comfort than for cleanliness. My husband prefers to wear shoes around the house which is fine with me. He likes the support while he does dishes, etc. I don't ask people to take their shoes off when they come in. I wasn't raised in an area where that's the norm and I can't remember ever being at someone's house and being asked to remove my shoes. And that includes houses with babies crawling around and sticking stuff from the floor in their mouths.

If you don't live in an area where shoes-off is the norm I do think it's going to come off as strange if you ask guests to remove their shoes. I wouldn't say it's rude but I agree that some people will probably be uncomfortable because of it. But since you have hardwood floors downstairs is it really an issue? You could always remove runners or rugs in high traffic areas before a big party.

As for all the people freaking out about germs, I have to wonder what kind of guests the shoes-off camp have had over! Do they walk in piles of feces before they come over? I wouldn't want to lick the bottom of someone's shoes but I find it hard to believe that most people are walking around with toxic diseases on the bottom of their shoes. I could be wrong though! Have there been any studies showing long-term health differences in shoes-on vs. shoes-off homes? If anything I would think being exposed to some germs here or there is good for the immune system, but I could be wrong!

 

[iota15]

I guess from a no-shoe area, we think of shoes as having travled through public bathrooms - where yes, pee or whatever are on the floor - or people's spit, or gum and bird doo doo are on people's shoes. I sit on the carpet to eat in front of the TV sometimes, and yes, I put my hand on the carpets too. I wouldn't sit to eat my dinner on the floor of a public washroom, even ten feet away from the urinals.

I understand it's a cultural thing, but if I have 5 people over for a casual BBQ, and each person has been in a public bathroom or two in the last 5 shoe-wearing hours - that's at least 5 washroom's whatever on my carpet. :p

 

[mayerling]

I guess from a no-shoe area, we think of shoes as having travled through public bathrooms - where yes, pee or whatever are on the floor - or people's spit, or gum and bird doo doo are on people's shoes. I sit on the carpet to eat in front of the TV sometimes, and yes, I put my hand on the carpets too. I wouldn't sit to eat my dinner on the floor of a public washroom, even ten feet away from the urinals.

I understand it's a cultural thing, but if I have 5 people over for a casual BBQ, and each person has been in a public bathroom or two in the last 5 shoe-wearing hours - that's at least 5 washroom's whatever on my carpet. :p

How likely is it that each and every person will have been in a public bathroom before visiting you?

 

[manderz]

I guess from a no-shoe area, we think of shoes as having travled through public bathrooms - where yes, pee or whatever are on the floor - or people's spit, or gum and bird doo doo are on people's shoes. I sit on the carpet to eat in front of the TV sometimes, and yes, I put my hand on the carpets too. I wouldn't sit to eat my dinner on the floor of a public washroom, even ten feet away from the urinals.

I understand it's a cultural thing, but if I have 5 people over for a casual BBQ, and each person has been in a public bathroom or two in the last 5 shoe-wearing hours - that's at least 5 washroom's whatever on my carpet. :p

How likely is it that each and every person will have been in a public bathroom before visiting you?

Then again, how impossible is it that they haven't? If you have people come straight over from work, or school, or what have you, then the odds are pretty good that they've been in a restroom at their place of employment, or if they stopped at the store before your house, etc.

 

[mayerling]

I guess from a no-shoe area, we think of shoes as having travled through public bathrooms - where yes, pee or whatever are on the floor - or people's spit, or gum and bird doo doo are on people's shoes. I sit on the carpet to eat in front of the TV sometimes, and yes, I put my hand on the carpets too. I wouldn't sit to eat my dinner on the floor of a public washroom, even ten feet away from the urinals.

I understand it's a cultural thing, but if I have 5 people over for a casual BBQ, and each person has been in a public bathroom or two in the last 5 shoe-wearing hours - that's at least 5 washroom's whatever on my carpet. :p

How likely is it that each and every person will have been in a public bathroom before visiting you?

Then again, how impossible is it that they haven't? If you have people come straight over from work, or school, or what have you, then the odds are pretty good that they've been in a restroom at their place of employment, or if they stopped at the store before your house, etc.

Would they go to the bathroom at the store?

 

[Laila619]

I guess from a no-shoe area, we think of shoes as having travled through public bathrooms - where yes, pee or whatever are on the floor - or people's spit, or gum and bird doo doo are on people's shoes. I sit on the carpet to eat in front of the TV sometimes, and yes, I put my hand on the carpets too. I wouldn't sit to eat my dinner on the floor of a public washroom, even ten feet away from the urinals.

I understand it's a cultural thing, but if I have 5 people over for a casual BBQ, and each person has been in a public bathroom or two in the last 5 shoe-wearing hours - that's at least 5 washroom's whatever on my carpet. :p

How likely is it that each and every person will have been in a public bathroom before visiting you?

Then again, how impossible is it that they haven't? If you have people come straight over from work, or school, or what have you, then the odds are pretty good that they've been in a restroom at their place of employment, or if they stopped at the store before your house, etc.

Yep. And even if they haven't been to a public restroom in a while (doubtful), there are all sorts of other things found on street shoes, like pesticides from lawns and more:

Some of the bacteria found on the shoes included: Escherichia coli, known to cause intestinal and urinary tract infections, meningitis and diarrheal disease; Klebsiella pneumonia, a common source for wound and bloodstream infections as well as pneumonia; and Serratia ficaria, a rare cause of infections in the respiratory tract and wounds. ..."The common occurrence (96 percent) of coliform and E. coli bacteria on the outside of the shoes indicates frequent contact with fecal material, which most likely originates from floors in public restrooms or contact with animal fecal material outdoors," said Gerba. "Our study also indicated that bacteria can be tracked by shoes over a long distance into your home or personal space after the shoes were contaminated with bacteria."

From http://www.pr-inside.com/germ-tracker-study-reveals-high-bacteria-r551015.htm

 

[iota15]

Yep. And even if they haven't been to a public restroom in a while (doubtful), there are all sorts of other things found on street shoes, like pesticides from lawns and more:

Some of the bacteria found on the shoes included: Escherichia coli, known to cause intestinal and urinary tract infections, meningitis and diarrheal disease; Klebsiella pneumonia, a common source for wound and bloodstream infections as well as pneumonia; and Serratia ficaria, a rare cause of infections in the respiratory tract and wounds. ..."The common occurrence (96 percent) of coliform and E. coli bacteria on the outside of the shoes indicates frequent contact with fecal material, which most likely originates from floors in public restrooms or contact with animal fecal material outdoors," said Gerba. "Our study also indicated that bacteria can be tracked by shoes over a long distance into your home or personal space after the shoes were contaminated with bacteria."

From http://www.pr-inside.com/germ-tracker-study-reveals-high-bacteria-r551015.htm

Gazooks!

Plus, you have to think of it as shoe-walking hours. Assuming you pick up something in the bathroom (pee, poo, blood(? if you've seen CSI, you know that stuff sticks around)), pesticides, or even dog doo doo, unless you're washing your shoes, the only means of getting rid of it is by having your shoes come in contact with the ground. The walk from your office to the bathroom is presumably not that far. You go home in your car. The next day, you go to a friend's house. The pee, poo, blood in the ridges doesn't go away by itself. You need to be rubbing it off with walking, or running through puddles or whatnot.

Now forget the office bathroom, what if a week prior to the BBQ, your friend takes his running shoes to Yankee Stadium. He doesn't wear the shoes for a week, then comes over. The Yankee Stadium grit, spit and whatnot is now in your living room.

And when's the last time you washed a shoe? any non-dog-doo-doo shoe?

 

[Missy]

Gross! This is the only reason I wanted to make the house a no shoe zone because you really are bringing bad stuff on the soles of the shoes. And that is also the reason I never put my bags/pocketbook down on the ground while out as well. You will be contaminating any surface that you rest on the floor whether it be a public restroom, movie theater or just outside on the sidewalk.

 

[partgypsy]

I think everyone should just seal themselves in big plastic bubbles. That should solve the problem.

 

[Hera]

I think that we're going to keep going round and round on this, so I think that if a no shoes person wants to have a party or a gathering they should notify the guests ahead of time. That way they can avoid the fact that some guests will feel uncomfortable. The guest can make a decision as to whether they wish to attend or not and party givers can have their house the way they wish. I think that's fair, no?

 

[manderz]

I guess from a no-shoe area, we think of shoes as having travled through public bathrooms - where yes, pee or whatever are on the floor - or people's spit, or gum and bird doo doo are on people's shoes. I sit on the carpet to eat in front of the TV sometimes, and yes, I put my hand on the carpets too. I wouldn't sit to eat my dinner on the floor of a public washroom, even ten feet away from the urinals.

I understand it's a cultural thing, but if I have 5 people over for a casual BBQ, and each person has been in a public bathroom or two in the last 5 shoe-wearing hours - that's at least 5 washroom's whatever on my carpet. :p

How likely is it that each and every person will have been in a public bathroom before visiting you?

Then again, how impossible is it that they haven't? If you have people come straight over from work, or school, or what have you, then the odds are pretty good that they've been in a restroom at their place of employment, or if they stopped at the store before your house, etc.

Would they go to the bathroom at the store?

I have. It's not like I plan to specifically wait until I'm at Wal Mart to go pee, but sometimes it just works out that way.

 

[iheartscience]

I think everyone should just seal themselves in big plastic bubbles. That should solve the problem.

Here's the solution we've all been waiting for!