Shoes or not?

[diamondfan]

I also INSIST workman coming into my home remove shoes or at least put booties on. I had one moron come in with mud on his shoes and literally track it through the entire house, and he tried saying it was not him! Yes, I wear size 14 steel toe Timberland boots in my house!!!!

 

[strmrdr]

I hate shoes and the second I''m in the door they are off.
When I''m at other peoples houses if they have em off mine come off.
If they are wet or dirty even if they have theirs on they come off.
Otherwise they stay on.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/7/2007 6:44:13 PM
Author: diamondfan
I also INSIST workman coming into my home remove shoes or at least put booties on. I had one moron come in with mud on his shoes and literally track it through the entire house, and he tried saying it was not him! Yes, I wear size 14 steel toe Timberland boots in my house!!!!

OSHA requirements will not let many workman remove theirs.
If they get hurt there employers could get in big trouble.
Its been an issue a couple times and I just asked them if they wanted heat or not?
Im not working with sharp sheet metal with no shoes on.

 

[diamondfan]

I am not talking about construction or moving men. But then, put on booties after you wipe your feet and put down paper. My house is not for being trashed and their boss can pay a carpet cleaning bill or carpet replacement bill if they do not take proper precautions. I had to have brand new wool carpet cleaned, carpet that was expensive, and I felt it would have been appropriate to be careful, whether or not they can remove shoes on your property or not.

 

[KristyDarling]

Fun thread!

Grew up in an Asian household where shoes were not allowed inside the house. Same rules apply in my house now.

We wear either socks or slippers indoors, and the only family member who goes barefoot at all is our mangy lil mutt. If we're having a formal party, however, we just let people keep their shoes on (and try real hard not to think about the dog poop and loogie germs being tracked all over the house). Afterwards, we disinfect the floors and clean the carpets. If workmen come, we always politely ask if they'd mind removing their shoes. I'd say that 90% are really cool about it and do as requested. A few times, I've had workmen say (nicely) that they can't due to health reasons, i.e. they wear shoe supports and can't work without them on, or due to workplace regulations. In that case, they usually know to wipe their feet on the front mat before coming in.

But, I was particularly rigid about the no-shoes rule when my kids were in the crawling stage. Just the thought of them squirming around on a booger and pee-germy floor really skeezed me out!!

 

[Beacon]

I have had work people show up with their own disposable booties that they put on over their shoes before they walked in. That is a good solution b/c I do understand that doing heavy work they need to wear their shoes.

These days I often bring my own slippers to friend's houses cause I know I will have my shoes off and I like my own slippers. I always have extra pairs for friends who come over, but people sometimes will bring their own.

It's such a departure from growing up in Maryland and we never thought about it, just wore our shoes inside.

It took a little to get used to it - I would have a nice outfit that "needed" the shoes, if you get what I mean. And then I knew I would take them off went I went to a friend's house and it wouldn't look so good. But I adjusted and now feel terrible to keep shoes on in the house.

Also bring my own slippers to stay in hotels. I *know* people are wearing their shoes in those hotel rooms, so I hate to be barefoot or even just in my socks.

 

[diamondfan]

Beacon, totally off topci and just tell me if I asked this before of you...where in Maryland did you grow up and what do you know, if anything, about Oxford and St. Michael''s?!

 

[Beacon]

Oh you never asked me about this. I grew up in Potomac, MD.

Oxford and St. Michael''s? Hmmm, I went to a wedding once at Oxford College and my sister teaches at Oxford. You mean England, right?

 

[diamondfan]

No, they are towns in Talbot County on the Chesapeake. My dh and I went to look at homes down there for a second home option and we fell in love with a home, but just do not know a lot about the area generally. It is about two hours from Philly but I know a lot of people from DC and VIrginia go there, lots of boating etc...just curious if you knew the areas and or had any comments!

 

[Beacon]

Ha ha ha - I thought you meant the UK! Then I thought you meant St. Michael''s street in Oxford, England.

We had neighbors that had a home on the Eastern shore of MD and they went there all the time to hunt

geese

. I never went out there so don''t know much about it. Sorry!

 

[diamondfan]

Sorry for the confusion!

I am NOT into hunting at all, boating is fun, but no way to hunting. Just asking since whenever I see someone from the area mention it, I figure I can get some good info!~

 

[Giada]

We''re a barefoot or sock-footed house, too. I actually have a really nice basket in our entryway that I keep flip-flops and Crocs (for DD) in. It makes it very convenient (especially in the warmer months) to just through your flops and Crocs in the basket upon entering the house, or slip them on quickly on the way out the door.

 

[bujiatang]

My wife and I don''t wear shoes in our apartment and both our families tok shoes off before coming into the respective houses.

A couple years ago I read an indoor environmental survey that Germany has been doing. It had to do with air quality and toxins in carpets and how it was effecting people. Something that I took away from it was that homes where people took their shoes off were many times cleaner, and had fewer known carcinogens. Carpeting was a big issue also. Apparently, in addition to mud; fertilizers, pollen, oils, and animal feces come in with the shoes.

I prefer to keep that stuff out of my carpet.