Extended family members wear hiking boots that leave scuff marks on my hardwood floors

[Anonymous]

I'd host and point it out to the guest - "your boots leave scuff marks that take me hours to get off. Can you wear sneakers next time?"
And if they're offended and don't come again, oh well. Either way, you won't have to deal with it anymore.

[Anonymous]

When my kids still lived at home, I was always surprised at how their friends immediately took their shoes off as soon as they came in our house. I never said anything to them about being a shoes off house. In fact, most people who visit take their shoes off without asking if they should, and they are not Asian or Canadian.

I am curious for the “shoes on” people. If you are out and you go to a public restroom, public transit station, or a dog park, do you still walk straight into your house with your shoes on?

[Anonymous]

Don't host if you can't handle your guests being in your house. Or you could buy those shoe covers that workmen wear and ask people to put them on since you just had your floors redone.

Either way, you're being extra. Pay a house cleaner to clean up after people are there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are from Europe.

We don’t wear shoes in the house. Ever.

You also started two world wars

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my kids still lived at home, I was always surprised at how their friends immediately took their shoes off as soon as they came in our house. I never said anything to them about being a shoes off house. In fact, most people who visit take their shoes off without asking if they should, and they are not Asian or Canadian.

I am curious for the “shoes on” people. If you are out and you go to a public restroom, public transit station, or a dog park, do you still walk straight into your house with your shoes on?

Of course. We have door mats and no we don’t go from a public bathroom to my house. I drive everywhere. I rarely wear shoes upstairs.

I recall I went to an open house and I had really bad athletes foot. I also had cracking in my soles of my feet due to dry skin. House had wall to wall carpet. I pull up in business casual in my beautiful BMW direct from my house.

Women makes me take off my loafers and I had no socks and I walked around house. Actually felt great to rub my itchy toes in the carpet.

Be real. My in laws we have Xmas suit and ties, women dressed up fancy with the kids on new dress shoes. Are we supposed to walk around barefoot like barbarians. I look silly in a suit barefoot

[Anonymous]

Don’t force your cultural and religious view on your guests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd host and point it out to the guest - "your boots leave scuff marks that take me hours to get off. Can you wear sneakers next time?"
And if they're offended and don't come again, oh well. Either way, you won't have to deal with it anymore.

How about "Please" or "Would you please" instead of "Can you"?

A valid response to "Can you" is "Yes" means a person can do the thing, but there is no requirement of actually doing the thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my kids still lived at home, I was always surprised at how their friends immediately took their shoes off as soon as they came in our house. I never said anything to them about being a shoes off house. In fact, most people who visit take their shoes off without asking if they should, and they are not Asian or Canadian.

I am curious for the “shoes on” people. If you are out and you go to a public restroom, public transit station, or a dog park, do you still walk straight into your house with your shoes on?

Curious for the shoes off people. Do you make someone who takes metro to your house or maybe sat in a restaurant or on a park bench change clothes before they sit on your sofa. I touch my sofa way more than my floors. If I don't put my feet up on things then the "germs" stay on the floor until we clean the floor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are going to make me take my shoes off, you better tell me ahead of time. I sometimes wear shoes without socks and I don't want to walk barefoot on your gross floors.

Oh no! Their floors are PRISTINE and they absolutely must keep them that way at all costs!

This is what I don't get.... I don't eat food off the floor, or lick the floor? So why do I really care that there are people walking in shoes on them?

Do you have rugs or carpet? If you only have hardwood floor and tile throughout your entire house, sure shoes aren’t a problem because you can mop. We have rugs. And kids play on the floor. They don’t need to be pristine, but when I walk through one or two rooms in a shoes on house (my in-laws), my socks become black on the bottom. That’s gross.

I admit I find this whole strident attitude about shoes on/off fairly bizarre, but honestly, PP? We have rugs and kids and cats, and we sweep, vacuum, and mop the floors regularly. We do not have hard and fast rules about shoes on or shoes off, but there is no universe in which a person walking around in a pair of white socks would have black socks on my floors.

It is actually possible to be a moderate on this issue and to also not have active filth on your floors dirtying up your guests' socks. Perspective please.

I mention the inlaws because that is the only shoes-off house I’ve been in in maybe 10 years, besides real estate open houses. And no, I don’t only hang out with Asians and Canadians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my kids still lived at home, I was always surprised at how their friends immediately took their shoes off as soon as they came in our house. I never said anything to them about being a shoes off house. In fact, most people who visit take their shoes off without asking if they should, and they are not Asian or Canadian.

I am curious for the “shoes on” people. If you are out and you go to a public restroom, public transit station, or a dog park, do you still walk straight into your house with your shoes on?

No. But we don't ask our guests to remove their shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my kids still lived at home, I was always surprised at how their friends immediately took their shoes off as soon as they came in our house. I never said anything to them about being a shoes off house. In fact, most people who visit take their shoes off without asking if they should, and they are not Asian or Canadian.

I am curious for the “shoes on” people. If you are out and you go to a public restroom, public transit station, or a dog park, do you still walk straight into your house with your shoes on?

Curious for the shoes off people. Do you make someone who takes metro to your house or maybe sat in a restaurant or on a park bench change clothes before they sit on your sofa. I touch my sofa way more than my floors. If I don't put my feet up on things then the "germs" stay on the floor until we clean the floor.

We take our shoes off, use plastic utensils/cups so guests' lips and saliva don't get on our things, and we have paper covers for the commode.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t force your cultural and religious view on your guests.

87% of Americans take their shoes off in their house. It sounds like the guests are forcing their "cultural and religious views LOL" on a homeowner, which isn't the way it usually works.

[Anonymous]

Provide booties or slippers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t force your cultural and religious view on your guests.

Just as there is an art to good hosting, there is an art to being a good guest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t force your cultural and religious view on your guests.

Just as there is an art to good hosting, there is an art to being a good guest.

Personally, I just hover.