Changing to a shoe-free home

[Anonymous]

We keep our shoes in a shoe rack next to the front door. Guests can do as they please, although we do ask kids to take their shoes off when they come in.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP - the pile of shoes by the door always reminds me of that exhibit at the Holocaust museum.

[Anonymous]

We have a shoe rack at front and back door. Most people see that and remove shoes. If we were having a dinner party, I wouldn't ask anyone to remove shoes. If anyone goes upstairs to the bedrooms, they wear shoe covers bc I'm barefoot up there all the time and grossed out by dirty shoes, But I rarely have people up there.

[Anonymous]

We keep one pair for outside by the door and take others to bedroom closets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dislike this rule primarily because I have plantar fascitis and must wear shoes. I just decline and explain why but I always feel uncomfortable

The OP did not ask your opinion or about your medical issues. Geez!

[Anonymous]

We don't usually wear shoes in the house. I grew up in Hawaii where it is customary to remove shoes before entering the house. But I could truly not care any less about whether people leave them on or take them off. I just do not care. We have hardwood and tile throughout our house with just a few area rugs. It takes me no time at all to run the steam mop over my floors.

I would NEVER in a million years ask a guest to remove their shoes. So incredibly rude.

[Anonymous]

Shoe-free is a cultural thing for my husband, and I've quickly become used to it. We keep most of our shoes upstairs in our bedroom closet, but we have one two-level shoe rack at the entry where we keep a couple pairs of our most commonly-worn shoes. We also have the coat closet at entry -- I keep our running shoes and large boots in there b/c I think they look kind of tacky at the entry.

And to the PP who commented about the smell... not sure where you have been in Asia, but in South Asia people most definitely do not keep their shoes outside -- someone would steal them, or they would get bugs inside them. People I know keep them in a rack-type thing by the door.

[Anonymous]

I find this question odd. OP - where do you normally keep all of your shoes? That is where you should also keep your shoes once you decide to go shoe free. The only shoes that you need to find a place for are the ones that you walked in the door with. You can either put those in your coat closet, or if you don't have one, then in a basket or storage ottoman by the door. In our old house, we didn't have a coat closet, so we used a basket under our entryway console table for shoes. The new house has a coat closet, so that is where the shoes go. The only issue is if you let the shoes pile up by the door. If you take them to the closet/your bedroom/wherever it is that you keep all your shoes at the end of the day, then you won't have this problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's pretty easy to tell if a house is shoe-free from the smell the minute they open the door.

At least in Asia they know enough to store the shoes outside.

Actually, shoes for people from shoe-free homes smell a lot better than those who wear shoes all day.

We ask kid guests to remove their shoes. Adult guests can do whatever they please.

+1 to the bolded. If you're wearing your shoes all day, they are probably sweaty, stinky and gross!

[Anonymous]

I'm sure I will get flamed for this question, but here goes . . . We are a shoe free home (town house) and keep our shoes inside the basement area next to the garage. For those of you that are shoe free, and use some type of cleaning service, do you ask the cleaners to remove their shoes when they come to clean? We have carpet on our third floor and I hate that they are up there with shoes. I suspect there is probably something in their liability insurance that requires shoes, but I have never asked. We are building a new home (renting now) and I really hope to find some private individuals to clean that house and I'll buy them some shoes to wear while they are there! I know, I'm crazy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with PP - the pile of shoes by the door always reminds me of that exhibit at the Holocaust museum.

YES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure I will get flamed for this question, but here goes . . . We are a shoe free home (town house) and keep our shoes inside the basement area next to the garage. For those of you that are shoe free, and use some type of cleaning service, do you ask the cleaners to remove their shoes when they come to clean? We have carpet on our third floor and I hate that they are up there with shoes. I suspect there is probably something in their liability insurance that requires shoes, but I have never asked. We are building a new home (renting now) and I really hope to find some private individuals to clean that house and I'll buy them some shoes to wear while they are there! I know, I'm crazy!

Buy the shoe covers for this purpose. And then be prepared to pony up if one of the cleaners falls down the stairs and hurts themselves while wearing them because they're really slippery.

[Anonymous]

But how do I keep them from taking a dump in my powder room?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure I will get flamed for this question, but here goes . . . We are a shoe free home (town house) and keep our shoes inside the basement area next to the garage. For those of you that are shoe free, and use some type of cleaning service, do you ask the cleaners to remove their shoes when they come to clean? We have carpet on our third floor and I hate that they are up there with shoes. I suspect there is probably something in their liability insurance that requires shoes, but I have never asked. We are building a new home (renting now) and I really hope to find some private individuals to clean that house and I'll buy them some shoes to wear while they are there! I know, I'm crazy!

I'm crazy, too, but i couldn't deal with my cleaning people wearing shoes everywhere and the whole place just felt dirty when it had just been cleaned. I asked them to wear workman's shoe covers that they sell at Home Depot (I supply them) and they've been doing that for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure I will get flamed for this question, but here goes . . . We are a shoe free home (town house) and keep our shoes inside the basement area next to the garage. For those of you that are shoe free, and use some type of cleaning service, do you ask the cleaners to remove their shoes when they come to clean? We have carpet on our third floor and I hate that they are up there with shoes. I suspect there is probably something in their liability insurance that requires shoes, but I have never asked. We are building a new home (renting now) and I really hope to find some private individuals to clean that house and I'll buy them some shoes to wear while they are there! I know, I'm crazy!

I'm crazy, too, but i couldn't deal with my cleaning people wearing shoes everywhere and the whole place just felt dirty when it had just been cleaned. I asked them to wear workman's shoe covers that they sell at Home Depot (I supply them) and they've been doing that for years.

We ask them to remove their shoes. When I've been there (they have a key) they take them off or put on slippers that they bring. We have young kids and we are constantly sweeping stuff dragged in from outside AND our kids still put everything in their mouths.