I'm curious, though. Where do you live that you have mid-19th-century homes across the street from 2007 McMansions?

Chevy Chase, MD.

Agree about the heels, though. You choose the appropriate hem length for the shoes you expect to wear. Perfectionists would even take the shoes with them to the tailor/ seamstress.

I actually ask people if they would like me to take my shoes off in their home!

Anonymous wrote:

On the other hand, if someone has a nice, neat, well-kept, new, presentable house - I wouldn't say FU, I'm keeping my shoes on because I'm a jealous b*tch...

Wow, so just because my house is 140 years old it's automatically not as clean as the 2007 McMansion across the street? WTF?

And, PP, get a clue. Do you ever wear pants with heels? Almost all my nice pants (and some of my jeans) are hemmed to wear with 3-inch heels. Creates a hazard when I need to take shoes off.

Not PP, but I assume suburban posters' frame of reference sets up a binary between new tract housing and mid-(20th) century fixer-uppers. Most of these places don't have neighborhoods constructed before 1940 and their residents don't automatically consider how much energy and money urban residents may put into lovingly maintaining considerably older homes.

I'm curious, though. Where do you live that you have mid-19th-century homes across the street from 2007 McMansions?

On the other hand, if someone has a nice, neat, well-kept, new, presentable house - I wouldn't say FU, I'm keeping my shoes on because I'm a jealous b*tch...

Wow, so just because my house is 140 years old it's automatically not as clean as the 2007 McMansion across the street? WTF?

And, PP, get a clue. Do you ever wear pants with heels? Almost all my nice pants (and some of my jeans) are hemmed to wear with 3-inch heels. Creates a hazard when I need to take shoes off.

Anonymous wrote:I find it so strange that the people who have a shoes off policy think they're cleaner than the people who let guests keep their shoes on. To me, they seem like people who want a clean house but aren't willing to make the effort to keep it clean. And I don't love cleaning, so I don't blame them, but the smugness is just . . . odd.

Agree. It really doesn't make sense, either, that most of my friends who are shoes off people also have dogs who run from outside to in without any type of paw washing. It's insulting to make me step through your dog hair/dirt with my shoes off. Not to mention gross. My toes curl when I go to one neighbor's house. I avoid it, actually, knowing I have to subject my bare feet to that.

Anonymous wrote:I did so willingly, but of course, my pants, minus the heels, dragged on his hardwood floors, which were FILTHY! Ruined the suit. So...if you do ask people

Buy pants that are the right size
if you cannot do that, roll your sleaves up.
if you love your socks too much, take them off too

wash the pants in a hot cycle and hopefully they will shrink, or take the hem up yourself

or take the pants back to the store because they do not fit you, and you had thought that you were taller than what you are when you bought them

When my family went to visit Monticello this past summer, the tour guide started outside the home. Once we were in the foyer, the guide was talking about the design, etc. My three year old niece leaned to me and whispered, "Do we take our shoes off?" I near bout fell over trying to stifle my giggles!

I find it so strange that the people who have a shoes off policy think they're cleaner than the people who let guests keep their shoes on. To me, they seem like people who want a clean house but aren't willing to make the effort to keep it clean. And I don't love cleaning, so I don't blame them, but the smugness is just . . . odd.

I just ask kids (who are guests) to take off their shoes if it has been raining out. But I don't ask the parents.

Within our family we always take off our shoes in the house.

We have a nice home, that I work very hard to keep neat and clean. I would be pretty obvious that we are a no shoes on type of house, I would think. I hate asking though, so I just let it go if someone doesn't do it on their own.

Not in the main part.

I bet in the part where they live, if they had it their way, it would be shoes off. Though it is kind of a public venue (every four years there is a new family) - so I think it might be the exception. Very few houses fall into the "White House" category.

People really should be comfortable, though, which is part fo the shoes off policies that I know of.

I wonder if the Obamas have a shoes off policy. That's a pretty nice house.

It depends on the house. If the place smells and hasn't been dusted for years, chances are they (usually) would not be asking for guest to do this.

I can totally understand a nice, neat, new house, however. Some people work hard for what they have and want to keep things nice. Some people are depressed slobs and don't give a care. To each his own, but I would ALWAYS be respectful of their wishes.

PP, I know what you mean. I used to take my shoes of at a certain relatives house until my white socks showed more than anyone would ever want to see after a visit to their house. Never again - yuck!! Practically burned the socks.

But then, I noticed they walk around their own house with shoes - which has got to be one of the strangest things I've ever seen. They're just not comfortable people. They bundle up in their own house instead of raising the heat for a couple hours while they have company. I could go on. Odd and uptight folks, indeed.

pants poster -- just remembered, (oops) he is Hungarian, and I'm nto even sure if Slovakian is a description.