We don't allow shoes in our house.The family take them off at the door and put on slippers.We have wooden floors and stairs and very expensive rugs and I feel that wearing just socks is not safe.I have seem many people slip and almost fall in friends houses on wooden floors.Its not a problem for family to go barefoot but clearly its unreasonable to expect guests(unless the want to) to go barefoot.Frequent visitors bring their slippers or as they know us well don't mind going barefoot.I wonder though if its appropriate to provide guest slippers.
I have found this brilliant site called overstock with slippers of all kinds for all ages etc.Also it has reviews where people actually say that they bought slippers for their guests.
Do you provide guest slippers, or it a bit of over the top.The family consensus is that we are right not to allow shoes in our lovely house and the children and my husband thinks it really quite progressive and caring for us to get slippers.
The last we want is for someone to fall down our very steep staircase etc.
Please be polite in your feedback because for some unknown reason the whole shoes off thing does get some of you a bit uptight.

I think it is okay to request people to take off their shoes. I would rather wear socks in someone's house than slippers that could hold germs. Socks can be washed each time they are used. Invest in some of each and allow your guests to choose which route to take. Slippers, flip flops and loose shoes can be very dangerous on steep steps if you are not used to travelling them, and even when you are, or perhaps after a beverage or too. Your on the right track in protecting your hardwoods and asking your guests to remove shoes and allowing them options is okay too. No worries.

I disagree with allowing them to wear socks. Especially on polished wood floors, regular socks can be very slippery.

What I would do is find a medical supply house that sells the kind of slip ons they provide in hospitals. These generally have a non slip tread on the bottom and are also disposable. Keep a small bin with them next to the show rack by the door.

I see two options:
1. The one proposed by Scott and
2. Tyvek booties. Tyvek® Protective Boot Covers (1 pr.), Safety - GEMPLER'S (http://www.gemplers.com/product/134126/Tyvek-Protective-Boot-Covers-1-pr)

Where people can keep their shoes on if they want too.

I have a problem with slippers because of disease, but if you washed the slipper socks in hot water, you should be fine.

We dont allow shoes in our house.The family take them off at the door and put on slippers.We have wooden floors and stairs and very expensive rugs and i feel that wearing just socks is not safe.I have seem many people slip and almost fall in friends houses on wooden floors.Its not a problem for family to go barefoot but clearly its unreasonable to expect guests(unless the want to) to go barefoot.Frequent visitors bring their slippers or as they know us well dont mind going barefoot.I wonder though if its appropriate to provide guest slippers.
I have found this brilliant site called overstock with slippers of all kinds for all ages etc.Also it has reviews where poeple actually say that they bought slippers for their guests.
Do you provide guest slippers, or it a bit of over the top.The family consensus is that we are right not to allow shoes in our lovely house and the children and my husband thinks it really quite progressive and caring for us to get slippers.
The last we want is for someone to fall down our very steep staircase etc.
Please be polite in your feedback because for some unknown reason the whole shoes off thing does get some of you a bit uptight.

Hello there, I'm sorry but I have to be totally honest with you here... quite frankly it's a bit over the top. My daughter has wooden floors which are extremely easy to clean, even with her children and their friends constantly in and out, I can understand if their shoes are muddy or alike but to insist that every single person who visits you remove their shoes at the door, well I don't think if I did that I would get any visitors at all, not only would it make then feel decidedly uncomfortable but I'm sure they'd be scared to death of dropping a crumb or knocking an ornament out of place, how would they be able to relaxe knowing you'd be watching their every move... I know I wouldn't

You say, and I think this is your excuse, that you would not want anyone to slip, of course not but if their shoes remained on their feet, which is where they should be,then they wouldn't, most shoes have rubber souls which prevent slipping on any surface.

I understand that you want to preserve your beautiful house, things are so expensive these days but at the risk of losing any family or friends over a bit of dust that can easily be clean up when their gone, I think you should grin and bare it and be thankful that they want to visit you and your family.

I have no wish to upset or offend you.
Some times you just have to say it how it is...

Friends of ours have the same no shoes policy, which we (their friends) accept because they have white carpets and a small, crawling child they don't want crawling around in germs. The husband manages a very, very high end hotel in florence, italy, where we live, and he gives each of us a pair of hotel slippers to use while we're in their home. They are white, light, completely washable, flexible, rather long-lasting, and they have a light, but certainly non-slip rubber tread on the bottom.

I would love to be able to walk barefoot in our own apartment, but present conditions make it impossible to do without winding up with dirty feet. You see, our building (palazzo) is over 700 years old, and the terracotta floors are full of nooks and crannies that make reasonable cleaning unable to get everything spic and span. We usually walk around in our shoes, or else we wear rubber flip-flops or slippers that won't get impossibly dirty underneath. By the way, I sweep quite a bit, and we mop when necessary, but the amount of dust that builds up in this place on a daily basis would boggle your minds. It comes out of the age of the place and from the city air itself.

I grew up in a home with slippery hardwood floors and expensive rugs and carpets, and we did not wear shoes in the house - unless guests were over. Guests were never asked to remove their shoes. The cleaning people would usually come to take care of any after-a-dinner-or-event mess, so if the floors needed an extra cleaning, they would be taken care of then. Hardwood floors are actually quite easy to keep clean - the only risk is what a fine pair of high heels can potentially do to them. However, after 15 years and many (at least yearly) parties of over 100-150 people each, one would be very hard-pressed to find a noticeable scratch on them. Actually, the only real damage and scuffs have been caused by my sister's, and my own, heavy suitcases. That's something to watch out for.

Personally, I am always slightly uncomfortable or embarrassed when being asked to remove my shoes when in another person's home. This does come down to vanity, but I will explain. I take pride in my cute socks, so I don't mind showing them off, and I don't mind showing my cute feet either. However, if I am wearing pants, a skirt or a dress of minimal standards, it also means that I have carefully incorporated my shoes into the look. With dresses or skirts, these clothes will usually not look right without those shoes on. With pants, it's even worse. Most of my pants (other than jeans that have been designated for sneaker-height) have been tailored in length to fit the height of my shoes. Some of these shoes have shorter heels, but many of them have higher heels. This means that if I have to take my shoes off, I will be walking on my pants throughout the evening, or I will have to pull them up at the thigh whenever I walk around, or I will have to walk around on tip-toes the whole time. So although your carpets and floors are being saved, my pants are being worn down at the bottoms. Plus, it makes me look ridiculous, and it makes my shortish (yet average) stature (I'm 5'3'') much more apparent.

Ultimately, the choice is up to you. Consider that at least some people will take the idea to mean something about you that you might not love - that it's over-the-top, or that you're obsessive-compulsive.

However, if you live in a wet or snowy place, or in an area where people don't usually walk around in heels and perfectly tailored pants (in length, that is), then don't worry about it. I would probably be doing the same as you in that situation, as would anyone else.

Good luck!

This is very common in households in Taiwan and some Asian-American households in the US. I would provide slippers to wear for the safety precautions that you mentioned (slipping on wood floors, etc). As for the guests, well, they can wear socks or stockings while wearing the slippers, so they don't have to worry about germs (you just wash your own socks when you get home). Actually, I doubt the slippers are ever washed, but that's a different topic.

It's such part of the culture in Taiwan (and probably in a few other parts in Asia) that you would not even think about walking into someone's house with your shoes on... in the US, well, it's not so customary, but still wouldn't be so outrageous.

So yeah, you should just provide the slippers. It's your house - you get to make the rules... (if your house had a dirt floor and you weren't providing slippers, then asking people to take off their shoes would be inappropriate, but it's not so that's not a problem).

<-- asian and we have that no shoe requirement, the option I hear you already throwing out there is your guests being able to walk barefoot. If you know they're about to visit, let them know ahead of time they are going barefoot. It provides them enough time to make their feet presentable (get a pedicure, spray athlete's foot cream LOL, etc.). 1) You don't have to go out of your way for your guests 2) They don't have to go out of their way for you 3) It's the cheapest option!

Get some and see how it works. There's no one saying you have to keep doing it if it doesn't work out.
Though honestly, I would laugh so hard if someone slipped and fell and hurt themselves very badly because you were worried about your FLOOR which is made to be walked on. Who gets floors you worry about people WALKING on?
Oh whoops. My sense is showing.

It's your house, you have every right to ask guests to take off their shoes. I suggest you provide Totes Slipper Socks for them. They are soft socks with treads on the bottom. They can be washed as easily as socks.

When I go to my mother in laws house, I know it is cold... I always take off my shoes. I stuff a pair of socks or "slipper" socks in my purse and put them on after we greet each other. I respect that. I am too easy going to have others do the same for me, I would find it annoying to say it to every person walking in. BUT when I see a sign or someone says please take off your shoes, I will definitely do it!;) They are all right, you do what you want, it is your house.

If you offered me communal socks or slippers, I would politely decline. I'll be happy to take off my shoes. I have no problem with that at all. I'd just rather walk around in my own socks. I'll be careful on your hardwood floors, I promise.

You are, of course, welcome to impose whatever rules you want to in your own home. It would, however, be considerate to notify your guests beforehand that you will be requiring them to remove their shoes.

Slippers for everyone isn't a very hygienic solution unless they are disposable slippers.

I'm glad you're proud of your lovely house and your flawless flooring materials. My impression has always been that people who are so impressed with the value of their floors have never been around anything nice before. You might want to consider how that makes your guests feel.

You absolutely have the right to have your no shoes policy. BUT,I feel that it comes off as a little "un-welcoming". I know I would be embarrassed to request my guest to remove their shoes. I would also feel uncomfortable if my host requested that of me. It is just an uncomfortable situation all around.

Close friends and family that know this about you, no problem. But I personally would not ask this of all guest. We visited a church once and later the minister came to our home for a little intro kind of meeting. Would you ask a guest such as this one to take his shoes off?
That sounds a little invasive to his privacy to me. Not as bad as take off your shirt but more personal than take off your coat.

Also, if the weather was nasty I could see asking guest to remove their shoes. It is sort of expected. But to require this of everyone, every time, it is a little over the top.

Have you thought of those little booties that surgeons put on over their shoes.

I wouldn't take my boots off for anyone. Your pucker string is pulled a little too tight
Prairie Son

prairie son, although it wasn't nice, that has to be one of the funniest phrases I've ever heard.

Where is the OP? I hope she's checking this tread. victoria, if you're here please let us know what you've decided to do!

I was thinking some more about this question, and I think it brings up an important design point. I own a high end custom furniture and lighting design company, and I do a lot of work with architects and interior designers. When it comes to designing a home, no matter how beautiful it is or how expensive its décor, practicality is key. You should never design your house out of being livable for you... or your guests.

There are certainly times when taking shoes off makes sense, but there are also times when some might find it inconsiderate or even rude to ask your guests to remove them. I think the example given about the minister makes a good point. What about at a dinner party? In certain situations shoes are also integral the outfit. With kids it's different as they're dirty on a more regular basis, and they're probably happy to take them off anyway. :) by the way, do you live in the country, a suburb or a city?

I have always admired the people I know who can pull off that no shoes in the house policy, I wouldn't mind trying it but I'm constantly running in and out when I'm home, I don't have the stamina. Maybe some people might feel a little self conscious taking off their shoes if they have foot odor or a hole in their socks. As long as you tell people in advance and don't spring it on them at the last minute I don't think you would offend anyone worth bothering with. It's not like you are nudists or something. Your home is your castle. But if you are worried about safety, limit the guests to the parlor and the powder room instead of giving them the run of the house

prairie son, although it wasn't nice, that has to be one of the funniest phrases i've ever heard.

where is the OP? i hope she's checking this tread. victoria, if you're here please let us know what you've decided to do!

i was thinking some more about this question, and i think it brings up an important design point. i own a high end custom furniture and lighting design company, and i do a lot of work with architects and interior designers. when it comes to designing a home, no matter how beautiful it is or how expensive its decor, practicality is key. you should never design your house out of being livable for you...or your guests.

there are certainly times when taking shoes off makes sense, but there are also times when some might find it inconsiderate or even rude to ask your guests to remove them. i think the example given about the minister makes a good point. what about at a dinner party? in certain situations shoes are also integral the outfit. with kids it's different as they're dirty on a more regular basis, and they're probably happy to take them off anyway. :) btw, do you live in the country, a suburb or a city?

I live in the country... in the great State of Texas!
Prairie Son

:) I meant where does the OP (original poster) live, but it's nice to see that rare Texas pride in action. ;) we all know where you live, PS - in the prairie!

wildandblue, I think you're right about advance notice. It does make a difference.

By the way, have any of you seen the "curb your enthusiasm" episode called where larry david refuses to take his shoes off on the white carpet? Very funny.

I have always admired the people I know who can pull off that no shoes in the house policy, I wouldn't mind trying it but I'm constantly running in and out when I'm home, I don't have the stamina. Maybe some people might feel a little self conscious taking off their shoes if they have foot odor or a hole in their socks. As long as you tell people in advance and don't spring it on them at the last minute I don't think you would offend anyone worth bothering with. It's not like you are nudists or something. Your home is your castle. But if you are worried about safety, limit the guests to the parlor and the powder room instead of giving them the run of the house

I believe that a house should be a home not a fragile little" touch me not." My home is clean, neat well kept, and decorated beautifully if I say so myself BUT above all else it is user friendly. Comfortable and inviting, two words that should be used to describe any home.

I think, with all do respect... you have some issues! It's like someone having a drink at your house and you cleaning up the cup before they finished their drink! Breath... you need to come down to earth and relax there is so many more important and relevant things to worry about in life then assets and possessions. Remember the Law of Attraction and keep it balanced. What is life if you can't live in your own skin? I agree with cozyk and the last thing you want to do is make your guests uncomfortable because they will just stop coming over. You need to stop being so overbearing and possessive... its just material objects. I have hardwood flooring throughout my house... exquisite might I add... we do our own hardwood so you can imagine the borders, 45 degree layout and all the additions. We also stopped buying so expensive because the kids just wreak it all and you know what... honestly it can all burn down one day and then I will think... why was I like that... because it does not matter in the end... really! (Hardwood is actually safer and healthier then carpet or tile)

You have the right in your own house to expect or request guests to concede to your wishes. Shoes track in germs from the ground outside. This is unacceptable especially if you have children. So perhaps you could purchase some footies (I think that is what they are called), you know the sock-like feet coverings that are padded at the sole and are washable.

Keep in mind that the oils from bare feet can actually do more harm to your expensive rugs that feet that are coverd with shoes or socks or slippers.

Where I live (the great country of Canada) it has never been a question as to whether you should remove your shoes when entering someone's home. You just do it, no question's asked. It has nothing to do with germs or cleanliness either. It has everything to do with respect. From as far back as I can remember we were always told to take our shoes off at the door, and I teach my children the same thing. As far as I am concerned, wearing your shoes in someone's house shows to them that you have no respect for them or the effort they put into their home to keep it nice. And as far back as I can remember, I have never had anyone walk into my home without taking their shoes off first. But like I said, it's because I was always raised like this. It may be a different story, if it was the other way around and we always had our shoes on no matter what. :D