Do you allow shoes in the house?

We’ve always have had a strict policy of no shoes inside the house. However, I’ve been visiting as a guest to other AirBnbs and it seems like everyone else is fine with having shoes inside the house. For guests that don’t feel comfortable with not wearing anything, we offer free one time use slippers.

What’s everyone’s experience with this?

Are we the weird ones here? Do you find that it takes more time to clean a suite when people are wearing their dirty shoes inside the house?

you have no right to forbidden the other having shoes coz you home is not as clean as you think. Some guests or hosts can have athlete’s foot,Hongkong foot…

A no-shoe policy is actually pretty standard for India, but we personally don’t have one. I don’t find it makes a significant difference. (But people sometimes remove their footwear before coming in, anyway.) But we don’t really use carpets here - it’s mostly tiled floors. It might make a difference if you had a significant amount of carpeting.

I have a no shoe policy inside and it’s one thing that i really don’t enforce much. I didn’t start it for cleanliness, as the floor gets vacuumed and washed regardless of whether it’s very dirty or not at all dirty. For me it’s a noise issue, as most of my listings have wooden floors and it can be so noisy with shoes clomping around.

Yup shoes off at the door! We’ve got carpet

Tom, i grew up in a 'no shoes in a house" culture. Actually it was such a bad manner not to take your shoes off when you enter someone’s house. For me its obvious: outside is dirty, in a house its clean, why would anyone want to bring outside dirt into clean house.
In US noone takes their shoes off. I only require people to take their shoes off when they walk on a rug in a living room, i even put it in my rules, but noone ever does. I say it every time a person walks on my rug: please, shoooooes!!!not on a rug!!!
WHen i have Eurpoian guests or other cultures than US, almost everyone take their shoes off. We put our shoes outside near door. You would think that guests see us taking our shoes off and would do the same but no.
I had my marble floors redone few days ago. They look so clean now that i decided to put a sign on a door: please, shoes off. So far, people were obedient. Noone had a problem walking barefeet. One woman pulled out slppers and wore them in a house.

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our place is in Sweden and no shoes policy.

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I’ve got carpet in most of the house, and while I do put it in my house rules that guests should remove shoes and bring indoor only slippers/shoes, I only enforce it when raining or snowing. Although I don’t rent out much during winter months. But it was snowing here…yesterday. Personally, due to bone issues, it’s painful for me to go barefoot, that’s why I have a few dedicated pairs of shoes/slippers that I wear when in my home and I always have a pair in my car for when I visit other people’s homes.
Some people just naturally kick their shoes off at the door, because many people do go shoe-less in their own homes,

We are tiled floors and most folks don’t take their shoes off no biggie for me since my Cuban cultural was the opposite
and we were taught never to take our shoes off and to clean our feet before going to bed. I remember my mom always telling me that going barefoot was really bad for some reason none of which made any sense to me but Caribbean cultures seem to be the same.

I wonder has anyone figured out a way to offer sandals to guests that works? The dollar stores around here have them (for… a dollar lol) and I wonder if anyone has for instanced put a basket of various sizes of new flip flops out, with maybe a sign saying ‘no shoes, but take a pair if you forgot your slippers’?

Thoughts?

I’m located in NYC and it’s absolutely filthy outside! I can’t understand how anyone could risk bringing that filth into their bedrooms on their shoes. I’m also Chinese so I grew up with no shoes in the house in NYC and I have no qualms about enforcing it with my guests. I’d say about 25% forget but it’s the first thing I mention when they arrive, I point to the bench where they can take their shoes off and store then underneath. If they forget another time I just say “no shoes!” in kind of a joking way and they always feel really sorry and remember after that.

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I have a no-shoes policy and out of 60+ sets of guests, they all abide by the rule although some better than others.

People seem to appreciate how clean the apt is as a result of this rule.

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This is a fascinating subject for me! I subscribe to the Houzz website and “No shoes in house?” was a poll once … I was amazed at the strong feelings, both for and against, that it generated, I was born and brought up in the UK and have since lived in six different countries and in none of them did it ever occur to me to remove my shoes when entering the house (mine or anyone elses’) and I don’t remember anyone ever asking me to.

Perhaps it’s to do with the climate and the type of flooring? I know that many Scandis have a no-shoes policy, as do Canadians. In Spain most of our houses have tiled floors so they’re easy to clean and, erm, anyway I don’t think a little bit of dirt ever harmed anyone … I think I would feel a bit put out if as a guest I was asked to remove my shoes - it would suggest that you cared more about your expensive decor than my comfort (probably true, actually!)

What’s wrong with wiping your shoes on a doormat?

I believe this is a complex cultural issue - it isn’t solely about cleanliness. You could probably write a masters thesis on the topic, and maybe people have. :slight_smile:

There is a strong correlation between perceived cleanliness of the surroundings and the taking shoes off. But it isn’t as strong as one might expect.

I’ve pointed out to people in India how little difference it actually makes if people take their shoes off. In India, that is. I mean, they’re still living in a germ-infested hellhole either way. And people don’t use carpets or rugs in India much. Tiles are very common. Wooden floors are not common either. So I think these habits eventually become ritualistic.

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Not enough, still sand can be brought in and pieces of dirt.

For those who think it’s weird to take your shoes off, what if you accidentally stepped in dog poop or gum and then tracked it all over the house before you realized it? Isn’t that enough of a reason to have a no shoes in the house habit? I guess that’s more of a concern for a city dweller who walks everywhere but I also know plenty of people who don’t take their shoes off in nyc.

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Shoes off for our place, no exceptions! It’s in our house rules, and I remind people as I see them in (remarkable how when I take mine off, so many don’t do the same, and when I say " we’re a shoes off home so hope you’re ok with this?" they nod, agree…and remain in their shoes!!! I gently ask them, again, to take them off!) I do suggest in the listing that guests bring slippers, but also provide basket of freshly laundered slipper socks and little ballet style stretchy slip-ons (washable) of differing sizes. I think guests really like the offer, even if they don’t use them - it’s a possible counterbalance for the host seeming to care more for their place than the guests - they feel cared for too when they see you’ve thought of their comfort while observing your rules. I like the suggestion made above of flip-flops/thongs/jangles for summer - I’m off to buy some as they’ll be great for summer, and can be kept clean :blush:. Good tip, Thankyou!

Actually, you have every right to set rules in your own home. If guests don’t like it, they don’t have to stay with you. “No shoes” doesn’t mean barefoot.

That said we don’t have a “no shoes” policy because we haven’t seen any difference at all re cleanliness or comfort. Guests sometimes ask; I tell them it’s totally up to them.

I sympathize with guests who don’t follow the rule, mostly because I think that it’s such an ingrained, cultural thing that guests often forget.

I have a mixture of guests some of whom usually don’t take their shoes off (Australians where I live) and some from Asia who usually do. I don’t mind either way but feel the need to explain to the ones who do that the reason I don’t is because I wear leg braces and so if I take my shoes off I can’t actually walk. I haven’t been back to Asia in the six years since I had this problem (called a bilateral neuropathy) but wonder how I’d go in temples and people’s homes always having to explain I can’t actually take my shoes off and still walk. So next time your guest doesn’t take their shoe off maybe it is because they have a medical problem or even an artificial foot, and it’s none of your goddam business.

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tom@ - where do you get one time use slippers. I’d like to use them in my own home! My daughter clomps around and my unit is downstairs.