Shoes off.

Middle Man

decky1 wrote: »

Watched a little piece on morning tv about going to someone's house and being expected to take your shoes off,--i went to a friends house a long time ago and when his wife answered the door the first thing she said was 'take off your shoes' now i was'nt in working clothes or boots as i was going out but for some reason i felt a bit offended i thought the cheek of her does she forget where she came from . Anyone else think this is a bit overboard?:mad:

Well this sort of thing raises questions over the flooring and its fitness for purpose! Floors are for walking on - what has this world come to???

lulu1

Cadence Uninterested Summertime wrote: »

15 seconds I don't spend every day and of couse less time washing and drying. Changing every two days is a rarity now anyway, always go longer.[

I don't know how we got this far in life without showering every day Good work changing the boxers every second day My hubby gets a week out of his and longer if i didn't wash them:D


My parents didn't even have a bathroom until the early 70ies and i'm sure plenty more besides them

iamwhoiam

This nonsense about over cleaning and wiping everything with anti septic wipes etc is weakening kids immune systems in my opinion . Asthma and allergies are on the increase and kids get viruses etc
When we were kids we rolled in muck and rarely got sick . A good old fashioned wipe down with soap and water is enough

Mountainsandh

Middle Man wrote: »

Well this sort of thing raises questions over the flooring and its fitness for purpose! Floors are for walking on - what has this world come to???

True. I have tiling throughout my house, except upstairs where it's wooden floors and rugs.

It's so easy to clean there is no excuse to be precious about it.

If someone said to me : "would you mind taking off your shoes in this room, that white carpet has me driven demented ?" I would understand and not feel too put off, a white carpet must be awful for dirt, although I'd question the sanity of someone voluntarily laying that down in a guest prone area.

When it's your regular wooden, tiled, or lino-ed area, or a more passage friendly carpet, I think the issue of stepping in with shoes shouldn't arise.

KERSPLAT!

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

If you don't shower for 24/48+ hours then there is BO, whether you believe it or not. Do you live and work with other people!? Not sure how someone could put up with that.

I live with my oh and work in close proximity with people everyday which of couse is not an issue as the fact is there is no BO or smells or what ever else the washaholics what to say. It's actually very frustrating to constantly read these sorts of replies when they bare no connection whatsoever to the reality. in ways I'd like to meet some of the shower obsessed posters and show them how wrong they are.

BelovedAunt wrote: »

The reality is if I go more than 24 hours without showering my hair is greasy and my armpits stink. I dare say this is the reality for the majority of people, you included.

In my experience even for people who shower everyday it's rare especially for women with long hair to wash their hair anymore often about every 3 days so I would very much disagree with your "majority of people".

The fact is people are conditioned to think a daily shower is as essential as breathing, however this is nonsense and many people realise that a shower every 2 or 3 days is perfectly fine and does not result in any bad smells especially if you are able to use antiperspirant which I'm sure most people are nowadays.

Of couse if you feel you need to shower everyday do it but no need to make out those who don't are wrong.

iamwhoiam

People take shoes off when visiting family in Canada . But that was fully understandable when coming in from knee high snow ! They all had deep metal trays near the hall door so the wet snowey shoes could be placed there a drip into the tray . Once summer came they were not fussy and people walked into homes in their sandals
There is a time and place for being fussy about shoes in the house

Omackeral

Cadence Uninterested Summertime wrote: »

however this is nonsense and many people realise that a shower every 2 or 3 days is perfectly fine and does not result in any bad smells

A shower every 3 days is never ever acceptable, especially so when combined with two day old pissy pants.

PandaPoo

My mam has really smelly feet, I know she would be morto if she was asked to take her shoes off going somewhere. I'd hate someone like that to feel uncomfortable in my home, and I'd hate to smell their feet!

Also it would pointless to take our shoes off coming inside, my son has his schoolbag on the ground outside school every morning and plonks it on the kitchen table when he gets home, or brings his scooter through the house, my daughter brings her doll out for a walk in the pram and then drives it all over the house, footballs kicked all over the green and brought inside...etc. If I drop a doughnut on the ground I'd give it a blow and eat it anyway.

Omackeral

PandaPoo wrote: »

If I drop a doughnut on the ground I'd give it a blow and eat it anyway.

Yeah well everyone knows the 5 second rule like!

PandaPoo

Omackeral wrote: »

Yeah well everyone knows the 5 second rule like!

I thought that only applied to indoors?

Omackeral

PandaPoo wrote: »

I thought that only applied to indoors?

Nah, if ya bless the thing you're eating it's all good.

Omackeral

Omackeral wrote: »

A shower every 3 days is never ever acceptable, especially so when combined with two day old pissy pants.

What about 4 day old

Yer Da sells Avon

Cadence Uninterested Summertime wrote: »

The fact is people are conditioned to think a daily shower is as essential as breathing

Nobody thinks it's as essential as breathing, just that you will definitely smell if you don't shower or bathe for two or three days, even if you try to mask it with deodorant. You may not notice the smell yourself, but trust me, others do.

Ulysses Gaze

Cadence Uninterested Summertime wrote: »

As usual this is the issue, there is no BO or crusty boxers the very same as there is no plague caused by wearing shoes in the house. It's just a very wrong assumption by many people who's brains are so conditioned to think otherwise they are blind to reality.

Guess you don't travel much on public transport then.....

lulu1

PandaPoo wrote: »

My mam has really smelly feet, I know she would be morto if she was asked to take her shoes off going somewhere. I'd hate someone like that to feel uncomfortable in my home, and I'd hate to smell their feet!

Also it would pointless to take our shoes off coming inside, my son has his schoolbag on the ground outside school every morning and plonks it on the kitchen table when he gets home, or brings his scooter through the house, my daughter brings her doll out for a walk in the pram and then drives it all over the house, footballs kicked all over the green and brought inside...etc. If I drop a doughnut on the ground I'd give it a blow and eat it anyway.

That's the difference you like myself have a home that you can live in not a showhouse. I would eat the doughnut without blowing:D

PandaPoo

lulu1 wrote: »

That's the difference you like myself have a home that you can live in not a showhouse. I would eat the doughnut without blowing:D

Well that's just disgusting :P

Ulysses Gaze

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Guess you don't travel much on public transport then.....

I use public transport very rarely thankfully but I do encounter people who stink and trust me it's not going two or three days without a shower or wearing the same clothes for a few days that makes people stink like that.

Hapax Legomenon wrote: »

You may not notice the smell yourself, but trust me, others do.

Except they don't, as there is no smell to notice.

PandaPoo

Hate to say it but I agree with nox. Going 3 days without a shower and not changing your jocks won't make you putrid. I wouldn't be doing it myself but I don't think it would be noticeable on someone unless you sniff their crotch or armpits up close.

I work with customers all day, I have an unbelievable sense of smell, I can smell a basil plant 4 customers down, or a cooked chicken, and I can tell if a woman is wearing a certain perfume if she's standing within 10ft of me. I get a few smelly customers, but they are either not showering for weeks or months, one guy I'd say it's been years, I can smell him an hour after he's left and even the notes he gives me smell in my till....or they're smokers who don't wash their jacket. I'm sure I serve a few Nox's everyday and they're waving their arms around packing bags etc, and there's no noticeable bang off them.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

awec wrote: »

Communal slippers?

Gross. Sure ye wouldn't have a notion whose feet have been in those and in what condition!

Good job on the super ignorant post. 10/10.

It's the absolute norm where I am, and in most of the world. Even when apartment hunting, you take them off here. Some businesses will have you take them off as well.

Not really sure why people feel they have the right to wear them into someone's home. It's their home. If you feel insulted at the request, then imagine how insulted they feel that their friend values shoes over respect.

heroics

Rudy Uneven Cuttlefish wrote: »

Good job on the super ignorant post. 10/10.

?? What’s wrong with that? It is gross. Sharing footwear with Random’s is worse than wearing shoes in house.

Malayalam

awec wrote: »

Communal slippers?

Gross. Sure ye wouldn't have a notion whose feet have been in those and in what condition!

Communal swimming pools.
Communal saunas.
Communal bowling shoes.
Communal skates.
Crikey, let's go all the way - communal specula, communal endoscopes, communal shopping trolleys.

It's not about germophobia - I dunno, for me, it's just normal.

In terms of those claiming its some sort of snooty cultural imitation - as if that is somehow latent cultural appropriation (I love cultural appropriation, we humans have been doing it since forever, monkey see, monkey do) - I will admit I got the idea at a young age from living in and observing eastern cultures. But after that I always did it here as it was just because once I had seen it, it made perfect sense. Maybe I know strange people, but almost every house I go into its automatically shoes off in the hall. All our kids grew up the same, and now that they are adults it is absolutely second nature to them. Hippies, eh!

It really isn't some sort of weird voodoo. There's no tension going on - it's just habit and custom. I have a friend who has arthritis in his feet. He never has to remove his shoes, likewise elderly folk, unless they choose to respond automatically to the shoe rack. Of course wheelchair users can freely enter. I'm not mad, you know. If someone comes on in with their shoes on, I don't say anything, and it does not make my head explode, but generally I find when one meets people at the door barefoot or in socks and there is a large shoe rack there, that people automatically slip their shoes off. Rarely does anyone even mention it. I don't allow my cats in the house - the bloody bitches have the run of the tunnels, and sheds, and that's enough for them. My poor ancient dog who died recently only wandered around the garden and local roads - she did not walk through towns, she was a country dog, and if it was wet, I would rub off her feet when she came in, she seemed to like it the two of us sitting on the hall floor and her having a foot rub.

Anyways it will be interesting to revisit the subject in 20 years time and see what is the consensus.

ibarelycare

PandaPoo wrote: »

Hate to say it but I agree with nox. Going 3 days without a shower and not changing your jocks won't make you putrid. I wouldn't be doing it myself but I don't think it would be noticeable on someone unless you sniff their crotch or armpits up close.

I work with customers all day, I have an unbelievable sense of smell, I can smell a basil plant 4 customers down, or a cooked chicken, and I can tell if a woman is wearing a certain perfume if she's standing within 10ft of me. I get a few smelly customers, but they are either not showering for weeks or months, one guy I'd say it's been years, I can smell him an hour after he's left and even the notes he gives me smell in my till....or they're smokers who don't wash their jacket. I'm sure I serve a few Nox's everyday and they're waving their arms around packing bags etc, and there's no noticeable bang off them.

How do you know who hasn’t changed their underwear or showered in 4 days though? I’d put a serious wager on it that less than 0.1% of the population are that gross.

Sephiroth_dude

My sister and brother in law have this rule in there house, when you come in to the hall you have to take off your shoes and they have a drawer full of slippers and you choose what ones you want, I think its kinda cool, not an issue at all really.

KERSPLAT!

And there's no way in hell someone smells good after 48 hours of not washing. And if you're trying to cover it up with deodorant and think it's working... think again.

Franz Von Peppercorn

PandaPoo wrote: »

Hate to say it but I agree with nox. Going 3 days without a shower and not changing your jocks won't make you putrid. I wouldn't be doing it myself but I don't think it would be noticeable on someone unless you sniff their crotch or armpits up close.

I work with customers all day, I have an unbelievable sense of smell, I can smell a basil plant 4 customers down, or a cooked chicken, and I can tell if a woman is wearing a certain perfume if she's standing within 10ft of me. I get a few smelly customers, but they are either not showering for weeks or months, one guy I'd say it's been years, I can smell him an hour after he's left and even the notes he gives me smell in my till....or they're smokers who don't wash their jacket. I'm sure I serve a few Nox's everyday and they're waving their arms around packing bags etc, and there's no noticeable bang off them.

That’s the thing - we’ve probably all got less smelly with the reduction in smoking. One of my neighbours smokes a lot in his apppartment and I can smell him and the apartment fouls up the shared hallway of he keeps his door open.

So if we went back to the 70s we’d find everything smelly by today’s standards.

iamwhoiam

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

My sister and brother in law have this rule in there house, when you come in to the hall you have to take off your shoes and they have a drawer full of slippers and you choose what ones you want, I think its kinda cool, not an issue at all really.

Its ok if the visitor can and is happy doing so . But in my opinion it should be a choice . I for example cannot wear any footwear without an arch support and would struggle in slippers . I would make sure to wipe my shoes well and if it was snowy I would bring clean pair . Then I might struggle with it but would have to respect it .
Lately I was expecting Virgin technicians and knew they would have to stand on my cream carpet . So I put a rug down and hoped they would stand on it
They arrived with big wet boots and both took plastic ( like surgical ) over shoe protection out of their pockets and slipped them on in the porch ! I was impressed !

seamus

Certainly growing up it was the norm to just wander in with your shoes on, and wander around the gaff with shoes on.

Then a family moved back to Ireland from somewhere out fordin and they always insisted that shoes come off, and we thought that was weird.

Now though it seems to be the norm, or at least far more widespread, and it's definitely something we do. It seems very wrong to be dragging in the dirt and crap from outside onto the floor. Especially when it's raining outside. You'd be cleaning your floors every day with all the dust and dirt you'd be dragging through. Mats can only clean your soles a little bit.

That said, we don't expect visitors to take off their shoes except the kids. Because they jump on couches and beds and stuff. And with shoes on that's just all kinds of wrong.

Visitors come and go once and then you can clean the floors if they're dirty. I'm in and out of the house ten times a day. The place would be filthy if I left my shoes on.

I'd find it very hard believe that this is anything more than a rarity though despite some thinking it's common or even becoming the norm.

In over 30 years of visiting god knows how many different houses/apartments of all sorts of different people I reckon it was pointed out at the door maybe one time that shoes should be removed.

Noo

I take mine off because im in a warm country and just kick off the flip flops when i get in the door. Some of my guests see my shoes and take off theirs as they have grown up with that type of thing but i certainly wouldnt ask them or expect them to. Even in ireland id take them off, you cant lounge about on the couch with your shoes on, thats barbaric!

Malayalam

Cadence Uninterested Summertime wrote: »

I'd find it very hard believe that this is anything more than a rarity though despite some thinking it's common or even becoming the norm.

In over 30 years of visiting god knows how many different houses/apartments of all sorts of different people I reckon it was pointed out at the door maybe one time that shoes should be removed.

Then again, you seem to find it very hard to believe you oughta change your jocks. :rolleyes:

_Dara_

keith_sixteen wrote: »

It's a question of basic hygiene. Shoes off is completely the norm all over Europe.

With hygiene, you need to consider cross-contamination.

Shoes worn on the floor in any house with no young children is fine. The risk of cross contamination is low unless there are children playing or crawling on the floor a lot.

How many people regularly clean their laptop keyboards? (I do) Wring out their kitchen cloth thoroughly before placing it over a tap to dry off and slow down bacterial growth? (I do) These are places that bacteria proliferate rapidly and you touch them with your hands much more than you do the floor.

Noo

Noo wrote: »

I take mine off because im in a warm country and just kick off the flip flops when i get in the door. Some of my guests see my shoes and take off theirs as they have grown up with that type of thing but i certainly wouldnt ask them or expect them to. Even in ireland id take them off, you cant lounge about on the couch with your shoes on, thats barbaric!

I don't think anyone is arguing that its not more comfortable when relaxing at home to take off your shoes. As I said earlier around the house I wear slippers etc and only socks when I'm lying across the couch which is how I watch TV but when I come in from work or what ever I'll walk in the kitchen and leave in my stuff, go upstairs if I need to drop things up there and potter around for a while its only when I would be going to change into relaxing clothes that I would go and get a pair of slippers and take off my shoes. Sometimes that might even be done upstairs if thats where I last left the slippers

Its the expectation that you can't cross the boundary of the front door with outdoor shoes or over the top hygiene issues or that visitors are expected to remove their shoes that people are arguing is way way over the top and not the done thing in Ireland.

Rigid "rules" like this would drive me mad!!

_Dara_ wrote: »

Shoes worn on the floor in any house with no young children is fine. The risk of cross contamination is low unless there are children playing or crawling on the floor a lot.

Any houses I frequent with small children everyone wears their outdoor shoes around the house (including the kids themsleves who are able to walk) and I never hear anyone getting the plague. IF anything its good for the kids to be exposed to the germs and bacteria.

odyssey06

_Dara_ wrote: »

With hygiene, you need to consider cross-contamination.
Shoes worn on the floor in any house with no young children is fine. The risk of cross contamination is low unless there are children playing or crawling on the floor a lot.
How many people regularly clean their laptop keyboards? (I do) Wring out their kitchen cloth thoroughly before placing it over a tap to dry off and slow down bacterial growth? (I do) These are places that bacteria proliferate rapidly and you touch them with your hands much more than you do the floor.

Will the floor ever be sterile though such that a child crawling on the floor won't be exposed one way or another to a ton of germs and bacteria of unknown severity? It seems like people are fighting a battle over a war they'll never win.

Even if people come into the hall in outdoor shoes, then change there into slippers, will the slippers not be tracking in some germs and bacteria from the hall? I doubt the hallway procedure will be at operating theatre levels of precision.

Mountainsandh

Here's me checking on the pizza the other night at a party at my friend's house

Sephiroth_dude

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Its ok if the visitor can and is happy doing so . But in my opinion it should be a choice . I for example cannot wear any footwear without an arch support and would struggle in slippers . I would make sure to wipe my shoes well and if it was snowy I would bring clean pair . Then I might struggle with it but would have to respect it .
Lately I was expecting Virgin technicians and knew they would have to stand on my cream carpet . So I put a rug down and hoped they would stand on it
They arrived with big wet boots and both took plastic ( like surgical ) over shoe protection out of their pockets and slipped them on in the porch ! I was impressed !

Well if you were a guest In my sisters house all you would have to do is explain that and it would be all good.

_Dara_

odyssey06 wrote: »

Will the floor ever be sterile though such that a child crawling on the floor won't be exposed one way or another to a ton of germs and bacteria of unknown severity? It seems like people are fighting a battle over a war they'll never win.

Even if people come into the hall in outdoor shoes, then change there into slippers, will the slippers not be tracking in some germs and bacteria from the hall? I doubt the hallway procedure will be at operating theatre levels of precision.

Yes, exactly.

And there is such inconsistency. Nobody licks the floor but people are like "OMG, shoes on a floor, gross" whilst pawing their most likely filthy smartphones and laptop keyboards and handling coins that have been who-knows-where.

hognef

PandaPoo wrote: »

My mam has really smelly feet

Maybe removing her shoes occasionally might help?

Graces7

Wondrering how the thread morphed into nox's hygiene habiits :rolleyes:

John_Rambo

Graces7 wrote: »

Wondrering how the thread morphed into nox's hygiene habiits :rolleyes:

It's hilarious... but from what I can remember of his millions of posts about his personal life he keeps a cold house. Much like most Irish people did in the 70's. (Nox sort of lives in the 70's in a lot of ways) That might abate the rot longer than usual. And, in fairness, some houses I visit are like saunas. Heating on constantly.

LirW

John_Rambo wrote: »

It's hilarious... but from what I can remember of his millions of posts about his personal life he keeps a cold house. Much like most Irish people did in the 70's. (Nox sort of lives in the 70's in a lot of ways) That might abate the rot longer than usual. And, in fairness, some houses I visit are like saunas. Heating on constantly.

Honestly, I don't believe nox is real, he kind of turned into my favourite troll in his own bizarre ways (favourite comments contain something along the lines of 2000 sqft houses are very small).

nice_guy80

Shoes off
We even designed our new house with that in mind...

Mountainsandh

nice_guy80 wrote: »

Shoes off
We even designed our new house with that in mind...

With a decontaminating chamber ?:pac:



Sorry, couldn't resist.

Graces7

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Tbh the whole ordeal to get into your home would really put me off, I couldn't feel comfortable inside, it would feel like the shoes off-slippers on were the first hurdle, and that other stringent possibly unspoken (even worse) rules would follow.
I'd be on edge thinking : maybe I shouldn't touch this, I shouldn't leave my cup there, I don't know what to do with my coat, is it ok to sit like that ? is that cushion just an ornament ? ...

Fair enough when you're visiting a very different nation, presumably one travels to discover other cultures with respect, but in Ireland, that's just hardship.

Ordeal? Do you not eg take your coat off?
Hardship?

Graces7

LirW wrote: »

Honestly, I don't believe nox is real, he kind of turned into my favourite troll in his own bizarre ways (favourite comments contain something along the lines of 2000 sqft houses are very small).

He is real. There was a whole thread on " How often do you shower" way back and all this was in there too .

Graces7

Cadence Uninterested Summertime wrote: »

I live with my oh and work in close proximity with people everyday which of couse is not an issue as the fact is there is no BO or smells or what ever else the washaholics what to say. It's actually very frustrating to constantly read these sorts of replies when they bare no connection whatsoever to the reality. in ways I'd like to meet some of the shower obsessed posters and show them how wrong they are.

In my experience even for people who shower everyday it's rare especially for women with long hair to wash their hair anymore often about every 3 days so I would very much disagree with your "majority of people".
The fact is people are conditioned to think a daily shower is as essential as breathing, however this is nonsense and many people realise that a shower every 2 or 3 days is perfectly fine and does not result in any bad smells especially if you are able to use antiperspirant which I'm sure most people are nowadays.
Of couse if you feel you need to shower everyday do it but no need to make out those who don't are wrong.

Ok so do you WASH in between showers? I mean like every morning? Maybe we are misjudging?

Graces7

odyssey06 wrote: »

Will the floor ever be sterile though such that a child crawling on the floor won't be exposed one way or another to a ton of germs and bacteria of unknown severity? It seems like people are fighting a battle over a war they'll never win.

Even if people come into the hall in outdoor shoes, then change there into slippers, will the slippers not be tracking in some germs and bacteria from the hall? I doubt the hallway procedure will be at operating theatre levels of precision.

Not talking re sterile. Cats and dogs can carry eg toxoplasmosis that is easily carried in without knowing it on outdoor shoes. From residue of their poo etc. Can be fatal to kids and cause eg miscarriages to women .

google toxoplasmosis/shoes.

Graces7

lulu1 wrote: »

That's the difference you like myself have a home that you can live in not a showhouse. I would eat the doughnut without blowing:D

Unless the dog got there first.. floor food is her's by law

Mountainsandh

Graces7 wrote: »

Ordeal? Do you not eg take your coat off?
Hardship?

As I said earlier, yes, with psoriatic arthritis putting on or off shoes is an ordeal. My back and one of my hips, and feet are sore most days. Knees depending on what flare is the flavour of the week.
Coat can be an ordeal depending on whether the shoulder is sore that day.
My hands are always sore so lacing up anything is a chore anytime.

I still like to call on people occasionally.

Anyway, none of my friends have houses where you have to take off your shoes so far, so I guess it's part of the equation that you tend to choose friends who have the same benchmarks in life. We all evolve in our bacteria ridden houses quite happily in my circle of friends.

Toxoplasmosis is actually quite a mild ailment most of the time, and most people don't even notice they have it. That's why in France women are routinely tested at the beginning of a pregnancy, since they might have had it without knowing and already be immunized.

Graces7

Mountainsandh wrote: »

As I said earlier, yes, with psoriatic arthritis putting on or off shoes is an ordeal. My back and one of my hips, and feet are sore most days. Knees depending on what flare is the flavour of the week.
Coat can be an ordeal depending on whether the shoulder is sore that day.
My hands are always sore so lacing up anything is a chore anytime.


Toxoplasmosis is actually quite a mild ailment most of the time, and most people don't even notice they have it. That's why in France women are routinely tested at the beginning of a pregnancy, since they might have had it without knowing and already be immunized.

:eek: Not true.