I need a "please remove your shoes" sign asap

Everytime I'm in a house where it is mandatory to remove shoes, I get grossed out by looking at people's barefeet, and think that the barefeet of people wearing sandals all day or runners without socks - must be more disgusting and dirty than the shoes themselves. Of course, to each his own, but I don't want my babies crawling where your potentially athlete's foot ridden, fungus crawling feet have just been. ETA: And I certainly don't want to share a slipper with you! Yuck! edited by glenfiddich on 27/01/2012 i feel the same as you, and, omg this thread reminds me of my Mom!!!! My Mom is notorious--and has zero shame for saying "Emmmm...we take our shoes off hereeee.." in her cutesy way (not really) to anyone who should miss the line-up of footwear in the foyer. Could be a church deacon, one of my dates, my 97 year old grandma (feet don't touch the floor half the time, god rest her soul, she took her shoes off if she had to nearly fall doing so!). One time Mom was yelling at the plumber, who needed to get in our basement, and he told her that he got more s*** from her than he saw all week. I was not allowed to wear shoes without socks as long as I lived under that roof, because she didn't want to see my feet, plus she feels wearing any shoes without a form of hosiery is disgusting and it ruins shoes permanently. Oddly enough, she also made me wear socks in the pool. I still don't get that one. despised that! I love my flip flops, but omg---when I come home, I run to scrub my feet!!. My husband is the same way. We call the condition "Egypt feet" but it's too long a story...just imagine. Anyways, with off-white marble floors, the last thing I want is to see dirt or barefoot prints. So I feel like I am 9 years old again, living in socks. :) In fact if anyone knows where to get knee-high fuzzy ones, I am kind of a sock-a-holic :)

lol - number of times husband googles something and shrieks - they're quoting your whinging website !!! Did we ever out the journo last time EW posters got quoted ? can't remember now... sheer laziness if you ask me...

Glenfiddich, I applaud your media debut - could be the beginning of big things! :D EW... Watch your typing fingers... They're watching... :D i was googling something random the other day and it brought up an ew thread, it wasn't even a dubai thing.... :\:

one more reason for shoes off, I always thought the walls between our villas were well insulated for noise until we got new neighbours (who are actually asian, our previous were european). The new neighbours obviously do wear shoes inside as we can constantly hear then clip-clopping up and down the stairs whereas we never heard a thing before in over 2 years.

http://www.emirates247.com/lifestyle/health/will-you-let-visitors-walk-in-with-shoes-into-your-home-2012-02-04-1.441073 LOL EW are in the news again [i'>On Expatwoman, a website for female expats all over the world, one woman accurately describes why it is that she rather has shoes than feet: "I get grossed out by looking at people's bare feet, and think that the bare feet of people wearing sandals all day or runners without socks - must be more disgusting and dirty than the shoes themselves. Of course, to each his own, but I don't want my babies crawling where your potentially athlete's foot ridden, fungus crawling feet have just been." [/i'> I made the news!!! Soooo proud!

http://www.emirates247.com/lifestyle/health/will-you-let-visitors-walk-in-with-shoes-into-your-home-2012-02-04-1.441073 LOL EW are in the news again (glenfiddich you are famous ;) ) [i'>On Expatwoman, a website for female expats all over the world, one woman accurately describes why it is that she rather has shoes than feet: "I get grossed out by looking at people's bare feet, and think that the bare feet of people wearing sandals all day or runners without socks - must be more disgusting and dirty than the shoes themselves. Of course, to each his own, but I don't want my babies crawling where your potentially athlete's foot ridden, fungus crawling feet have just been." [/i'> <em>edited by Alismum on 04/02/2012</em>

Has anyone seen such a sign here? I have seen lots of nice ones on Amazon but it'll take quite some time for it to reach. Don't want more embarrassing moments with my guests especially with my newly cleaned carpets. Any recommendations? TIA Hi. I have seen such sign in "Minute" in Murdif city center, they do different type of signs, just name it they will do. I think in Batuta Mall they do as well. I think u may be the only poster who actually answered OP question! :)

Has anyone seen such a sign here? I have seen lots of nice ones on Amazon but it'll take quite some time for it to reach. Don't want more embarrassing moments with my guests especially with my newly cleaned carpets. Any recommendations? TIA Hi. I have seen such sign in "Minute" in Murdif city center, they do different type of signs, just name it they will do. I think in Batuta Mall they do as well.

is this taking shoes off a cultural thing ? I've never expected my guests to remove their shoes, nor have i ever considered doing so myself in others' houses - unless of course i visited someone from a different culture (like you take shoes off in mosques etc...). And here we only have a couple of rugs - not carpets... And the baby thing ? I've had two children and i never once considered that i hadn't kept my floors adequately clean - do you not have door mats to wipe your feet ? in Thailand removal of shoes is commonplace, and everyone does it. It then becomes a habit, and I sae it in Singapore too. For me, I have no rules BUT if the shoes are dirty off they come....leave it to people to check. Any Asians coming into my home always remove their shoes....

Wasn't there a "*** in the City" episode about all this. If i remember correctly, Carrie went to a house party where children were toddling around on the floor and was asked to take her shoes off. She was mortified and even more so when her Manolos were stolen!

Funny you mention that SueB. This is now a new trend in iran, outdoor shoes are removed at the door and a pair of clean indoor ones are put on!

has anyone thought of the option of......having a bowl of soapy water by the door with a cloth and towels. Wash the bottom of their shoes and voila..no problems...or, take an inside pair of shoes you know are clean and change into those when you arrive :)..there is always a solution. btw, I would never ask someone to remove their shoes THEN ask the to wash their feet lol...... <em>edited by SueB on 28/01/2012</em>

well, i guess this could go on for ever - there will always be two sides lol..but i have to say from a purely personal point of view i would much prefer to see my guests' shoes than their bare feet and since we live in a place where so many ppl wear flipflops/sandals, for reasons of hygiene AND appearance (ewwww !!) i'm quite happy for my guests to keep their footwear ON !!

I Keep in mind too that some people have stinky feet and might be a bit embarrassed if forced to take their shoes off (DH is like this in certain shoes). In my culture your guest is supposed to feel "at home" in your home so asking them to remove their shoes would certainly be considered rude (in that the host is putting their own comfort before that of the guest and also drawing attention to the fact that the guest has offended them) . Not only that, but some people experience foot pain when walking barefoot on these hard tile floors. Both my mother and my DH were advised by the podiatrist to never walk barefoot on hard floors due to plantar fascitis (spelling?). I am fine taking my shoes off at other people's homes if that is what they require, but was a bit taken aback recently when I did so at someone's house and my feet got filthy just walking around their place. :\: Next time I am wearing socks!

We're Australian and have always taken shoes off at the door...we're 'city kids' but grew up part time in the country and especially there, nobody wears shoes in the house. It's all about leaving the dirt, dust and sheep poo outside. ;) Country folk are too busy to sweep the floors ten times a day. I didn't mind either way when we were in Dubai and the one 'precious' carpet that I had just got rolled up and put aside whenever I hosted a lot of people. Most people took their shoes off at the door, but if they wore them in, no big deal for me. I lived in Tokyo for a while many moons ago. I used to giggle at the gym...on arrival, 'security' would check that everyone changed out of their street shoes at the door and into clean (inspected) gym shoes on a special mat just inside. :D

I'm from NZ too and always take my shoes off when going to someones house, not really for hygiene reasons though, I mean really, the soles of your shoes are far far less germy than the palms of your hands. Also in NZ its pretty common to walk around outside without shoes on, but we do not spit on the ground regardless and babies are allowed to crawl around outside so that concept is a bit redundant. As far as hygiene I'd be far more worried about the many people (cultures?) that seem to think its a good idea to touch my baby on the face, pinch his cheeks, hold his hand, kiss him on the cheek (or ask their kids to kiss him) or offer him a drink out of a shared cup or water bottle than what surface anyones shoes have touched. When its muddy, sandy, wet or dusty outside though taking off your shoes is a bit of a no-brainer I would have thought. I wouldn't go as far as a "shoes off" sign but most people see my shoes at the door and do the same. I don't really care if they don't, so long as they don't put their shoe clad feet on the couch ;) I do remember once being slightly offended when I went to visit an adult friend and was wearing (clean) long lace-up boots, was waiting 5 minutes for her to be ready for us to leave and her mother asked me to take off my boots. Lol by the time I took them off it was time to put them back on and I was pretty keen to get out of there and not come back. Keep in mind too that some people have stinky feet and might be a bit embarrassed if forced to take their shoes off (DH is like this in certain shoes). In my culture your guest is supposed to feel "at home" in your home so asking them to remove their shoes would certainly be considered rude (in that the host is putting their own comfort before that of the guest and also drawing attention to the fact that the guest has offended them) just like I'd never [b'>ask[/b'> a guest to take their cup to the dishwasher, or make their bed etc (even though I might consider them impolite for not doing so). It is a tricky one. I would [b'>never[/b'> wear someone else's slippers though, that really grosses me out and I hope I'm never asked to! A "shoes off" sign is probably a good idea, maybe by the doorbell. People will probably think you are a bit highly strung (even more so if you go to the effort of buying a proper sign ;) )but if its bugging you that much then its probably the least offensive way to let your guests know.

Wow, i can honestly say that i've never given this so much thought before. I grew up in Canada where it's common to not wear shoes inside. It's not for any hygienic or religious reasons specifically, it's just what you do. I never had to think about why i don't wear shoe's inside, but now i'm wondering why you would wear shoes inside? I suppose i could see you walking in the door and not wanting to take them off before you walk to the fridge to unload all your groceries, but what about when you wake up in the morning and get dressed after a shower... do you put them on before you even leave your room? what about winter boots. I assume you don't put those on in your bedroom, so do you put other shoes on to walk around the house in and then change before you go outside? Maybe thats where the Canadian tradition of taking shoes off began... maybe its because out East you couldn't wear your winter boots into the house because of the mud and snow... and by the time people migrated out west it just became the thing to do. It sounds very "little house on the prairie" but i suppose it was one of those things that the settlers took great pride in. The natives lived in TeePees or long houses with hard packed dirt floors and the settlers built houses with wooden plank floors that could be swept clean. Having a clean dirt free floor differentiated you from the natives and meant you have a settled place and were no longer in transit? so many historical implications... i don't know about others on this thread but i'm only talking about visitors - in my own home i don't wear shoes unless i've been out and then take them off later... i wouldn't put shoes on indoors unless i was going outside..

Wow, i can honestly say that i've never given this so much thought before. I grew up in Canada where it's common to not wear shoes inside. It's not for any hygienic or religious reasons specifically, it's just what you do. I never had to think about why i don't wear shoe's inside, but now i'm wondering why you would wear shoes inside? I suppose i could see you walking in the door and not wanting to take them off before you walk to the fridge to unload all your groceries, but what about when you wake up in the morning and get dressed after a shower... do you put them on before you even leave your room? what about winter boots. I assume you don't put those on in your bedroom, so do you put other shoes on to walk around the house in and then change before you go outside? Maybe thats where the Canadian tradition of taking shoes off began... maybe its because out East you couldn't wear your winter boots into the house because of the mud and snow... and by the time people migrated out west it just became the thing to do. It sounds very "little house on the prairie" but i suppose it was one of those things that the settlers took great pride in. The natives lived in TeePees or long houses with hard packed dirt floors and the settlers built houses with wooden plank floors that could be swept clean. Having a clean dirt free floor differentiated you from the natives and meant you have a settled place and were no longer in transit? so many historical implications...

if anyone from a different culture invited me into their house then of course i would be prepared to take my shoes off, if that's what they do...But by the same token, i would hope that they would understand we are from different cultures and wouldn't get offended if i didn't automatically know what's expected.. But all this is different to people of my own cultural background insisting on it because they have posh carpets or a crawling baby...in those cases it can seem a bit precious imo...

I hope others may take from this not to be offended if they're asked to remove shoes at someone's house though, I can see why OP feels the need to have a sign as there's such a mix of cultures here, and people may feel that she is being rude asking to remove shoes, when really she isn't. I have a friend who comes to stay and doesn't remove shoes not only when in the house but also when sitting on the sofa, on beds etc which drives me MAD but is honestly completely unaware that I find that rude, I can tolerate people keeping their shoes on in my house, but when they're up on the furniture is where I draw the line.

3. I would also never be so rude as to ask my friends / guests to remove their shoes before entering my house. If I was so precious I wouldn't have invited them round int the first place. But in other cultures it's considered rude not to remove your shoes before entering someone's home. It's not about being precious, it's about what is acceptable in various cultures. Everyone has the right to continue their own traditions/cultures in their own homes, and I think it's only fair for people to respect that.

1. I agree with Simples. You can't keep germs away from a toddler....they attract them like magnets. They need them to build up their immune system. 2. I also agree that I find wearing someone else's slippers pretty gross. 3. I would also never be so rude as to ask my friends / guests to remove their shoes before entering my house. If I was so precious I wouldn't have invited them round int the first place. but u see there is no[i'> right[/i'> or wrong here(at least I like to think there isn't), It is a clash/mix of cultures I supose..I grew up same as some other posters, taking ones shoes is normal and it's not even specialy pointed out . It is just understood.I was horrfied to see ppl walk in thier shoes straight into thier homes, when visiting some western countries back many moons ago. I have learned since, and will go with the flow, I understand the differences. I would not dare leaving shoes on my feet back home, unless hosts absolutely insisted for whatever reason...that would be so rude, to walk in and keep walking in my hosts house in my shoes...unimaginable..just make sure your socks have no holes and feet are clean ;) ppl will generaly have tolerance for newbies/foreigners who don't do "taking ones shoes" as my family and friends had for my north American DH...:)my mum eventually got some house slippers for him to keep in her place...he loved it..

is this taking shoes off a cultural thing ? '>? It is also cultural I think... from memory, when growing up we always took our shoes off when visiting guests and they too when visiting our home, I still ask if people want me to remove my shoes, but don't care if people keep their shoes on in my house, and don't ask them to remove them either, if they want to though thats fine too... Where did you grow up, SAS? Hey simpleasabc! how are you? NZ but my father and many of his friends are eastern european. I'm OK, though, as you know, totally unsatisfactory :( Huge family problems so have to go to London for a bit. Hopefully won't need to return via a funeral in Athens.. And you? Did you go home for the hols? Ah, so we're thinking it may be Eastern European as well as Asian? No it's a Kiwi thing too. In the Maori culture you don't wear shoes inside. At school you used to be asked to take your shoes off before going on to carpeted areas. My husband wears his shoes in our house, it drives me crazy but for him culturally he thinks it's rude to be asked to take them off.

There's a really simple solution - don't have carpets, have rugs that you can roll up and move out the way before people come over. I'd also never dream of asking people to remove their shoes, unless of course they've been wandering through a muddy field, but we have dogs so they bring in more dirt and grime than any person would. I also agree that you can't wrap children up in cotton wool, as I said in another post, that's why so many little ones have rubbish immune systems these days, they're not exposed to anything. I grew up on a farm, we were always covered in mud and whatever else there was in it, you just couldn't get away from it.

is that also cultural thing when families keep their shoes outside of the apartment here? i understand when the maintenance guys leave the shoes to the hallway but having shoes permanently stored outside?

SAS, hope you've found lovely new horizons, more than satisfactory :) Best of luck:)

is this taking shoes off a cultural thing ? '>? It is also cultural I think... from memory, when growing up we always took our shoes off when visiting guests and they too when visiting our home, I still ask if people want me to remove my shoes, but don't care if people keep their shoes on in my house, and don't ask them to remove them either, if they want to though thats fine too... Where did you grow up, SAS? Hey simpleasabc! how are you? NZ but my father and many of his friends are eastern european. I'm OK, though, as you know, totally unsatisfactory :( Huge family problems so have to go to London for a bit. Hopefully won't need to return via a funeral in Athens.. And you? Did you go home for the hols? Ah, so we're thinking it may be Eastern European as well as Asian? I didn't actually know that as I'm also no longer in attendance, although when I was last there all was satisfactory for you. Sorry to hear about your family and hope all is OK soon. Didn't go home as had family over here, which was still nice. Looks like shoes off is common in lots of places (found this on google): in many parts of the world, it is the custom to remove one's shoes when entering a home. Nobody has to ask guests and visitors to do this; everybody in those countries knows that is what they are supposed to do. Most people associate this custom with Asian countries such as Japan, Thailand or India. Yet it is practiced in other parts of the world too. In some African countries and in much of the Middle East it is common. In Eastern European countries such as Russia, Slovakia and Bulgaria, guests will change from outdoor shoes to slippers. Moving west, removing shoes is almost universally practiced in Scandinavian and Nordic countries. Removing shoes is very common in much of Canada. It is also common in the northern parts of the United States and of course, in Hawaii, everybody leaves their slippers (flip flops) at the door. <em>edited by STILLadviceseeker on 27/01/2012</em>

is this taking shoes off a cultural thing ? '>? It is also cultural I think... from memory, when growing up we always took our shoes off when visiting guests and they too when visiting our home, I still ask if people want me to remove my shoes, but don't care if people keep their shoes on in my house, and don't ask them to remove them either, if they want to though thats fine too... Where did you grow up, SAS? Hey simpleasabc! how are you? NZ but my father and many of his friends are eastern european. I'm OK, though, as you know, totally unsatisfactory :( Huge family problems so have to go to London for a bit. Hopefully won't need to return via a funeral in Athens.. And you? Did you go home for the hols? Ah, so we're thinking it may be Eastern European as well as Asian?

Everytime I'm in a house where it is mandatory to remove shoes, I get grossed out by looking at people's barefeet, and think that the barefeet of people wearing sandals all day or runners without socks - must be more disgusting and dirty than the shoes themselves. Of course, to each his own, but I don't want my babies crawling where your potentially athlete's foot ridden, fungus crawling feet have just been. ETA: And I certainly don't want to share a slipper with you! Yuck! edited by glenfiddich on 27/01/2012 LOL! your post cracked me up! Crikey, I empathized so much I'm still feeling sick!