How To Get People To Take Their Shoes Off At The Door
A guest steps just inside your door, looks at your bare feet, and asks if they should take their shoes off. Awkward! If you say yes, you feel aggressive and demanding but you also don’t enjoy cleaning your floors. So, how do you get people to take their shoes off at the door, without feeling weird?
We moved from a 1969 square foot home into a 1200 square foot apartment for 6 months and then into a 3,800 square foot home. You GUYS! That’s a lot of floor to clean and I’m a little bit LAZY when it comes to cleaning the house. Don’t get me wrong, our house is clean but I look for ways to keep it clean LONGER so I don’t have to clean as OFTEN!
One of the ways I attempt to keep the floors clean is by having a NO SHOES HOUSE!
There must be an EASY way to get guests to take off their shoes.
How To Get People To Take Their Shoes Off At The Door
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1) Take Your Shoes Off!
Seriously! I know it’s your home but, if you expect guests to take off their shoes, you can’t have your shoes on!
2) Leave Shoes At The Door
Certainly, you have a designated spot for your own shoes, tucked away in a closet. When guests are expected, leave your shoes at the door. Shoes beget shoes. Leave shoes by the door and watch the pile grow!
3) Provide Shoe Covers
We recently checked out the Portland Street of Dreams and, boy, those houses were nice! Of course, most of the homes required shoe covers, before entry. The funny thing is, we saw a lady walking on the street with her shoe covers on. I think that defeats the whole purpose!
Perhaps your guest has smelly feet or holy socks. A small basket full of shoe covers will be a nice option for them! Just be sure to let them know your house is NOT for sale!
4) Put Socks In A Basket
A basket with a few new pairs of cozy socks may be inviting enough to get the shoes off your guests!
5) Place A Bench Or Chair By The Door
A few of us might have lost the ability to stand like a flamingo while wrangling a shoe. A comfy chair will help your guest remove their shoes and keep your floors clean longer!
6) Find A Fun Sign To Put By The Door
From door mats to silly signs, you can get the message across without saying a single word!
I have created an 8 x 10 No Shoes printable!
Get Your No Shoes House Printable Here!
Place the No Shoes House Printable in an 8-1/2 x 11 frame and place it, strategically, by the front door.
The Health Aspect Of A No Shoes House
We work hard to keep toxins out of our homes and bodies by making our own cleaners, buying the right laundry detergent, using aluminum-free deodorant, buying organic, and the list goes on and on. Why on earth would we allow gross gunk in our homes, through shoes?
Real good Idea that you are a no shoes house. This rule will help keep your house clean, and it will also be more comfortable. I am curious however, if you and your family wear slippers, socks, house shoes, or be in your bare feet in the house? What about when guests visit. Is anything ok as long as they remove their shoes?
@William Speare, we do all of the above, depending on the weather! Guests usually have socks on!
We have a no shoes home. Relatives and friends know the rule. The first time they visited they were told in advance so it was not an issue when they arrived. If a first time guest arrives with one of us, we say as we are slipping off our shoes “lets leave our shoes here.” If a new visitor shows up unannounced and they do not notice we are shoeless and offer to do likewise, we simply say “Would you mind taking off your shoes, house rule.” Never been an issue