Different cultures have different attitudes to behaviors in a home, and a challenging one can be knowing whether you should take off your shoes before entering.
It’s always good manners to show respect to your host, and removing your shoes is expected by many families of Asian, European and Middle Eastern heritage. For others, it’s a personal choice to ask prospective buyers to take off their shoes before a property inspection.
So is it really just cultural or personal preference? Or is there a bigger impact and something we should all consider?
Recent research alarmingly shows that shoes hold an untold number of bacteria and viruses that get left behind in carpet and on tiles.
A University of Arizona study found 96% of all shoes carried bacteria, including E. coli, which can cause meningitis, diarrheal disease and even intestinal and urinary tract infections. Worse, the study found more germs come into the home from shoes than are left behind on handles and knobs by visitors.
If you’re selling a home, it’s your choice whether to insist on buyers leaving their shoes at the door, but here are some pros and cons.
Pros
- Asking for shoes to be removed prevents germs coming into the home unnecessarily. Amazingly, germs can last day and weeks in a home. Worse, viruses can live for months without a regularly cleaning routine.
- You retain your own expectation of visitor behavior, regardless of whether they’re a buyer.
- The need to clean floors frequently to prevent the spread of germs is minimized when folks take off their shoes inside a home.
Cons
- Your prospective buyers might not be comfortable with the request.
- Some folks might believe they’re being asked to accept a level of intimacy that’s inappropriate.
- Objections may be raised if buyers believe they’re only staying for a short period and removal of footwear is unnecessary.
So what’s the best way to handle it? If you really feel strongly about asking visitors to remove their shoes, make sure there’s a safe place for them to leave their shoes that’s out of the weather, and perhaps a place for them to sit to put them back on at the end.
Ideally, make it a request rather than a rule and make sure your selling agent knows to share the information with any prospective buyers and their agents so they’re not caught unawares.
Finally, be prepared to give the floor a quick mop afterwards if potential buyers insist on wearing their shoes indoors. If they make a good offer and decide to buy the home, your tolerance will have been worth it.