Parents with Greasy Shoes

[mac60]

I don't have much of a foyer in my house. I have put a 5 x 7 brown area rug in front of the door so there is ample room for parents/kids to stand to take off shoes and coats. I have a dad that works on equipment in a shop, and he has been coming in with extremely dirty shoes on. Today it was really bad, black grease all over my area rug. It is snowy and wet outside, so his shoes are also wet along with greasy, this isn't the first time it has happened, it has happened several times so far this winter.

Why am I such a weiny in speaking up about the dirty shoes/grease on carpets. GRR. I need a backbone.

My hubby said why don't you put down that hard plastic runner......I don't want to, my living room is small, and I already have to look at a stupid 5 x 7 area rug, I don't want a hunk of hard plastic there too.

Why can't parents just be considerate, change your shoes before you pick up, or don't come in. Really burns me.

[gbcc]

I have been a wieny about sticky up as well. Then I get really mad though because if they respected us we wouldn't have to stick up for our home and property. Sometimes they act like they are walking into a walmart or something.

Could you put a cheap rug that can get ruined outside your doorstep with a sign that says please wipe your feet before entering?

[momma2girls]

I wish I had a solution for you, but I don't.

[originalkat]

People dont think...

I dont see HOW people dont think about this...they just dont. I dont think its about whether he respects you or your property; it's just his shoes and your brown rug are not on his mind. Or who knows, maybe he thinks its okay since you have a special rug to catch the dirt. My only suggestion short of saying something would be provide those hospital paper booties in a box right outside your door with a cute sign at eye level saying "If your shoes are covered in soot, please cover your foot" HAHA...probably something better than that, but it could get him thinking without pointing it out directly to him.

[DBug]

I have the opposite problem -- it's -20C (I'm not sure what that is in Farenheit, but it's cold!), and one dad stands outside the door, with the door open, while his daughter gets ready to go. She takes at least 10 - 15 minutes. Argh! For him it may be a cultural thing, but still -- it's cold out!

For those who do actually come in and shut the door, I have a clear plastic runner over my carpet. My carpet still shows through, so it's not as visually obvious as an area rug, but it still does the job. Perhaps something similar would help?

[ConcernedMotherof2]

Mac60, the sign idea sounds like a good one. You could be creative and come up with something cute that the kids can help you decorate while you laugh with them and tell them that you don't need ucky shoes dirtying up their play area. You may also send a note home politely asking all parents to take their shoes off if they are going to enter your home or telling them that you may have to raise rates in order to pay for carpet cleaning to remove the dirt.

Good luck. I guess some adults are worse than toddlers... you have to tell them over and over.

[laundryduchess@yahoo.com]

I have black towels, (the ones we use to dry the camper, dog, cars,.. ) that I throw down for wet and snowy shoes. I would just stop him at the door when he came in and say,.. hang on,.. Let me put this down for you, I can throw this in the washer. and my rug wont get dirty from grease and oil. And leave it at that. If a parents stands with the door open I say,.. I have babies on the floor, in or out. and I smile. If parents cant respect me,.. they can find someone who doesnt love their kids like I do.

[mac60]

GRR, the situation is no better, it is worse, he has tracked in grease several times since my first post. I had to leave today, hubby cared for the kids for a short while. This dad came and picked up. There was grease everywhere. I was so pissed. It took a lot of scrubbing and the carpet shampooer before it came out.

I went and bought the plastic runner, and it will not work. It won't stay in place and I find it to be slippery. I am going to put a big throw rug on top of the area rug so I can wash it each week. I HOPE HE KEEPS HIS RUDE ASS ON IT!!!!!! (sorry, very frustrated at this point). I just hate putting a sign up, because it is just one parent that does this, all the other people are very considerate of their feet.

My husband asked....How can he NOT see what he is tracking in......I bet he doesn't do that at home......I am sure he doesn't, his wife would hit him up side the head....literally

[PositvityRuLes]

Grrr..

GRR, the situation is no better, it is worse, he has tracked in grease several times since my first post. I had to leave today, hubby cared for the kids for a short while. This dad came and picked up. There was grease everywhere. I was so pissed. It took a lot of scrubbing and the carpet shampooer before it came out.

I went and bought the plastic runner, and it will not work. It won't stay in place and I find it to be slippery. I am going to put a big throw rug on top of the area rug so I can wash it each week. I HOPE HE KEEPS HIS RUDE ASS ON IT!!!!!! (sorry, very frustrated at this point). I just hate putting a sign up, because it is just one parent that does this, all the other people are very considerate of their feet.

My husband asked....How can he NOT see what he is tracking in......I bet he doesn't do that at home......I am sure he doesn't, his wife would hit him up side the head....literally

You should greet him at the door with a pair of grocery bags, 1 for each greasy foot!

[momma2girls]

GRR, the situation is no better, it is worse, he has tracked in grease several times since my first post. I had to leave today, hubby cared for the kids for a short while. This dad came and picked up. There was grease everywhere. I was so pissed. It took a lot of scrubbing and the carpet shampooer before it came out.

I went and bought the plastic runner, and it will not work. It won't stay in place and I find it to be slippery. I am going to put a big throw rug on top of the area rug so I can wash it each week. I HOPE HE KEEPS HIS RUDE ASS ON IT!!!!!! (sorry, very frustrated at this point). I just hate putting a sign up, because it is just one parent that does this, all the other people are very considerate of their feet.

My husband asked....How can he NOT see what he is tracking in......I bet he doesn't do that at home......I am sure he doesn't, his wife would hit him up side the head....literally

I would certainly tell him about his boots, and what you had to go thru to get it off!! Maybe he can take them off just outside your door.

[Kim]

I'm a stickler for this. My home day care is a shoe free facility. I don't want the little ones crawling around on whatever was stuck on the bottom of someone's shoes- pesticides, fecal matter, you get the drift. I have a cutesy sign by the door that say that I am a shoe free facility and to please remove your shoes upon entering. No one has ever had a problem with it. No way would I want my home ruined like that. I would definitely say something and ask if maybe he could change shoes or remove them upon entering.

Side note- my DH is a mechanic and changes his shoes before leaving work. It's not that difficult.

[MARSTELAC]

You poor thing! I too have an issue similar (not as bad). A friend made me a big, nice laminated sign for right when you walk in to my foyer that there are to be no shoes the house. Doesn't work! They think they can walk all over my house with their d*&^ dirty shoes and I know for a fact they don't wear shoes in their homes! Even when I do have a spine some days and say something, they just laugh it off and say "oh, my shoes are clean". They don't care! :-(

[DCMomOf3]

I have a dad that will leave his shoes outside, which is very considerate! Could you ask for that, or suggest they call when they are on their way so you can have their child ready?

[AfterSchoolMom]

I wouldn't think it would be a big deal just to say "hey, could you please either take off your shoes or stay here on this rug - thanks". If he asks why, just say that there was grease on the carpet and that you had to shampoo it. Don't make a big deal out of it and hopefully he won't either. It would be absolutely ridiculous for him to get mad about that!

[Crystal]

I would take a picture of the mess he left, print it out, hand it to him at next drop off or pick up and say, this is what I have to spend my time cleaning up after you leave my home. I would prefer to focus on the children rather than cleaning, so I am requesting that you either remove your shoe when coming into my home, or not leave the entryway when you pick your child up.