Hubby and I do the same thing. We got one of these from Ikea. It's pretty small and thin so it works great in our entry way. We ask people to take their shoes off and put them in the cabinet.

At first people thought it was a bit odd, but they obliged. They know now and do it automatically.

Isn't the pile just temporary while you have guests? I don't focus on that for the brief period of time I'm entertaining. They'll all, presumably, be gone the next morning. Just provide a large enough rug out of the pathway for them to line up on.

Just to add, I understand not wanting a pile. I have diagnosed OCD and my house must be clean and orderly. I needed somewhere for the shoes to go while people were over so I wasn't obsessing over the need to organize them by color, size, person, etc.

Jenna, I understand if you have a mental disorder that prevents you from enjoying your evening otherwise. It seems your solution is a good one in your case. If the OP has the same type of issues, then your suggestion may work for her.

Perhaps if there is a real need to have them out of sight, maybe you have room in the entryway for a storage bench where the lid lifts and shoes can be placed inside. You could line the inside with boot trays or some other waterproof material.

I think this is kind of location dependent. In an area with snow, I would be annoyed if a host asked me to put my shoes in a pile or in a storage bench, as then I'm leaving with shoes that have been dirtied from everyone else's dirty shoes. We have pulled out a shoe rack when we have enough guests to require it. I also like the hemnes shoe rack. We always remove shoes in our home and other people's homes.

We have a no shoes home and everyone’s shoes do end up in scattered mess near the door. What seems to work for us is that we have a really big rug near the door where we enter so shoes don’t get piled on top of each other but rather “lined up” to the side. When guests come over we do ask they take their shoes off too so usually they’ll just leave them on the same rug with our shoes. In fact just having shoes at the door makes it less awkward to ask people to remove their shoes since many just see this and do it on their own.

I would say just have them lined up against the wall on a shoe/boot tray - since these are shoes that have been warned outside, don't put them on any kind of stacked system, which might lead to stuff from an upper shoe being dripped onto a lower shoe. I have an Ikea shoe cabinet, but I don't use it for shoes that have been worn outside, for that same reason. If they must be out of sight, use a closet, or put the shoe tray under a bench.

You're already asking your guests to forgo their footwear, don't make them go out of their way to clean your front hallway either. Make it simple and easy.

The problem with a pile of shoes at the door is that they constitute a trip hazard since no one is used to them being there. Also messy looking.

We’re definitely a shoes off house, been that way for a long time. We enter our house through a room that connects the garage to the main part of the house, it’s also the door closest to the driveway so we try to direct our guests this way instead of the front door. We have a bench, coat rack, and large area rug in this room. We all leave our shoes near the coat rack just scattered on the rug. It’s not the neatest but it works for our family. We do expect our guests to remove their shoes too when visiting. Since the room is large enough there is always room to add more shoes to the rug. My kids have had dozens of friends over and there has never been an issue with having all the shoes left in the entry. Most guests visit regularly and just know the drill, first time guests if they don’t make a move to remove their shoes on their own I will ask. I just make it casual and say “hi come on in, coats go here and just put your shoes anywhere on the rug after you take them off.”

Do you offer inside slippers to guests at the door?

Husband and I dont wear outside shoes in our home. ( we have been doing this for 25 years). All our guests know it is optional if they choose to wear or not wear their shoes in our home. The shoes are left inside by the door. Its intetesting to see this practice going mainstream now!

"Husband and I dont wear outside shoes in our home. ( we have been doing this for 25 years). All our guests know it is optional if they choose to wear or not wear their shoes in our home."

Yup - I am always shoeless inside my home (usually sockless too), and my guests have always had the option. It would never occur to me to enforce a dress code on them. I haven't worn shoes inside for over 40 years - but I'd probably not wear shoes outside either, if it was safe.

And I spend time maintaining my house and prefer not to have whatever is all over the bottom of your shoes spread throughout my house. 🤷🏻‍♀️

"And I spend time maintaining my house and prefer not to have whatever is all over the bottom of your shoes spread throughout my house. 🤷🏻‍♀️:

So you value the time you spend maintaining your home over the time you spend with your friends, and helping your friends feel comfortable.......Understood.

We wear socks and slippers in the house, but with just the two of us now it is manageable. I don’t ask guests to.
A side story. I had a friend remarry and invite us to dinner. Her new husband and thus they had a no shoes policy in their home. My friend had not told us ahead of time so I spent the entire evening in bare feet on cold stone floors. I would have brought socks if I had known.

I have to agree with @A D.

It's my home not my friends/family's. I take pride in the cleanliness of my home and part of that is the floor and rugs. While I love my friends and family, and want to have them visit, I don't think it's too much to ask to take off shoes when you come in the door. I guess if a friend or family member is going to cause a ruckus about it, they don't have to visit, but I'd hope they would and would respect the rules of our home.

Two different points of view - neither of which is wrong.

I take my shoes off when in someone's home out of respect for them and their home. In fact, for my job, I am in people's home on a daily basis. Most people I encounter would prefer for me to remove my shoes for the same reasons I have. And for some people, it is a cultural thing to remove your shoes.

I know only one person that asked me to remove my shoes....and that was a tiny apartment with 2 crawling babies. Seriously....no one i know has a "no shoes" house. And I live where it snows. Now in really icky weather people automatically remove shoes or boots, but as a regular thing? nope.

Some people have feet issues that require them to wear shoes like my husband who has plantar fasciitis. If he goes for extended periods without shoes he ends up limping

@Kathy Harrington, that is true; a tip - can try wearing shoe insert (e.g., Birkenstock) inside of socks (directly on foot), even when sleeping, to temporarily go shoeless. Had it work to help cure PF!

Great idea. Wear these in shoes but never thought about inside socks