Apartment Cleanliness: Making Guests Remove their Shoes

Because apartment living can be cramped and small, apartment cleanliness is extremely important to keeping your small space looking like a presentable space. Additionally, because you do not own the apartment, your landlord will expect to have the apartment returned to him in the condition for which you received it. Because the carpet is the most noticeable of all dirt holders in your apartment, and easy to destroy, you are going to have to lay down some strict ground rules about not allowing any shoes on the carpet.

Hang a Friendly Sign

Hanging a sign that tells guests that they need to remove their shoes before entering is a friendly way of accomplishing what you want without being pushy or rude. Friendly signs like “Your Paws are Welcome Here, but Not Your Shoes” are a nice way of saying what you want guests to know without actually having to say it.

Not only does hanging a friendly sign tell guests what you want them to do, but is also adds to the decorum and the comfy and cozy feeling of your apartment. The sign is inviting, yet it is right to the point.

While some guests can be uncomfortable about taking their shoes off, others will understand that you are simply trying to keep your apartment clean. Hopefully you can make those who are uncomfortable understand by using a decorative sign.

Display Your Shoes at the Front Door

Another sneaky trick to getting guests to remove their shoes is to lay out about three or four pairs of your own shoes at the front door. It does not matter if you intend to use them or not, the point is to let others no that you leave your shoes at the front door and that you expect them to do the same.

This trick actually allows your guests to observe your habits of cleanliness without you actually having to tell them. In most cases, the first place that people usually look when they enter your apartment is right in front of them. So, if they can happen to see your shoes lying there at the door, they may be inclined to ask if they should remove their shoes, as well.

Lay Down a Greeting Rug

Having a greeting rug is a great way to invite people to wipe off their shoes when they enter your home. Sayings like “Wipe Your Shoes Here and Enter with Your Feet” are a great way of telling people that you would appreciate it if they could take their shoes off before entering your apartment.

If you would like to make the rug a dual purpose rug, try picking out different rugs for different holidays or seasons and it can dually add to the decorum in your home. If people can notice that the rug is decorated with Santa Claus and a catchy ad lib, it will be more likely to grab their attention, thus getting them to take their shoes off.

This trick pretty much goes along with the friendly sign trick in that you are letting your guests know what you want them to do without actually having to verbally tell them.