# How do you keep the dirt OUT???



## backwoods

...Besides getting rid of the kids? LOL, I could easily sweep and mop 2-3 times EVERY day. As it is, with two little one's and two big one's (kids) running in and out constantly, not to mention dh, we end up with this huge amount of sandy dirt on the floors. I have rugs at each door, but it seems like nothing will keep this dirt out of the house. My dd is in out to the goat lot repeatedly all day, dh is either in the garden or mowing something and back into the house again. None of them will take their shoes off because it's "too much trouble cause they're just going back out in a few minutes." It's driving me crazy!!! I love to go barefooted in the house, but always end up with sand stuck on my feet, not to mention whatever the little one's have dripped or spilled. Do you have to sweep/AND mop, multiple times a day in order to keep your floors decent? I'm wishing I had a smaller house! This seriously is getting on my nerves...any suggestions?


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## gone-a-milkin

In my experience you can either throw a huge enough fit to force everyone to take off their shoes,
or you can just wear shoes yourself.

For me, I have bigger fish to fry than dirty floors.
HOWEVER, I certainly do understand! 
My DH likes to wear these logging boots with the deep waffle tread. Grrrr.

I do a LOT of farm-sitting type work and some of these homes do have a take-your-shoes-off-at-the-door rule. 
Those ladies are a little bit scary. :teehee:

Good luck.


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## lonelytree

In Alaska it is assumed that you take your shoes off at the door. It is actually weird to see shoes on inside a residence.


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## secuono

Be traditional and keep shoes on the front porch or entry room. Fairly simple. 
My mother keeps an insanely clean house, wish I could do that. But I still take my shoes off when entering the house. Get slippers for everyone if they are weird about not having something on their feet or even indoor shoes.


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## Maura

Do you have porches outside the doors? No kids, just a dog, but he was bringing in so much sand. Had the front porch finally put on. It's actually ground level pavers and most of the sand ends up on the porch now.

Put one or more of those mats with soft pins sticking up. I think they are rubber. Much better at getting sand off than carpets.


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## Taylor R.

Yep, the shoes come off or the vacuuming continues. I have three small children who love to play in the dirt, plus a hound dog who sheds like he's changing coats all the time, and I spend a couple hours a day in the garden as well. I sweep a minimum of two times a day, and don't expect a smaller house to help!! It just means sweeping even more often because the dirt is more concentrated. Same amount of dirt, smaller amount of floor!


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## MDKatie

Shoes off at the door or mudroom. If they want to wear them in the house, then they can vacuum. Pretty sure they'll agree it's less trouble taking off their shoes.


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## jwal10

Kids shoes off. Dad, clean those shoes when he comes in, or, he cleans. Have to keep it out OR clean it up....James


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## amandaleigh

We have floor mats (similar to what you seen in the entry ways of stores) and shoe trays right next to them. Between the two, not too much dirt makes its way in.


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## Wolfy-hound

Go with the flow and plant the living room in corn!


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## backwoods

Wolfy, tis EXACTLY what I FEEL like sometimes! LOL


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## where I want to

My trouble is with hay bits. I was standing at a counter at a sotre when I noticed I was flicking off small pieces of hay. Even though I had showered and changed clothes, I was still spreading hay bits around, probably from my hair.
At least the dirst tends to stay home.


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## housewife

When we were on the army base some of the guys that came home for lunch complained that taking of the boots was too much of a pain. Ok I have to admit it is as it's not just lacing but I digress. The house wives who didn't want shoes on in the house had little slip ons made to go over the boot base. It was just a ruff outline of the sole of the boot terry cloth sides about 2 inches high and elastic. If your making them for kids I would use a gripy fabic as base. They don't have to be great looking just keep the sand in. This way they don't have to take off there boots if they are just runing in to grab something. Other than that buy everyone a size appropriate broom and give everyone a time slot to sweep. Younger ones are more of a hinderance than a help but you don't want them to feel left out. 
Mine lot take off there shoes at the door so my front entry way more often than not looks like a shoe store dump!!! Had to tell my DD that she had to keep her shoes in her room as she owned more than the rest of us combined!!


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## Wolfy-hound

I leave work every day and spread dog hair all over creation all the way home. 

One particularly tiresome day, I got in my truck and hit the highway with the windows down and BLIZZARD of hair...

For a few seconds I was afraid I'd have to pull off the road! Have to wonder what the rest of traffic thought. 

Related to the above incident, don't ever eat powdered sugar donuts while driving down the highway at 75mph with the windows down. At least not if you don't want the cop that pulls up next to you to think you had a coke party explosion ten minutes before.

I found powdered sugar in my ears.

For dirt too, you can put the shaggy outdoor rugs that people like to scuff their feet on a lot.


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## Vosey

Rubber boots that you can easily slide your feet in and out of and jam your jeans into. They get left outside the door. All other shoes get left in the entry way. Then you're tripping over shoes all the time! I think it's worth enforcing as sweeping and mopping 2-3 times a day is a BIG waste of time!

Love the flying dog hair story, I've done that in my car a few times! One of my coworkers likes to point out I have dog hair on my clothes, I just shrug my shoulders.


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## Raymond James

At our place shoes and work boots stay outside on the porch. Before the parch there are various rugs to wipe shoes no. A broom to sweep them with and a boot scraper. The mud porch has a rack to hold work coats and coveralls. Coveralls and work coats stay outside with the boots unless they are going to the wash. 

I remodeled the house I moved the laundry right next to the mud porch. 

The best setup I ever saw had a mudroom/laundry room/shower room . The place had a concrete floor sloped to a floor drain and water tight ceiling and walls. You came in and sit on a bench to take off shoes/boots, place to hang up coats and if needed you could take a shower and put your dirty cloths in the washer. The family had shower shoes and robes hanging in the room to put on when going in for the night. 

You could hose the whole place down in a couple seconds. They also had a concrete walkway that had built in gravel /mud catcher built in. A space below a metal grate to catch mud and gravel as you walked to the door.


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## backwoods

My dh of almost 30 yrs will NOT take his shoes off, period. He goes in & out all day long. The footies over the boots thing from housewife sounds good, just doubtful he'd take the time to actually use them. 

The above set-up sounds great, as we have sandy soil and it doesn't really come off until AFTER it dries, then disintegrates all over the house here & there.


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## housewife

backwoods I do have to admit the guys who used them kept the info as a deep dark secret other wise the teasing was bad 

Raymond James wow that sounds so nice! I must remember that for my dream house. It did have a mud room that one sounds so much better.


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## Evons hubby

We have about 55 ft of wood porch decking to walk across before getting to the door, where the shoes are then supposed to be taken off before coming inside which seldom happens. I still have to sweep regularly but thats mostly dog hair and other tidbits generated from within the house. I love that wooden walkway. The first section is exposed to the rain which keeps it pretty well cleaned off, then the last 25 ft is under the porch roof, where I hose it down while watering the plants.


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## MidwestGal

Just gotta say...I HATE CARPETING!!! :hair


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## MidwestGal

Just gotta say...I HATE CARPETING!!! :hair


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## SJSFarm

Id say, family meeting. The first person I catch entering the house with their shoes on getts to vacuum/sweep for that day. 

They will work it out! And you get a rest!


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## BigM

Crocs help for those who are inside more than out. My DH just pops in (repeatedly) for a minute or two. I really want to get him these. You could also use shower caps for the kids feet if they will only be inside for a minute. I also find it helpful to only have one door accessible from the outside.


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## hercsmama

Wolfy-hound said:


> I leave work every day and spread dog hair all over creation all the way home.
> 
> One particularly tiresome day, I got in my truck and hit the highway with the windows down and BLIZZARD of hair...
> 
> For a few seconds I was afraid I'd have to pull off the road! Have to wonder what the rest of traffic thought. ...................


My dd got me this coffe cup last Christmas. Pretty much sums up my world..LOL:indif:


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## sand flea

I live at the beach and the "soil" here is pretty much all sand.

The key is to have hard surfaces outside the door - even a wood porch - door mats outside & inside... and keep the outside areas clean. Water works great for sand! But I usually keep a dollar store broom outside all the doors. As cheap as they are - they get "fuzzy" quickly and actually do a better job w/sand than anything else.

With 2 cats & a fuzzy dog - and family visitors with and without kids - I've had to learn to live with at least some level of crap on the floor (mine is tile). When I start seeing the hairballs rolling around the furniture - then it's time to vacumn; when the coffee splotches change the color of the tile... or sticky drinks have spilled... then, I steam mop. Steam mops are the greatest thing since sliced bread for tile floors - and some of them will do hardwood, too.


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## Whisperwindkat

Shoes off at the door and whoever is caught not taking them off has to sweep the floor. I love going barefoot in the house (I hate shoes) but I can't stand walking on dirt. They learn soon enough after having to sweep the floor 10 times a day that it is much easier and quicker to take of their shoes.


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## EscapingToronto

Switch everyone's shoes to something they can easily take on and off? 

Or just explain to everyone how inconsiderate it is for them to make extra work for you because they can't take 20 seconds out of their day to slip off their shoes when they come in. 

Orrrr.... if they really _do_ have to be running in and out of the house to get stuff, put out a trail of boot trays that they can step in? When they're working, you put out the trays, when the day is over and everyone is in the house you collect the trays and everyone takes off their shoes.


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