So it's another wet day. Children and adults just come into my front room with out wiping their feet enough (I always get them to come back after one step into the room to do it properly!).

We're probably having a new carpet in said room in the next few months. Shall I invest in some overshoes (example here) or tell them to take their shoes off (as some do already).

What do you do on a wet day?

I'm not a teacher but a student.. last time I went to my flute teacher's house when it was wet I took my shoes off

Could you get some kind of plastic floor covering to protect your carpet? My mum used to have a strip of plastic on the hall floor. That way you wouldn't have to deal with people refusing to remove shoes etc. and it would protect your floor from mud and other horrible things that come in on shoes.

I don't know whether this is a possibility for you, but when we moved into our house we inherited a mat thing which is the sort of thing you see in dentists/offices. We have wooden floor in our hall (also inherited) and this mat is brilliant. It is like a rubber outer container and has changeable quilted inners which are made by Kimberley Clark which absorb all the moisture.

It's very good and I make the children take off their shoes and leave them on the mat anyway so they dry off.

My teacher requires shoes off on wet days; she provides slippers for those prefering not to walk around in socks only

It's definately shoes off in my house, even on dry days! Most of mine automatically take their shoes off in the hall and I don't like it when the occasional child/parent comes in with their shoes on. But then I did live in Norway for a long time, where no-one would dream of leaving their shoes on inside!!

My daughters piano teacher has recently had new carpets which are very light in colour. Since she had the new carpets everyone has been required to take shoes off before going into the room.

i think overshoes is a bit much personally, but i have no problems with being made to take my shoes off when i walk in. I always do this for my piano lessons, as do all the other pupils.
x

Must admit that I personally hate using the pedals on the piano with no shoes on. Still, I suppose if I was asked to take off outdoor shoes I could always bring an indoor pair with me?

I agree - I think some children, older ones especially, could feel awfully self-conscious wearing them (I know I felt a complete twit having to wear them once in a National Trust property!).


Me too!

I would have thought it to be general politeness and common sense to take your shoes off, especially if it's been raining or muddy I always do except my flute teacher told me not to
My pupils always do although i wouldn't mind that much if they didn't - i wouldn't notice unless they left muddy footprints

I always take my shoes off, but having said that, bear in mind that for short people (like me) it's hard to find jeans that aren't too long... so my jeans trail in the puddles and get soaked, and my socks are always wet from having holes in my shoes (I don't know how they get there) and ultimately it tends to be more pleasant for me to keep my shoes on, so my feet stay at least slightly dry... so I'd prefer the overshoes I think...

But no one's ever provided them before, and I wouldn't expect them too - and I take my shoes off and roll my jeans up anyway, despite all that! It's the teacher's house, so it's only polite not to track mud and water everywhere!

We used to have pale carpet in the hallway and even if they did take their shoes off muddy marks still appeared - especially if two children and an adult arrived all pushing for space - takes ages if they've got trainers or long boots that need two hands to pull them off! We now have the posh lino covering that looks like floorboards and it is so easy to clean - it's lovely. Actually, this evening, even though wet, I advised a pupil to leave his shoes on as last week he started taking off his socks in the middle of the lesson to investigate a blister on his toe (hope they don't read this!). Having shoes on at the piano seemed to steady his feet somehow - rooted to the footstool - and we had a good lesson concentrating on his fingers

Personally I discourage my students from taking their shoes off unless they are absolutely caked in mud (very rare) as I prefer a bit of mud on the carpet to the general smell of sweaty feet that have lived in trainers all day at school.

In fact I went to a cheap carpet shop and bought some strips of carpet which cover the hall carpet from front door to kitchen area which is tiled so washes fine if needs be. Then into the music room where further strips of carpet cover the main area where pupils stand/sit and under the piano pedals.

I personally find that the best solution for me but I respect totally others who ask for shoes to be removed. I once went to accompany a piano pupil who was taking her flute exam with another teacher at a private house. We all had to take our shoes off - even the examiner - but I found using the pedals very uncomfortable in socked feet.

Each to their own I guess and what works for me might now suit others.

I teach pupils in their own homes and have had a few occasions when socks have been caught in the pedals! I'm just glad the toes haven't yet!

On such a wet day again, it's easy to see how this topic arose! My advice - slate floor. I have no hall way so pupils walk straight into my house. There's no need to worry about mess as I just mop it later on. Genius! Would advise never to have carpet again

On a slightly related matter though, does anyone have problems with children coming in caked in sugar or sticky fingers. it's becoming a regular habit that I have to frog march children to a sink and get them to clean their hands. I find it shocking - why can't parents have wet wipes??!? My mother would have never let me go somewhere with chocolate all over me!

I remember trailing something into my piano teachers house which they were not amused with. I won't say what it was because i'll probably get chucked out of the forums but my dog got a few daggers off me for ruining my lovely white shoes.
I did feel very guilty and embarrassed though...

I've always had a shoes off policy that all my pupils are used to. Recently I have had to institute hand-washing also. One regular offender left mud on the keyboard, licked his finger then rubbed it off !! I find that people in general are pretty ill-mannered these days, so nothing surprises me any more. My piano teachers woudl have had a fit if I turned up with dirty hands, shoes or anything else. It is soooo maddening! Rant over..

I have wet wipes in the car and little Jen wipes her hands on the way to piano after school. It's easy and I am sure I would be cross too if the children had sticky fingers on my shiny piano
Bev.

But before you touch the piano let me suggest one very prosaic little hint: wash the keyboard as clean as you did your hands

Josef Hofmann Piano Playing Page 19

A different era - the washing of hands was taken for granted!!

My pupils are probably far safer with their shoes on. Who knows what they'd pick up from our smelly old carpet

and it really is very difficult to pedal efficiently without shoes on...