You are not being ridiculous and obsessive, it's a legitimate issue if you have a low tolerance for dirt and are going to lie on the floor. Any surface in the house that you are going to walk on with shoes from outside is going to get dirty.

Would you consider using something like a bean bag chair with a washable cover for those times when you want to take to the floor?

We try to keep the wearing of outdoor shoes in the house to a minimum. It really creeps me out thinking about everything we step on outside. Floors and rugs still get dirty, but I think it's more manageable when you have a little control.

OP: I think you are being reasonable. The majority of my house is hard surfaces so I can clean them very well. As an allergy sufferer, rugs and carpets are bad for me! They do harbor all sorts of nastiness that is hard to remove. Ever shampoo a rug or carpet? The filth that comes out of them makes my skin crawl.

Unfortunately, I think my home looks cold without any rugs.... It certainly isn't as easy to make it cozy.... I can live with that, knowing my home is healthier for me.

I love patterned carpet but I don't know anyone who uses it. What is Mag's rule about it?

I suggest two things. 1) buy a small carpet shampoo thingy, and 2), Have a major meltdown in front of dh and kids and let them know you mean business! I'm serious too!

Also, buy everyone comfy houseshoes to wear.

Right now though I wish I had wtw carpet for this week. I'm too sick to vacuum, and I have dust bunnies staring at me everywhere. At least they don't show on carpets!

Carpets and rugs don't gross me out unless they're obviously dirty. Wouldn't there be germs in upholstered furniture too? I know we don't put our shoes on upholstered furniture, but hands and clothing probably have a fair amount of germs- ??

You have legitimate concerns. Remember, I'm the one who had those 3 large dogs. I tiled half my house and used heat mats under the tile. I finally broke down last year and got a rug (10 x 13), but I did get a very patterned oriental in jewel tones. All that dog hair and dust bunnies the size of bowling balls had made me soooo skeptical.

I'm loving the rug now. The saving grace is my Oreck silver. Hands down its the only vac I've ever had that tackles dog hair successfully and lasted more than a year. It's still going strong 2 years later (I even used it on the bare tile before I got the rug). I'm less scared of rugs now than I was and just got another more modern rug for the bedroom, but I can never go back to carpet and don't want to.

Hard wood looks wonderful, but I think you need something to sort of ground a room, even if you only put it under the coffee table. I'm thinking the best way to see some rooms without rugs would be to go to some of the flooring sites (lumber liquidators, etc) and look through some of their pics. Most of those sites have "view in a room" options for their flooring selections and don't have them covered with rugs. You could get a sense of other rooms that are decorated with no rugs.

Rugs don't give me the creeps but I also don't think they are needed. My living room has hardwood and no rugs. I like the openess of it.

Interesting. We lived in a house will all wall to wall everywhere and as barefooters, got to like it a lot. We always buy olefin (polypropylene) as it's fundamentally recycled milk bottles which means it doesn't hang onto any stains, is color fast and won't fade. You clean it with dilute bleach or mineral spirits.

Now we have a house that is mostly a very high end expensive wood-look vinyl (Amtico...Architect complained it was twice the cost of hardwood!) We wanted something that was very low maintenance. Of course vinyl does scratch as does hardwood, so now I'm in a panic with any dirt that is brought in that can scratch the floor. I am forever sweeping and mopping. So we put area rugs down particularly to help spare the floor, and it is warmer and changes the acoustics in the room. I do have patterned area rugs.

Something like this for the family room:

Something like this for the library:
{{!gwi}}

We got industrial strength mats from an office supply store for our doors, and I also bought shoe covers for days we're coming in from working in the yard. While it all helps, nothing short of changing your shoes at every doorway, every time will help. DH wears heavy duty lace up work boots and there's no way he's changing his shoes every time he comes and goes. Sigh.

Here is a link that might be useful: shoe covers

Aaahhhh yes - I personally love to be barefoot in the house as well as my kids - DH not so much. I think I'd need to staple houseshooes to the kids feet LOL!

While I was typing that post I get thinking about all of the threads about 'Do you make guests take their shoes off?'. I always enjoy those!

Mags rule went something like this: Someone asked him about getting a solid carpet and he told them that they should buy th emost highly patterened carpet that they could find. They were shocked. But we have kids they said to which Magnaverde responded 'Exactly'. The pattern will hide every spill and be less of an eyesore'. Anyway - that wasn't it word for word but you get the gist.

Yes I do think that bare floors look cold. I feel so bad everytime I see my kids piling throws on the floor to make a comfy spot.

I must say though: Graywings - I love the idea of beanbags! My kids would love them and they could get comfy on the floor.

So CindyandMocha - you think the Oreck is a good carpet cleaner? I have no problems investing in one because I know I'd use it and I'm getting ready to start searhing for the right vacuum! In this 100+yr old house I'm sure I'm cleaningdust from 100 yrs ago too.

I told Dh that someday I want a MBR w/ wall to wall.

DH carries shoe covers in his delivery truck for when the guys are picking up or delivering furniture. One of the guys suggested it.

I never had a rug on the hardwoods until we moved to this house. We have a wool flatweave in a super-thin stripes pattern, so it's patterned enough to be forgiving in the stain department but doesn't feel like a huge pattern commitment. I don't feel like it competes with my floral drapes or anything else. I like the texture that it adds to the room, it cuts down on the echo-chamber effect we had when we had huge rooms with nothing but hardwoods, and the kids like it for playing games on the floor.

Yes, rugs are so nice and warm, and do ground the space. I we'll remember the serene feel to your home, if not the exact colors. Well enough to feel safe imagining a calmly neutral patterned rug : soft shades of taupe, cream, ( your) blue, and brown, in a "print" or a stripe. This will hide daily dirt well, even though the tones are light. Oh, another very different idea :a cream, with gray/ beige specks , shag area rug. Looks good with lots of dark wood showing. If you get a rug, do maki it wool. Dirt just doesn't stick. Also, get the best pad...can ' t remember the pounds it should be.

Yep the oreck xl silver is what got a couple of years ago. There is a local oreck store here for service, and I get a free cleaning every year (belt inspection etc.). When I say big dogs, I mean Rusty was 100 lbs, Mocha 90 and Ginger is now 80. That's 3 with thick double coats and lots of shedding. I use it on my hard tile and the new rug. Still amazed - you can't believe the number of vacuums I use to go through. There are other more expensive that are suppose to be great with dog hair. But for the money, I think it cleans way better than my neice's Rainbow did and was a third of the price.

Rusty and Mocha are gone now, but I still have Ginger and the new dog Boo who is also huge and a shedder. It definitely gets my vote. Especially something that can go from ceramic tile to rug. Also self propelling and uses bags. Dog hair and bagless do not mix.

I've posted in the past about rugs (I take a loooooong time to move - lots of non-thinking and mulling until one day out tof the clear blue sky my head says 'this is the answer') and I had posted about the practicality of using indoor outdoor rugs - figured I could just take them out and hose/ scrub them off but I never went out to touch or feel one personally. I kept thinking who'd want to lie on plastic?

Then this yr. Dash and Albert came out w/ some nice ones that I pinned (I think they're indoor/ outdoor) and I'd have to drive a bit to feel one but that's okay:

{{!gwi}}

Source: dashandalbert.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

{{!gwi}}

Source: dashandalbert.com via Tiffani on Pinterest.

But then honestly my heart keeps coming back to this indoor one only that I've had saved for more than a few yrs. now. Can anyone tell me about flat weaves like this and how well they hold/ clean up? Seems more easily cleanable than pile carpet but how would I know?

{{!gwi}}

Source: dashandalbert.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

W/in this year or next I will have the luxury of being able to purchase rugs but I want to do it right.

Well if you have a phobia, I probably do too. I do not want carpet - at all. I also love hardwood floors and we have used rugs very sparingly. I love the look for the floors uncovered! Do what you like.

I like the idea of the beanbags too.

Oakley - have your hubby vacuum for you! Shh don't tell but I love when my hubby does the vacuuming, he really does a better job than I do. LOL

tina

My kids and husband just don't SEE what I see. They all like a clean, uncluttered home but have no idea that it's all the little things that make the house seem dirty or cluttered. It drives me insane. I don't want to look at the mess all day while they are at school, work, practice, whatever so I just grumble and do it myself.

I have JUST started taking pictures of the transgressions with my phone and sending it to them. A few days a go, DH left a spoon with protein shake coated on it on the counter. I fussed at him, he got slightly indignant and then I felt bad for being so anal. Guess who left his protein shake mess spoon on the counter on Friday? I texted him a picture at work. We'll see if he leaves the spoon again. I'll let you know how it works out.

Thank you for this, I thought I was crazy. For some reason I just can’t do it. I can’t walk on grass nor carpet I don’t know why? I have to have something on my feet. I have to breathe just to walk on grass an tnen tip toe and jump across it. I get mad at my kids if I see them walking on grass with no shoes on. I want to know why what is it?

My girlfriend is exactly the same! Yes, you are crazy.