Tips to finally get your family to take off their shoes when entering home.
TAKE OF YOUR SHOES, PLEASE! By Roxanna Ward

Have you ever bodyslammed a guest and ripped off their shoes? Tossed an object at a family member because they forgot to remove their outside shoes? Maybe you have never gone to these extremes, but if you are looking for help in getting those shoes parked at the door, you have come to the right place.

We all know that the majority of dirt in our homes, comes from the outside. So, if we can simply cut down on the foot traffic we will have less to clean. Are you smiling yet, read on!

You need to first establish the difference between outside shoes and inside shoes. Make sure each family member has a pair for each purpose. Inside "shoes" can very from houseshoes to a particular pair of socks to going barefooted. Whatever each family member is most comfortable wearing is best. If they don't like them, you’ll never get them to put them on.

Next set up a place to park and swap. A bench is useful because you can sit on it for easy shoe swapping. Then simply park your shoes on a rug underneath the bench. If you don't have a bench you can use, get creative. Baskets, bookshelves and other containers will work as well. I once visited a friend who used an antique suitcase to toss shoes in by the front door. Whatever fits in well with your decor.

The final step is getting your family members to actually change their shoes. Do not worry too much about guests and other visitors. Over ninety percent of household dirt is caused by the household members. To encourage the swap, hide little treasures inside your families inside shoes. Little pieces of candy, a coupon for a special treat or a dime will work well. Tell your children that there may not be a treat everytime they swap their shoes. They'll have to make sure to always swap just in case. Because they will never know when you'll leave a treat or what the treat will be, they will be come more accustomed to swapping everytime they enter the house. This works well with husbands too, you just have to be a little more inventive with your treats. If you find that they are sneaking the treat before swapping their shoes, tell them to come to you after they have swapped shoes for their treat.

You'll find that after about 30 days of trying my shoe swapping technique, you'll have less dirt in your house. That's enough to make anybody smile!

About the Author

Roxanna Ward, Community leader and staff writer for http://www.BabyUniversity.com, lives in Georgia with her husband, Stan and her three children, Kirstie-Raie, Chase and Kale. As a published freelance writer and breastfeeding advocate, the focus of her writing is concentrated on sharing household tips, her experience with her frugal lifestyle which is compensated by being able to afford to be a stay-at-home mom, as well as the phenomenal process of breastfeeding, child rearing related issues and romantic relationships. She is also currently the Editor of three newsletters: What's New at BabyU?, Intimate Encounters and At Home with Baby University. Roxanna can be contacted at Roxanna30135@aol.com

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