My boys and girls track in large amounts of mud everyday. We have a back door that comes into our laundry room and it sort of serves as a mud room. Their shoes are always covered with mud. I tell them they can't come in with mud on their shoes and they do anyway. I have to walk through mud to get to the washer and dryer. Then their shoes lie around the laundry room caked with mud and they don't have any clean shoes to wear. It becomes a huge ordeal to get them to clean their shoes and is usually more of a mess than to start with. I am at my wits end. It would help if their father would make stepping stones or a sidewalk so we don't have to walk through the mud to get anywhere.
2007-02-14 05:51:43 · 11 answers · asked by what about government grants? 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
Sounds like you are just going to have to monitor them until they get used to taking their shoes off. It would help if you could change the outside, but, in the meantime, do the smart (free) thing.
Make them take the shoes off.
2007-02-14 05:56:22 · answer #1 · answered by laneydoll 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell them they aren't allowed in the mud. If that doesn't work, let them have a pair of play shoes and then a pair of shoes for school. My kids take their shoes off before they come in the back door. Which is where most of our mud is. If they don't, they get into trouble. Set some rules and be stern about it. That ought to work.
2007-02-14 14:03:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make it in to a game for the girls. Give them some sort of incentive to take their shoes off before they leave the mud room. Also, you can get a shoe scraper to put by the door to help remove some of the mud before they come in.
2007-02-14 13:55:28 · answer #3 · answered by boxadorboxador 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a metal show scraper for outside of the door. Then a really rough/ coarse doormat to get even more off before they get in the house. Then a normal mat for inside the door. And finally, a laundry basket or a big tub to put their shoes.
2007-02-14 14:01:44 · answer #4 · answered by shellshell 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to wal mart and get you a "boot Scraper" (it is like a mat)it has small bristles and a scraper... that should work ....keep it right out side the back door and have them use it before they come in...may not stop ALL the mud but I know it will put a huge dent in what comes inside
2007-02-14 14:00:08 · answer #5 · answered by coastin 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You might want to try what we do at my house, no shoes aloud inside the house! Make it a rule that when guests come over too, everyone takes their shoes off at the entry way. It is much cleaner this way, many asian cultures have this as a custom and I think it is very polite and more comfertable too. If the kids don't catch on at first enforce the rule with a consequence. You won't have to vacume as much if you do this.
2007-02-14 13:59:13 · answer #6 · answered by whoswhomwho 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
make it into a game to see who can keep the room tidiest. give them plastic utility shelves and coat hooks for their stuff with their names or favorite cartoon characters on them. i would also suggest a place to sit just outside the door(or inside if possible) to take their muddy shoes off BEFORE they come inside. so what if their socks get a little wet. they can than just put their wet socks in the hamper on their way through.
2007-02-14 18:45:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have them throw their muddy shoes into a large Mud Bucket then they wont be in your way.... It works at my house
2007-02-14 13:56:25 · answer #8 · answered by shorty 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have a mat outside your door if you dont then get one or two and put one close to your door and another one a little bit further. This will help a little.
2007-02-18 00:27:18 · answer #9 · answered by lizziemoffles 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No shoes on in the house!
2007-02-14 17:11:27 · answer #10 · answered by babypocket2005 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋