Removing Shoes Indoors

Removing shoes indoors is practiced by many cultures and with good reason.

Some homes have a no shoes indoor policy and we have some reasons why it should be the policy in your home too.

Should Shoes Be Removed Indoors?

Many people simply take their shoes off before entering their homes to prevent flooring from looking dirty but the problem with shoes in the house goes deeper than what we can just see on the surface.

Removing shoes indoors is important for these three reasons:

Bacteria

We walk through many things that can leave bacteria on the bottoms of our shoes. A study by the University of Arizona found that shoes on average have 421,000 bacteria on the outside of shoes, with nine different strains of bacteria.

Some bacteria can be harmful to your bodies like the Escherichia coli, also known an E Coli, which happened to be one of the kind of bacteria found on shoes. This bacteria can cause diarrhea, intestinal infection, urinary tract infection, respiratory infection and even meningitis.

How does bacteria get on your shoes? We walk through bird and dog waste and germs on public restroom floors all of which are sources of E Coli.

Even worse, E Coli can survive for weeks on shoes since the common debris, like leaves, can serve as food for bacteria and help them grow.

This bacteria can easily be tracked into your home and on your floor and carpets if you wear your shoes inside.

Toxins

A study by the Battelle Memorial Institute found that the chemicals from common lawn treatments can easily be tracked into your home. A similar study by the Baylor University found that people who live near asphalt roads that are sealed with a coal tar have an increased risk of cancer from the toxins.

Toxins can be tracked into your home on your shoes and then they settle as dust particles.

Even rainwater on the street can have gasoline and chemicals in it and when you walk through it, they end up on your shoes and eventually in your home.

Fortunately, the exposure to toxins would have to happen many times over your life in order for them to get you sick.

Dirt

Dirt itself isn’t harmful but it can make carpet, rugs, flooring and furniture look bad. It is also important to keep dirt to a minimum if you have small children that crawl on the floor since they often put their hands in their mouths or have toys on the floor that they put in their mouth.

Less dirt in your house means less you have to clean.

Taking your removing shoes indoor is important to keeping not only keep your home looking clean but also important for the health of your family.

It is important to clean regularly to avoid possible bacteria and toxins. Vacuuming carpets and rugs frequently can help to minimize hazardous particles.

It is also a good idea to clean have your flooring professionally cleaned at least once a year to remove deeply embedded dirt, bacteria, and toxins.