How Gross Is It Actually To Keep Shoes On At Home?
You may have wondered how gross it is to keep your shoes on at home, and unfortunately, the answer is ... really gross. While taking your shoes on and off when you enter and exit your home may be somewhat of a nuisance, it is actually a very good idea.
What's So Gross About Keeping Your Shoes on at Home?
When you wear your shoes outside of your home, you walk on a great number of surfaces, including sidewalks, streets, floors, and more. Virtually everything you step on has the potential to attach to the bottom of your shoes or leave some trace of debris. You may think that these things will come off of your shoes if you wipe them on a doormat, but the truth is, only trace amounts of that debris detach from the bottom of your shoes. The debris that is left behind can start to grow bacteria, and when you wear your shoes inside your home, that bacteria can be transferred to any surface that your shoes touch.
If you wear your shoes for longer than a month, there is evidence that you are most likely tracking around fecal matter and possibly even E. coli. When you wear your shoes indoors, this matter can be transferred to your floors, rugs, carpet, and furniture too. If you have young children that play on the floor or put toys in their mouths that rest on the floors, they could be exposed to the matter that comes from your shoes.
What Should You Do With Your Shoes When You Enter Your Home?
To keep the debris and bacteria that is on your shoes from tracking into your home, you can simply remove your shoes when your enter your dwelling and store them on a boot tray or on a shoe rack. You can designate a pair of slippers or "house shoes" that you wear indoors only if you like to have something on your feet. If you have guests, you could always keep a basket of slippers or socks in a basket by your entryway for them to wear in your home.
What If You Forget to Take Off Your Shoes?!
Removing your shoes when you enter your home will not only help deter the spread of unwanted bacteria, but will also help keep your home clean. But, if you happen to forget to take off your shoes, we've got solutions for that, too:
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