Why You Should Never Wear Shoes Indoors
Dirty Floors and Bacteria
When I was a child, my mother constantly nagged about wearing shoes indoors. At that time, I didn’t really understand it, but now in hindsight, it feels very wise. As a child, I often ran around, jumping in puddles, dirt, and trees, so my shoes were quite dirty – and it was of course forbidden to bring such dirt into our house and soil our carpets and hardwood floors.
But the fact is that dirty floors may be the least of your concerns when it comes to wearing shoes indoors. That’s because shoes harbor more than 421,000 bacteria – and some may even be dangerous for your health.
E coli Bacteria
Studies show that we carry an average of up to half a million bacteria on our shoes – something most of us don’t think about when walking around the house with shoes on.
These bacteria include E. coli, a common intestinal bacterium. The study actually found this bacterium in 27% of all tested shoes.
“We walk through things like bird droppings, dog poop, and germs on public toilet floors, all sources of E coli,” explains microbiologist and professor Kelly Reynolds from the University of Arizona in an interview with The Huffington Post.
If you track this bacterium into your home, it can spread to your food and drinks at worst or otherwise enter the body.
E. coli can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, infections, and in the worst case, meningitis and even death. As with so many other things, E. coli is harmful to the body.
Toxins and Chemicals
Chemicals and toxins can be used to perform many useful tasks – and can be found in many everyday products we use for specific purposes.
But if you use your outdoor shoes indoors, you may be bringing these harmful substances directly into your living space.
“Think of rainwater on the street. It contains gasoline and chemicals that can get on your shoes and be brought back home,” says Kelly Reynolds, adding that if the body is exposed to it long enough – and often – it can cause serious illness.
Children’s Health
Children playing on the floor is another important reason not to wear shoes indoors.
Children tend to put toys or fingers in their mouths – fingers that have also been in contact with the floor. This is a sure way to transfer ‘germs’ and bacteria from the floor.
Maintaining Cleanliness
Apart from bacteria and toxic substances, my mother had a point.
If you don’t take off your shoes, dirt and soil will inevitably be dragged inside. This translates into an inevitable truth: more cleaning for you.
While it may be debatable how bad it is to walk around with your shoes indoors – it is clear that it is best to avoid it, in the worst case, it is dangerous for children and adults.
Help us share so that others can learn more about the dangers of walking with shoes indoors!
