Do you still wear shoes inside your home? Well, prepare yourself to be totally GROSSED OUT! Trust me, after finding out why it’s such a bad idea, you’ll never let anyone come in your house without taking those shoes off first.
If you still wear shoes inside your home, get ready to be grossed out!
I bet if you stop and consider it for a moment, it’ll quickly become clear why wearing shoes in your home is such a horrible idea. Go ahead, I’ll give you a second.
If you’re not already grossed out just thinking about it, perhaps this will change your mind. Think about where those shoes go. I’m not just talking about walking on dirt. That’s the least of your problems. You walk where dogs (and, grossly enough, sometimes even people) do their business. You trek across spilled food, spit, bugs and things I don’t even want to mention. Basically, your shoes spend a lot of time in contact with the grosser things in life.
Then, you walk inside your front door and bring along all that nasty stuff. If you’re strolling across hardwood or tile, it’s bad enough. For those who have carpets, though, you’re basically depositing billions of germs right into the place where your children play. It is really DISGUSTING!
And before you start thinking I am exaggerating, let me show you that there’s plenty of science available to back up the fact that shoes in the house is all sorts of disgusting.
What science says about people who still wear shoes inside their homes
In the US, a study was recently performed at the University of Arizona, where microbiologist Dr Charles Gerba handed ten people a pair of brand new shoes, and asked them to use the shoes for two weeks before having them tested for bacteria. His goal? Find out what types of microorganisms are actually transported by footwear.
The results – shocker – were all sorts of disturbing. After the two weeks, more than 420,000 units of bacteria were found on the outside of the test shoes. Of that bacteria, 27% were deadly E. Coli!
And it didn’t end there. Also detected was Klebsiella pneumonia, which can cause pneumonia and wound and bloodstream infections and Serratia ficaria, which can lead to infection of the respiratory tract. Have children who constantly get coughs and colds? How about losing the shoes, no?
This is what Gerba had to say of his findings:
“The common occurrence (96 percent) of coliform and E. coli bacteria on the outside of the shoes indicates frequent contact with fecal material, which most likely originates from floors in public restrooms or contact with animal fecal material outdoors,” said Gerba. In other words: Your shoes are full of OTHER PEOPLE’S POOP. How lovely.
“Our study also indicated that bacteria can be tracked by shoes over a long distance into your home or personal space after the shoes were contaminated with bacteria,” explains the professor.
Even more disturbing to moms of little ones – 90 to 99% of bacteria found on the exterior of the shoes was transmitted to hard tile and carpet. Oh, and it is not over yet: “Any germs picked up by bare feet, knees and hands will then be transported to the crib at naptime.” Niiiice.
Wearing shoes inside your home could increase your cancer risk
Gerba’s study is far from the only one that proves wearing shoes inside is beyond gross. Another one done by a non-profit research group discovered something even more alarming.
The Battelle Memorial institute study found that our shoes carried horrible toxins into our homes. Think pesticides, gasoline, fertilizers and other nasty chemicals. Basically, everything you try so hard to keep out of your home.
The worst part, though, is the dust brought in by those who live near asphalt roads. The toxic sealants used on these roads can actually increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer.
If you’re trying to keep your home all-natural (or as close to it as possible), the simple act of walking across your floors with shoes on can undo all that hard work. In fact, it’s as bad as using pretty much every toxic cleaner all at once and then tossing some dog waste on your carpets for good measure. Utterly disgusting, right?
Now you know there is a simple way of eliminating all this grossness…LEAVE YOUR SHOES BY THE DOOR! Make your guests do the same. Seriously, it’s that simple. In Japan, people automatically take off their shoes when entering a home. It’s definitely a habit we should emulate here.
“Don’t we need germ exposure to build immunity?”
Now, I just know someone is thinking, “So what? We’re supposed to be exposed to germs to build a good immune system!” Yes, you’re correct. We do need to be exposed to a variety of germs throughout our lives. In fact, a study showed that regular exposure to everyday germs as children helps us fight nastier bugs as adults.
However, I think we can all agree that there’s a huge difference between stomping in the mud once in a while on a rainy day and crawling across fecal matter & cancer-causing toxins every day. Right?
By all means, let kids get dirty once in a while. Let them stomp in puddles and make mud pies in the back yard. However, when it’s time to come inside, lock the germs out. Your home should be a safe haven.
Are you convinced now after reading this post? Do you still wear shoes inside?
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