Have you ever been to someone’s home and they have all the
shoes by the front door outside of the house? I know many families who do this. I always found it
interesting, personally considering growing up not many of my friends and
family kept all the shoes outside. Most people I know take their shoes off at
the door but some people choose to wear shoes in their home. Why would you wear shoes in your home?
It’s beyond me! It’s more comfortable to be stocking foot or wear house
slippers.
Some information I found online is worth sharing
though. The University of Houston did a study and found that 39% of shoes contained bacteria C. diff
(otherwise known as Clostridium difficile), this is a public health threat that
is now also resistant to a number of antibiotics. C. diff infections can cause multiple health conditions such as bad
diarrhea which can also progress to colon inflammation and further serious
health problems, especially if it doesn’t respond to antibiotic
treatment effectively.
In another study done by the University of Arizona 9 different forms of bacteria were found
on the bottom of shoes. Good Morning America did a test and found that the bottom of shoes were dirtier than
toilet seats!!! Furthermore, Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and
professor at the University of Arizona did a test with a brand new pair of
shoes and found that within just two
weeks of wearing a new shoe 440,000 units of bacteria were found on the shoe.
An astonishing 27% of that total bacteria were deadly E Coli. Klebsiella
pneumonia was also found, which can lead to and cause pneumonia and wound and bloodstream infections and
another type of infection called Serratia ficaria, which can lead to
infection of the respiratory tract.
“Shoes
are contaminated from diverse sources, and we are regularly
contaminating our doorsteps by shoes,” says study author M. Jahangir Alam,
Ph.D.
The Clostridium difficile is only the tip of the iceberg
though because only 4 out of 10 people have this on their shoes. There are many different types of
bacteria that get into your home from your shoe. For example, most public restroom floors contain around 2
million bacteria per square inch (interestingly enough the average
toilet seat only contains about 50 per square inch). These are two very good
reasons to avoid wearing shoes in your home at all. If you have young kids who
crawl around on the floor all day (whether 2 years old or 4 years old) it’s
even more important to not wear your shoes inside your home. Children 2 and under should NOT be
playing on floors that shoes have been walked on. It is best to leave
your shoes outside the home if you have a one or two year old child.
What’s interesting is that many countries like eastern
and/or Asian leave their shoes completely outside their home with that door
closed so you cannot even see shoes in the home. A great idea is to leave them at the front door or in the garage by
the door to avoid bringing any unwanted bacteria or germs in the home.
What’s worse is that many will be
barefoot in our homes (especially during the summer time) and to wear your shoes in your home even
just once or a few times if you forgot something and are in a rush can
potentially bring this dangerous bacteria in your home. Avoid it and do
your best to keep the shoes outside
for your health and safety.
Not
only do shoes contain bacteria but they also contain germs, chemicals and oil
or petroleum by-products. The bottom of your shoes are full of plenty of chemicals and
pathogens that you do not want to spread all over your home then walk
barefoot on later.
It’s uncommon in western countries such as America and
Canada for guests to ask to remove your shoes at the door but most cultures around the world ask that
you leave your shoes at the door. It will help keep those germs and
bacteria out, as well as bacteria C. diff which can be more dangerous. Taking your shoes off at the door is a
sign of respect for your home and the home of guests. In many religious
traditions shoes are removed for prayer and entering the home. Shoes carry many germs and bacteria
and it’s best to leave the outside world just outside your door along with your
shoes.
Let’s recap, what’s
on the bottom of your shoes? Fecal
matter, multiple forms of bacteria causing fecal matter as well as infections
and inflammation of the colon, germs, chemicals, petroleum and so much more!
Where are you going to leave your shoes from now on?
And maybe you’ll
rethink that 5-second rule (or 5 BECOMING a 10-second rule) of dropping food on the floor and
picking it up to eat it next time.
(info found online)
