Most of us wear shoes on a daily basis and if we live in a part of the world where it tends to get cold, we might wear them without really thinking about it. The fact of the matter is, however, our shoes are rather nasty and this is not only an opinion, it is even backed up by science.
If you are the type of person that enjoys wearing your shoes in the house and you want to bury your head in the sand, you probably are not going to be happy with what you read here. Most of us rarely ever take our shoes off when we are in the house but when you read this information, you may check your shoes at the door from this point forward. It really is that simple.
A collection of university studies was put together by Clark Howard, a staff writer for Rare. He wanted to let people know exactly how nasty shoes were, including all of the germs and bacteria that people drag into their home on their feet. It is pretty eye-opening when you get down to it.
As an example, a University of Arizona study found that there were some 421,000 different types of bacteria on shoes. Some of the bacteria included feces.E. coli, and it was not a rare case. In fact, it was on 27% of the shoes tested! Other types of bacteria included Klebsiella pneumonia, which can lead to a urinary tract infection and another type of bacteria that leads to respiratory infections.
You might be curious about how much is actually coming in on the shoes and ends up in your home. The study looked into that as well. They found out that the transfer of bacteria from shoes to uncontaminated tiles was anywhere from 90% to 99%.
A microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, Dr. Charles Gerba, had the following to say: 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. 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.”
Perhaps the most disturbing part is that there are many more studies that also point to exactly how dirty your shoes are.
One of those studies was from the Baylor University and it found that people who live close to asphalt roads had an increased risk of cancer from the toxins that could be tracked in by the shoes. Another University study found that toxins from treating the lawn could be tracked inside as well.
It is obvious by this point that you get the point. There are a few solutions that are suggested by these studies, including washing your shoes with detergent and to disinfect the flooring regularly. Perhaps the most important suggestion was to take off your shoes before you enter the home.
If you are somebody that is concerned about the health of your family, this may be a huge step in the right direction, no pun intended. Although there may be some benefit to having bacteria around, very few of us would want a type of bacteria that could be dragged it on our footwear. Take them off at the door and enjoy going barefoot every once in a while. You will be a healthier person because of it.
Via: Scary Mummy
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