3 Reasons Your Shoes Need to Come OFF in the House

GROSS! 3 Good Reasons to STOP Wearing Shoes in Your House

(AscendHealthy)- Depending on where you were raised, you might have strong feelings about wearing shoes indoors. Here in the United States, people tend to be divided on proper shoe etiquette, and some people might even be taken aback if you ask them to take theirs off at your door. All manners and expectations aside, we’ve found a few good reasons to keep your shoes off indoors.

Shoes Are Filthy

Numerous studies have shown shoes can carry all sorts of nasty bugs. Think about all the surfaces you subject your shoes to. Public bathrooms alone are likely to leave you carrying some scary hitchhikers. According to LiveScience, E. coli, a bacterium prominent in fecal matter, shows up on 96 percent of shoes tested. That’s not even the worst offender.

Medical centers, community buildings, and workplaces that involve animals carry the most pathogens. If you work in healthcare, for example, your shoes might harbor more of the highly contagious and deadly C. difficile than a public toilet seat. Another high-testing offender is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus areus, the bacterium responsible for deadly MRSA infections.

Even worse, researchers aren’t sure it’s possible to disinfect shoes carrying some of these drug-resistant strains. Do you really want to track all that through your home? Think about the Petri dish you could be making of your floors.

You’ll Sweep and Mop Less

When you’re tracking less through your home, you have less to clean up. Sure, you’ll still need to sweep and mop your floors, if just to control the dust levels in your home, but there won’t be so much actual debris. Your mileage may vary if you have pets that shed or are able to track in dirt of their own.

It’s Good For Your Feet

Our feet need time without heels or artificial arches. Studies have shown shoes can change your gait, and they might even weaken rather than strengthen your arches. Some runners have taken to training barefooted, feeling that it’s healthier for their feet to go natural whenever possible. Try letting your feet breathe a little while you’re home; they deserve a break, too.

It’s time for a new custom here in the United States. Leave your shoes at the door. It’s not a rude request, and it’s time people stop taking it as one. Going shoeless is more sanitary, it reduces debris, and as long as you don’t have an uncontrolled foot odor problem, it’s really the courteous thing to do.

~Here’s to Your Healthy Ascension!

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