If your kids play school sports you might tell them to take their shoes off when they come inside so they don’t track mud or dirt all over your clean floors. However, there are many reasons why you should avoid wearing your shoes indoors, and they extend far beyond wanting a clean house.Why you should
It’s a good idea to wear protective foot coverings at all times, but if you are at home you might want to consider socks, slippers, or “indoor shoes.” The shoes you wear outside may be the last thing you should wear at home, and here’s why:
- Bacteria: The human body needs certain bacteria to function, but not all bacteria are healthy. Throughout the day, our shoes encounter bird and animal feces, as well as human waste (in microscopic form) in bathrooms. Harmful bacteria called E coli can be found in all of these places. Being exposed to this can cause intestinal infection, diarrhea, or even meningitis. Tracking this bacteria around your house can be bad, especially if you have young ones who crawl on the floor and put things in their mouths.
- Toxins: Unfortunately, we are also susceptible to bringing toxins into our homes. These can be found in the form of coal tar, gasoline, and chemicals. To get sick from this, your exposure would need to be long term, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry, especially if you just filled your tank or work in a garage.
- Dirt: Of course we know that nobody likes a dirty house. Shoes can get very dirty and muddy throughout the day. The extra cleaning required from wearing shoes in the house is not the end of the world, but who needs that extra hassle?
- Wear and Tear: At the end of the day, the longer we wear our shoes the quicker they will wear out. Granted, indoor use does not cause as much wear, but it’s still wear and tear nonetheless.
If you’d like more information on keeping your family safe from the things your shoes can track inside, call Dr. Mitchell Wachtel at (978) 794-8406 to schedule an appointment at one of our three office locations: North Andover, Lowell, or Haverhill. You can also schedule a visit using our contact form online for any foot problem you or your family face and find expert help.