This is why you should never wear shoes inside the house

Some people ask their guests to take off their shoes while others don’t mind them inside the house. It’s different for every household. But is it really such a big deal to walk around the house wearing outside footwear? According to the findings of this American research, you’re definitely better off leaving your shoes by the door.

It remains a little awkward to ask your guests to take off their shoes, but you’ll agree it’s the best thing to do after reading this.

Bacteria and moulds
It’s not very surprising that you take a lot of filth inside with you when you step into your home after being outside. Whether you keep them on or take them off immediately, bacteria will inevitably end up inside your home. There’s a considerable difference between the number of bacteria you spread through your house with your footwear on or off, though. American research shows that the soles of your shoes are covered in bacteria and moulds. When you walk around your house with these, you’re spreading these around. That’s not very hygienic…

E.Coli
Ten test subjects received a brand new pair of shoes from the researchers from the University of Arizona. They walked around with this footwear for two weeks before being tested in the laboratory. It turned out that after only two weeks, there were 420,000 types of bacteria to be found on the shoes already! And no less than 27 per cent of this turned out to be E.Coli, also known as the poop bacteria. Gross!

A danger for young children
It didn’t stop there, though. The researchers also found Klebsiella pneumoniae on the shoes, which is a bacteria that can cause pneumonia. Young children who crawl around the house on their hands and feet all day run a higher risk of being contaminated with this bacteria. Apparently, 90 to 99 per cent of the bacteria are left behind on a rug if you walk over it with your shoes on. That’s the same rug your children play on all day. So, it’s definitely a good idea to leave your footwear at the door next time.