Do you keep your shoes on when you get home, even for a few minutes? Or do you wear your slippers outside to walk down the driveway to get the mail or the paper, or to take out the garbage? You may want
to reconsider.
A recent study by the University of Arizona found an average of 421,000 different bacteria on shoes. Coliforms, a bacterial indicator of the level of sanitation of foods and water (and universally present in feces), were detected on the bottoms of 96%
of shoes.
In addition, E. coli was detected on 27%of the shoes, along with seven other kinds of bacteria.
The bottoms of your shoes spread many unhealthy agents, from pollen and pesticides on the lawn to salmonella in bird poop. In fact, as many as nine different kinds of pathogens can thrive on shoes.
A study by the Battelle Memorial institute, a nonprofit research group found that toxins from treating your lawn can easily be tracked into the house.
To ensure you don’t track these bacteria into your home, it’s a good idea to not only remove your shoes when you enter your house, but to give your soles a decent cleaning
now and then. Here is one method:
• Wipe the soles of your shoes with a clean, dry cloth to remove loose dirt.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of an abrasive powder cleaner with 2 tablespoons of fresh water to create a paste.
• Dip a small cleaning brush or an old toothbrush into the paste, then scrub the solution into the shoe soles.
