As a cleaning company, we’ve seen a lot of cleaning debates, but there is one that still gets everyone hot and bothered. It’s the fight between wearing your shoes indoors versus taking them off.
In many cultures, taking your shoes off when entering a building is compulsory. It’s an ingrained practice meant to prevent the spread of dirt and grime, and it’s also seen as respectful. But in many other cultures, including many people here in the United States, the practice isn’t so common. People keep their shoes on throughout the home and office when they come inside.
Today, we want to settle this debate. We are firmly in the camp of taking your shoes off when you enter a home and even the office! Why? Let us tell you.
- Shoes carry more bacteria than you think. It’s not just mud and dirt on the bottom of your shoes. Research shows that bacteria love to stick to the bottoms of your shoes or in the treads. What kind of bacteria? E.coli, c.diff, staph bacteria, and pesticides are the biggest contenders. These bacteria can cause illnesses like intestinal infections, diarrhea, urinary tract infections, and even colitis.
- Bacteria last longer on your shoes. The bottoms of your shoes are like velcro for bacteria. Unfortunately, the trends make it easy for dirt, grime, and all that fun bacteria to cling to the bottom of the shoe for longer than you think.
- Your carpets wear out faster. Wearing shoes indoors will wear out your carpets faster. As a result, your floors will get dirtier quicker and require more cleaning. The bottoms of your shoes are rough on carpets or can scrape hardwood or stone floors. You may have to replace or deep clean your carpets more regularly and perform more floor maintenance.
At home, it’s easy to adjust to taking off your shoes. Simply take them off when you get home and store them on a shoe mat or rack. It’s that easy. You can walk around in your socks or barefoot and enjoy the feeling of being free from the confines of shoes. But what about at the office? How can you prevent the spread of germs and bacteria from your outdoor shoes? Try these tips.
- Encourage employees to bring a second pair of shoes for indoor use.
- Keep a shoe cubby for employee shoe storage.
- Provide slippers that are easy to clean for customer use.
It’s not always ideal for everyone to switch shoes at home or the office. But it can make it easier to keep your space clean. As a cleaning company, we’re pro no shoes indoor, or at least no outdoor shoes indoors, because we hate how it messes up our clean floors and carpets. But if you are a pro shoe, that’s okay too. Just make sure that you clean your shoes and floors regularly!
