Recently I had the privileged of being invited to a house warming party given by a friend who recently became a homeowner. About four of arrived at the same time and the homeowner asked us to remove our shoes before coming in. There were people already there and a pile of shoes meet us at the door. Now I get it, the hostess did not want the carpet to be soiled or worst. However is it right to ask people to remove their clothing before they can enter? Science backs up the practice. Indeed there are some very nasty bugs you can bring into people’s houses on your shoes.
Not everything carried in on your sneakers is invisible to the naked eye. Dust and dirt built up from your shoes can easily be carried into your living quarters. Even if it’s not toxic, carrying dust and debris in from the park or trail isn’t ideal. Abrasive soles of shoes can cause floors to be scratched and scraped. But these things are minor compared to the real deal. Researchers at the University of Houston found that about 40% of shoes were carrying the nasty “C.diff” bacterium, which stands for Clostridium difficile. These spores are not at all easy to treat. The problem with treating an infection caused by C.diff is that it is resistant to most antibiotics. This can cause the bacterium to proliferate and make recovery very difficult for the patient. The linings in the intestines are attacked, resulting in colitis. Many people in hospitals pick up the C.diff infection and it is becoming more difficult to treat. So what else we got? Well got bird droppings, dog poop, leafy debris and other unwanted matter. The leafy stuff acts as a breeding ground for bacteria. Work on a farm? A 2014 study concluded that your boots are almost certainly covered in E coli. E.coli is a pathogenic organism and it makes up about a third of all bacteria so it is a heavyweight. E.coli strains are mostly harmless, thank goodness, but the nasty ones like E.coli 0157:H7 are not. They often cause severe stomach and intestinal problems leading to vomiting and diarrhea.
Okay, I get it and science backs it up, but there are other opinions, not based on science, but on people’s personal observations and experiences. Your floors could be just as grubby as the spit and gum spattered sidewalk. You might have pets, do you pick them up and carry them when they come into the house. Bed bugs or some unknown fungus that is not even perceptible to the eye don’t travel on the bottom of your shoes, they could be anywhere on a persons body. Then they’re is all over my socks and my bare feet and that is just gross. And what if I have to use the bathroom and someone has bad aim? Nasty! Do you have a shoe horn handy? Is it hanging next to to the door with your dog leash and spare keys? Do you supply slippers for those that feel uncomfortable removing their shoes. How come rich people don’t take off their shoes when they go into their exclusive and fancy abodes, at least the ones I see on TV dont, and don’t get me started on the embarrassment of socks with holes in them. It would be a travesty if someone saw my big toe nail popping through an article of clothing I didn’t intend anyone to see and feet get smelly, especially when out of shoes. By the way, don’t you have a doormat for wiping off your shoes before you come in? Not wearing shoes sucks, especially when it is thrust upon you in some unfamiliar environment. Worse than the inconvenience and the gross out factor though is having someone else’s rules and life choices thrust upon you.
Personally, I don’t care if you come into my home with your shoes on, as long as you don’t have mud on them. If you want to take them off, well that’s okay too. I want you to have a great time. Sometimes that might cause me a little inconvenience by having to mop the floor or clean the carpets after everyone’s gone, but I have to mop the floor and clean the carpets whether I have company or not. This not to say that homeowners who request their guest remove their shoes before coming in are wrong. They have every right to request their guest respect the rules of their home and they got the science to back it up too. It’s just a matter of personal preference.
Be the first to comment