Most of us are pretty careful with hygiene. We wash our hands many times a day – after we use the bathroom, before and after eating, after working outside and doing chores, and more. But do you ever consider washing your hands after putting on or taking off your shoes? Your shoes carry dirt, which carry hundreds of thousands of germs and bacteria? Maybe you didn’t step in “it”, but the numbers are staggering.
A study by the University of Arizona and The Rockport Company found, on average, 421,000 units of bacteria reside on the outside of a shoe, and 2,887 bacteria units can be found on the inside. Some of the bacteria found include those that cause intestinal and bloodstream infections, bacterial meningitis and pneumonia.
Here are two tips to keep your footwear germ-free:
– Take shoes off before entering your home or any personal space. The study found that up to 99 percent of bacteria can transfer from shoes to uncontaminated areas.
– Wash your shoes and clean them on a regular basis. The study found that simply washing shoes with detergent reduced bacteria on a shoe by up to 99 percent.
Then of course, wash your hands after handling your shoes.
