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Join the Fight Against Toxic Kids' ProductsThe following is a guest post by Ideal Bite's Mama Bite Editor Alison Neumer Lara.
Our house has dark wood floors that show every little speck of dust, but that's not why we made the decision to go shoeless at home. The real instigator was my one-year-old daughter Roxie...the moment she decided to start licking the floor. I know, that's what babies do (a pretty logical way to figure out the world actually), and kids do need to be exposed to some germs to build their immune systems, but come on. Some cleaning precautions are good.
Like, consider where you walk each day—sidewalks, lawns, public transit. Would you want your kid to lick the bottom of your shoe? Or wipe it on her face? But that's essentially what we do to kids when we tromp across the floor—their main play area—tracking in dust full of pesticides and other potentially dangerous chems that contribute to asthma and colds.
This is not just a paranoid mama talking either. Studies show that the simple act of removing shoes reduces the amount of dirt and germs in the house by as much as 60%, leading to far fewer respiratory infections. I guess I could vacuum every day...but that's not going to happen.
So, as habits go, removing your shoes at the door is pretty painless. Asking family and friends to follow suit is a little more difficult. I'm not quite ready to ask strangers to do it —like the plumber, say—but I might get there. And I must admit: Our floors do look a lot better.
Do you wear shoes inside your house?
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Comments (17)
No, we don't wear shoes at home. We never have, made only more definite by having kids.
I'm all about taking off my shoes at the door. So much so that I often do it autimatically at other peoples houses.
If I ever get the chance to, I would love to remodel my house so that it has an entrance like most Japanese houses. Because they have a small shoe friendly section where you can take off your shoes, and put them away. Then there is a step up to the rest of the shoe free home.
CafeCirces, I love that idea too.
Studies have shown that people who use Round-Up on their lawn and track it in their carpets can detect chemical traces TWO YEARS later. That stuff is toxic!
I try to get everyone in my house to take off their shoes for these reasons, but the hubby finds it a hassle to take off his shoes before walking through the house.
I live in Alaska and here everyone takes off their shoes before going into the house so they don't track snow inside. Even at college and highschool parties there would be a huge pile of shoes inside the door! I alway thought that was funny that people were doing something wreckless by drinking and partying but were polite enough to take their shoes off!
We dont wear shoes on the house either. We dont have carpet.
I was born a shoeless person and love to go barefoot. There is no specific rule in the house about no shoes, but they don't seem to make it to far anyway. Hopefully when we get our own house...we'll put a shoe bin by the front entrance.
no shoes in the house. we take them off by the door and ask others to do the same since we do have a teething baby who chews on everything he picks up. not only that but it just feels cleaner. sometimes i do let it slide when the plumber or something comes but for the most part i ask everyone to take their shoes off. i like the idea of the japanese house entrance. they do make it look nice and inviting to take your shoes off right there.
many people actually have shoes that they only wear in the house. this is better for your body and you don't get your foot oils on the floor. It is possible to have the best of both worlds!
No, we don't wear shoes in the house. I'm Canadian and here it pretty much isn't done- even when I tell guests that they can leave their shoes on to walk through to the backyard they take their shoes off! It just isn't really done here, I guess it's an area of etiquette that differs between Canada and the US.
No shoes in the house unless we're bringing in groceries and our hands are full, hurrying trying to put a nine month and carrier down from struggling biceps, lil stuff like that. But I try and vaccuum often when I know my son is going to be crawling around on the floor.