Having visitors is a source of honor and pride in almost every culture on the planet. In our culture, hospitality etiquette entails making guests feel at ease and welcomed. This may cause a few home regulations to clash with the needs of hospitality, and the one we’d like to discuss today is whether or not shoes are permitted inside the house.
Reasons Why You Should Not Allow Shoes in Your House
? Shoes Can Pick Up Bacteria and Toxins…Gross
If you’ve ever walked across a street, your shoes are almost certainly covered in trace amounts of gasoline and antifreeze. Long-term exposure to chemicals like these has been shown to be dangerous, and tracking them through your home means you’re releasing them into the air your family breathes every day.
In 2016, researchers from the University of Arizona published a report claiming that the average shoe bottom contains 421,000 bacteria and that 90% of those bacteria migrate to a clean tile floor on first contact, setting the germophobic world on fire. In a 2017 study on shoe bacteria, more than 26% of shoes tested positive for C. diff, a bacterium that can cause life-threatening extreme diarrhea.
? House Rules
To keep our children safe, we established a few house rules, which may include not wearing shoes inside the house due to the weather, your culture, or hygiene concerns. You expect your guests to follow your house rules as you welcome them to your home and cater to their every need. In North America, most people check with the host before keeping or removing their shoes.
? Wooden Floors
Heels may leave ugly scratches and holes in wooden flooring, something you don’t want to find out about after the guests have gone.
? Logistics
Allowing your visitors to remove their shoes before entering may appear to be a good idea on paper, but there are a few logistical concerns to consider:
- If you ask your visitors to remove their shoes, make sure you’re not wearing your “inside” shoes, since this may send conflicting signals to your guests.
- Provide a convenient space for customers to take their shoes off and on.
- If it’s chilly outdoors and your home has different surfaces like wood and tiles without carpet, put a cushion beneath your guests’ feet or supply them with (clean) socks.
- Bathroom slippers can be used indoors in places like the bathroom, although some visitors have been known to wear them around the home (best of luck dealing with that).
? How You Can Easily Maintain the Cleanliness of Your Shoes?
While it is best to remove your shoes at the front door, you may wish to clean them from time to time. Here’s how:
Water And Soap: Good old-fashioned soap and water will safeguard you and your loved ones. This procedure works well for removing visible particles from shoes, such as stains, mud, and grime, just as it does for your hands. You can also remove your shoes’ insoles, soak them in soapy warm water, and air dry them.
Washing machine: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and only machine wash your shoes if the manufacturer advises it. You may wash your shoes in the machine if they’re made of common materials like cotton or nylon, but some fabrics, such as leather or suede, should never be cleaned.
Bleach: A bleach and water solution may be used to clean and disinfect shoes; however bleach can discolor and even destroy some shoes. Only use this method on the inside of your shoes, or the exterior if your shoes are white.
? Tips for Having a Shoe-Free Home
You dislike wearing shoes but despise E. coli? The good news is that having a no-shoes policy doesn’t mean you have to go barefoot. Instead, do as Mr. Rogers did and put on a pair of indoor-only shoes when you get home. It’s also a great way to keep your toes warm during the winter.
A shoe-free policy might cause some confusion when new acquaintances walk through the door; it’s up to you whether or not you encourage your visitors to follow suit; perhaps after they see how clean your house is, they’ll start enforcing no-shoes restrictions as well.
Thank you for reading this weeks Blog Article. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day & week ?