Clarissa Rivera, Content Marketer at Taos Footwear has visited us before with wonderful information on Getting Healthy and choosing your Footwear. Today she shares some tips on disinfecting your shoes. This information has been both relevant and disavowed by the CDC but hey, you never know what to believe or when it'll come in handy so let's welcome Clarissa back.
Take it away Clarissa.....
Removing and Disinfecting Your Shoes: The Benefits of Both During COVID-19
It’s always important to guard against germs. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this may be more crucial than ever. You need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to stay safe.
That’s why you should remove your shoes before entering your home after you’ve been out. Additionally, it’s a good idea to disinfect your supportive sneakers, favorite sandals, and every pair of shoes that you wear on a regular basis. The following points will help you better understand why.
The Benefits of Removing Your Shoes Before Entering Your Home
Keeping Your Home Clean
You might not want to hear this, but odds are good your shoe soles are much dirtier than you realize. Most shoe soles are actually dirtier than toilet seats.
You don’t want to track germs into your house or apartment. Removing your shoes before stepping inside will help you avoid doing so.
It’s also important to understand that research shows 100% of shoes contain fecal matter. Regardless of how careful you think you are, or how clean you think your neighborhood is, the sad truth is your shoes are almost certainly home to fecal matter and bacteria. On top of that, because shoes rarely get a chance to shed bacteria (bacteria accumulates every time you step outside in your shoes), bacteria appears to remain present on shoes longer than on virtually any other surface.
Avoiding Covid-19 Spread
The coronavirus is new. We’re still learning about how it spreads. That said, while person-to-person transmission appears to be the most common way the virus infects others, the CDC’s research also indicates you may contract the virus by simply coming into contact with a surface that’s also been in contact with the virus.
This is another good reason to remove your shoes before entering your home. You can’t be too careful these days. There’s no reason to risk bringing the virus inside with you.
How to Disinfect Your Shoes
Removing your shoes before going inside is definitely beneficial. That said, to optimize your safety, it’s also a good idea to disinfect your shoes.
You can do this easily with some shoes by merely cleaning them in your washing machine. Use hot water to kill the germs.
However, in some instances, shoes are made of delicate materials (such as leather and suede) that won’t hold up in a washing machine. To disinfect these types of shoes, use a rag or soft bristled brushed with a mixture of warm water and soap. You can also use rubbing alcohol to disinfect them thoroughly. Just make sure you also wash your hands and forearms after doing so. Of course, when your shoes are made with very delicate materials, you want to rinse them gently and carefully.
Of course, during the COVID-19 pandemic, you should try to limit outside excursions as much as possible. That said, you still need to go out to buy groceries and perform related tasks. Keeping your shoes clean and removing them before coming inside will help you stay safe.
Hope this information is beneficial to you ALL and that you'll do whatever necessary to keep yourself and your loved ones safe!
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
