Should I take my shoes off inside the house?

Should I take my shoes off inside the house?

Keep them on, if you can stomach knowing what they carry on their soles.

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Published: October 20, 2022 at 10:00 am

Tests have shown that shoes carry a host of faecal bacteria – including E. coli – which could come from the floors in public toilets as well as from dog poo.

One studycarried outat the University of Arizona, US, suggested that over 90 per cent of the bacteriafrom your shoesthen transfer tothefloors in your home. Shoes can also traipse in carcinogenic chemicals picked up from roadside dust, along with problematic pesticides from lawns.

Of course, some dirt is good for you, but you can always go into the garden to be exposed to germs.

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Asked by: Stephanie Lee, Bristol

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©Wang and Pan et al