“No shoes, please.” This is a statement that is strictly enforced in my home. I am Chinese, and like many Asians, we don’t wear shoes in our house. I know it sounds weird, walking barefoot or with slippers around the house, but it’s what we do. You know you’re in an Asian home when you see a line of shoes by the front door or in the garage. It’s a sign of respect and a custom to not wear shoes in a Asian family’s home. The home is the most sacred and prized possession to most families and should be kept clean and tidy.
Even in my home now, we still carry on that tradition, not because it’s our custom, but because it’s hygienic. My son, at almost two years old, knows to put his slippers on when he’s at home. Imagine being out all day walking around in your shoes and bringing those same germs back into your clean home. Being in public restrooms, restaurants, and the outdoors, your shoes will come into contact with countless numbers of germs lurking within the soles. E. coli and feces are common in these areas and are just waiting to infect and contaminate your home. A little graphic I know, but most moms (especially the germaphobes like me) want our homes to be clean and safe for our families to live in.
A study done by the University of Arizona shows that the average pair of shoes has over 420,000 different types of bacteria living on them. With cold and flu season at its peak now, keeping as many germs out is key to keeping the entire family healthy. Imagine all that walking on your bedroom floors, bathrooms, or kitchen, and multiply that by the amount of people in your home. And if you have little ones who crawl or stick their fingers in their mouths all the time, the reality of shoes in your house is even scarier.
To all you shoe-wearers out there, try to keep your family from wearing shoes at home for a few days and see what happens. Not wearing shoes can be freeing and give you a sense of comfort and relaxation. Here are a few tips to keep your home as clean as possible, even with shoes on!
1. Have “home shoes.” These are the shoes that should only be worn indoors at home. Designate an area, whether it’s in the garage or front door that lets children know to take off their outside shoes and to put on their home shoes.
2. Deep clean your carpets and flooring at least once a week. Get rid of those germs and bacteria lurking in those shoes.
3. Ask people visiting your home to take off their shoes so that they can feel more at home…besides, you really don’t know where their shoes have been!
