Can house shoes keep you and your loved ones healthy? The simple answer is yes. Think of it this way: imagine you are outside having a nice walk around the block in your favorite sneakers. As you are walking, you begin to notice all of the detritus of the sidewalk - a piece of gum, animal waste, a half-eaten sandwich with ketchup spread across the pavement, cigarettes, the list could go on forever. Now imagine coming into your home wearing those same sneakers and walking across your floors. Little particles of everything you just saw might have made it onto your shoe and into your home. All the dirt, germs, dust, and bacteria of the ground outside is now scattered around your house.
How can you prevent this from happening? There is an easy two-step process that will stop you from bringing the outside world inside your house.
Step 1 is to take your shoes off at the door.
Step 2 is to slide your feet into a nice pair of house shoes. It’s as simple as that.
You may be asking yourself, are there any other health benefits of wearing house shoes? Here is a list of how house shoes can keep you healthy:
By having house shoes at the door for you and any of your guests, you are eliminating dirt and debris from making its way into your home. Germs need a “vehicle” to help them move from place to place. Your shoes are essentially a germ vehicle just bringing all your new friends into your house by the way of dirt. By taking your shoes off at the door and putting on house shoes you are putting a stop to tracking in dirt, which in turn is stopping germs from entering your home.
In a study done by Oxford University, 180 subjects were given a cold treatment to their feet. At the end of the study, it was concluded that 18 of the 180 subjects got colds from having cold feet. This study suggests that there is a 10 percent chance that you could get a cold if you don't keep your feet warm. If only those 18 test subjects could have had a pair of house shoes, they might have fared differently.
Did you know wearing house shoes can help prevent athletes' feet, unpleasant odors, and other fungal infections? Wearing a light, ventilated, non-synthetic house shoe can help keep your feet dry. Fungal infections and smell typically occur in people whose feet become very sweaty and are trapped by wearing tight-fitting shoes. Allowing your feet to breathe and stay dry will remedy this from happening to you.
House shoes are an easy step toward living a healthier lifestyle. You don’t have to starve yourself, consume only juice for a month, or become a marathon runner. All you have to do is take your shoes off at the door and slide into a pair of house shoes. This one small step can make a big difference in your overall well-being.
Written by: Andrew Jessup (Director of Store Design and Visual Merchandising at Topdrawer)