There are many ways to reduce toxins in the home, and one of the easiest and most comfortable ways is to leave your shoes at the door. Other cultures practice this habit regularly as a way to respect the home and treat it as a sanctuary. I personally love to be barefoot. Some might find it a bit to hippy dippy, but here are three very compelling reasons to adopt this habit.
1. Bacteria and Virus on the bottom of shoes
Studies have shown that we track in any number of harmful substances on our shoes including viruses and bacteria such as C Difficile and E Coli (YUCK!).
2. Shoes track in Pesticides
Equally as worrisome, are pesticides that we track in on the soles of our shoes. HERE is a study that shows levels of a certain pesticide called 2,4D, tracked into a home on shoes, exceeds that of residue on non-organic produce, ultimately negating all that healthy organic produce your buying for your family. Many other herbicides and pesticides were found inside the home. Children are far more susceptible to the effect of these pesticides because they spend so much time close to the ground. These chemicals have been linked to cancer, nervous system dysfunction, endocrine and hormonal disorders. And a 1990 study by the EPA estimated that 85 percent of the total daily exposure to airborne pesticides was from breathing air inside the home.
3. Lead dust on the soles of shoes
Another indoor pollutant that is particularly worrisome for new mamas is lead. Lead affects every system of the body and causes IRREVERSIBLE brain damage. Often lead poisoning has no symptoms in the beginning and can go undetected for many months or even years before showing its damaging effects. This is one of many reasons that the water situation in Flint Michigan is a tragedy of EPIC proportions. Lead is an odorless, silent and lethal substance that should be avoided, especially by children, at all costs. It has been estimated that the majority of lead dust in a home is tracked in on shoes. A study done in 1991 by the EPA found that wiping shoes on a doormat and leaving them at the door cut the lead dust in the home by a whopping 60 percent.
So for a healthier home and a healthier body, check those Louboutins at the door.
