Dr. Minji Kang, the associate medical director of infection prevention at UT Southwestern Medical Center, does not wear shoes inside her house. That may sound like a standard precaution for a germ guru, but her reason predates her profession. As an Asian American, she grew up leaving shoes at the door — a cultural practice that’s as much about respect and ritual as it is about cleanliness. But how much of an impact on cleanliness does this issue really have?
With cold and flu season looming, we sat down with two Dallas doctors to compile evidence about whether our shoes really are the laced-up petri dishes we fear. Dr. John Sturgeon, the medical director of Medical City Internal Medicine, notes that the bacteria E. coli, C. diff, staph, strep and Serratia are commonly lurking on the soles of shoes. Still, both doctors we consulted agree: You probably won’t catch a cold from hitchhiking microbes.
“Germs are all around us, and for healthy individuals, it is unlikely that these pathogens will serve as a health threat,” Kang says. “While it is possible to track these organisms into your homes and transfer these organisms from shoes to the floor, it’s unlikely that you will get ill from wearing your shoes inside your home.”
Even in households with young children, elderly or immunocompromised individuals, “the overall risk of an infection being caused by contaminated footwear is low,” shares Sturgeon — though people who work in a health care setting, who are at risk of having dangerous or drug-resistant bacteria on their shoes, should take greater care. (Viruses are less of an issue than bacteria since they can’t reproduce without a host.)
So you’re fine to trek across your house in shoes as long as you aren’t a doctor or nurse? Nope. Both doctors say leaving shoes at the door is still a smart move for everyone. Studies have found that shoes can carry pollen, mold spores and pet dander indoors, where they can settle into carpets and upholstery and worsen allergies or trigger asthma. Shoes also can track in chemical residues from pesticides, herbicides and asphalt, and introduce dust into the air that may contain chemicals like phthalates, flame retardants, PFAS (forever chemicals) and phenols.
There’s also the nuisance of wearing shoes indoors: the trail of grit and grime. For homeowners, this means more vacuuming, more mopping and faster floor and carpet damage. Sand and pebbles lodged in a shoe’s tread can be abrasive on hardwood floors, wearing down protective coatings and dulling the finish, while heels can create small dents.
In Asian cultures, leaving shoes at the door is second nature; for others, adopting the policy doesn’t have to be complicated or awkward, says Lisa Burdette of the Dallas School of Etiquette. “Southern hospitality is how we make people feel, not only what you say or do.” Create a space in the entryway that’s clearly designated for removing and placing shoes. “You can eliminate a lot of problems and avoid offending people if you have something for people’s shoes at the front door,” Burdette says.
You can use baskets, cubbies or simply line shoes up on the floor. (Need inspo? Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs created a modern shoe storage bench in one of her favorite entryways.) Consider offering slippers or socks to visitors — the gesture could go a long way for a surprised guest wearing a holey sock that wasn’t meant to see the light of day.
If you’re uncomfortable asking, Burdette says, “put a sign outside that says, ‘Please remove your shoes.’ Then you don’t even have to say it.”
