Take Shoes Off for Healthier Home
As I was growing up in Vermont, it was pretty much understood that you take your shoes off at the door year round. You did this at your own home as well as those that you were visiting. It helped to keep the snow and mud tracked in down to a minimum. Once I moved to the South, I realized that this is not a common practice everywhere. It's unfortunate because tracking the outside in can be bad for your health.Shoes can track in all sorts of stuff from the outside including pesticides, fungi and animal excrement. All of this can get trapped into carpets where children and pets are especially vulnerable to exposure.
To combat this problem, set up a space near the front door for leaving shoes. I have a narrow cubby that I got from target with twelve slots for six to 12 pairs of shoes depending on the size. It has helped to keep the carpets clean and I feel good knowing that I'm not tracking muck through the house.
[via: Care2]














