As parents, you do your best to protect kids against the spread of germs and disease.1

But do you know that your little one’s shoes are dirty enough to spread germs?

Shoes are dirtier than a toilet seat2

A recent study found that the participants in the study had nine different species of bacteria on their shoes and over a period of two weeks, researchers discovered 440,000 units of bacteria on a single pair of shoes.

These shoes harboured deadly bacteria such as2

  • E. coli that cause urinary tract infections and diarrhoea
  • Pneumonia-causing bacteria
  • Bacteria causing respiratory tract infections
  • Meningitis-causing bacteria

How to clean footwear?3

  • Clean footwear every few days.
  • Do not wait for footwear to smell bad before you wash it
  • Scrub it thoroughly every two days to remove trapped dirt, mould and other impurities.
  • Follow a practise of dusting anti-bacterial powder on feet and wearing socks inside the shoe.

References

  1. What your shoes bring home?[Internet]. Available at: https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2015/04/042015_factoid-shoe- bacteria.php. Accessed on Mar 2, 2020.
  2. Germs on shoes: if only you knew what’s living on the bottom of your shoes[Internet]. Available at: https://www.safespaceco.com/germs-on-shoes-if-only-you-knew-whats-living- on-the-bottom-of-your-shoes/. Accessed on Mar 2, 2020.
  3. How to be keep the house germ-free during monsoon[Internet]. Available at: https://www.dettol.co.in/en/healthy-homes/how-to-be-keep-the-house-germ-free-during- monsoon/. Accessed on Mar 2, 2020.