Way back when I was at High School my school uniform included 2 pairs of shoes, the normal brown lace-up school shoes and a pair of slipper-like ‘indoor shoes’ which we changed into before going into the classrooms.
I thought it was stupid at the time. But it turns out it was really healthy.
Shoes you’ve used to walk around outside are definitely not clean, and I’m not just talking about mud here.
Dirt, dust, pesticides, bacteria and other pollutants from the outside environment collect on your shoes. Bringing these sources of toxin into your home on your shoes impacts the quality of your indoor air. These toxins accumulate on floors, carpets and other surfaces and are difficult to remove completely, even if you regularly vacuum and wash your floors.
It’s best for your health and wellbeing to remove your outdoor shoes outside and not wear them around inside the house. Or, if you can’t do that leave them just inside the front door. If you hate going barefoot in the house keep a basket of slippers or flipflops by the front door.
Now if I could only teach my dog to do this!