(CNN) — When entertaining, germ-conscious hosts face a dilemma: Should I ask my guests to take off their shoes at the door, especially if the gathering is a cocktail or formal gathering, or shoes like Carrie Bradshaw if the guest is a coffee addict?
In a 2003 episode of “Sex and the City,” Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is asked to leave her $485 Manolo Blahnik shoes at the door during a baby shower hosted by her friend in New York. Kyra (Tatum O’Neal) and soon discover that they were stolen.
“I didn’t even give the party a full spin,” Carrey laments later over lunch with his friends. The iconic television personality was forced to go home in her party dress and some old gray sneakers that the hostess lent her.
“Why did you take off your shoes?” asked Carrie’s friend Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall).
“We had to do it,” Carey explained. “For your kids, obviously we drag things around in our heels that make kids sick.”
Sarah Jessica Parker, as Carrie Bradshaw, returns home with borrowed sneakers in an August 2003 episode of “Sex and the City,” which aired on CNN-owned HBO. Her Manolo Blahnik heels were stolen after her friend asked guests to leave their shoes at the front door. (Credit: HBO/Everett Collection)
Although the episode, “A Woman’s Right to Shoes,” was designed to discuss the dilemmas single people face in a world centered on families with children, the underlying issue—and discussion—surrounding footwear and health still applies: What Is there any significant evidence that shoelaces slow the spread of germs in the home?
“Absolutely,” says Gabriel Filippelli, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Indiana-Purdue University in Indianapolis and executive director of the Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University.
“We can track all kinds of bacteria, but there are definitely some that we’re most concerned about.” .”
Heavy metals and more
However, bacteria aren’t the only danger that comes with dust and dirt around rural and urban homes, gardens and parks, according to Jill Litt, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado who currently works as a researcher. Principal of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, or ISGlobal, in Spain.
“Studies have shown that in urban areas where there are older houses, lead from dust can reach the house through the surface of shoes,” he said. “Other studies show that pesticide residues can be brought in by shoes from the garden.”
Heavy metals such as lead, copper and zinc seep into the soil from decades of contamination in parks and urban streets, while pesticide levels may be higher in rural agricultural areas, Litt added.
Experts say homes built before 1978 are likely to have lead paint, which can chip, peel and decompose into dangerous dust. There is no safe level of lead at any age, but children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of heavy metals and pesticides because of their small size and proximity to contaminants as they crawl, roll, and play on floors.
“For young children, direct hand contact is one of the main routes of exposure to toxic substances and infectious disease agents,” says Litt, who also directs Reimagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces. Funded by the European Union, the project aims to combat loneliness with natural spaces.
Mop first
Experts say that before asking people to take off their shoes, make sure the house is as dust-free as possible. Never vacuum or brush with a broom first, because you’ll just remove all the toxins and take them into the air. Instead, use a wet or spray mop. Although adding water to dirt may seem counterintuitive, it’s actually the best way to remove toxins, Litt says.
Filippelli says the same applies to any horizontal surface, but stay away from dusters. “Clean horizontal surfaces more regularly with a damp cloth, such as windows, tables, coffee tables, chair bottoms, chair seats and other furniture, as well as floors.”
Use the “three bucket” method if you live in an older home with lead paint or in an area with high levels of lead outdoors. Have one bucket ready with an all-purpose cleaning solution, another for rinsing and one empty.
“Some people also use a very weak solution of vinegar in the wash water, which works very well,” Filippelli said. “There are some super sterilizers on the market, but while the cleaners are really good at killing bacteria, they’re not very good for us as humans. Whenever something smells really strong, you have to at least think twice.”
Dip the mop in the cleaning solution, wring the excess water into an empty bucket, and start mopping at the point farthest from the door. Work your way toward the door, using clean water as a rinse as you go. When the toilet looks dirty or flush the water down with each new room, do not flush it out.
“The highest concentration of insects is at the inner entrance, and the level decreases as we move away from this area,” explains Litt. “Carpet has a lot of dust, so if you’re concerned about dust and potential health issues it’s going to be one of the things you remove.”
Carpeted areas should be vacuumed with a device that has a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter, not bagless vacuum cleaners, and dispose of the bag or filter in an outside trash can when finished.
Think about the comfort of your guests
Taking your shoes off at the door may be the best way to limit the entry of germs and potentially toxic dust, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about your guests’ comfort, Filippelli says. Giving washable slippers or non-slip socks can be a thoughtful gesture.
“I don’t like walking around barefoot inside, so this is my trick. I keep warm slippers at the door; many other cultures do this,” she explains.
“In any Asian, or even Middle Eastern, house, there’s usually a little cubby inside the door with washable slippers. You have to take off your shoes, grab the slippers and put them on.”
Could she have solved Carrie’s problems with taking off her shoes? No, that was resolved when he asked Kyra to buy him some new Manolos as a gift for Carrie’s upcoming wedding.
“Is that all you asked for?” Kyra asked the clerk, as her children ran around the glamorous Manolo Blahnik store on Madison Avenue.
