(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

OPINION

There are two kinds of houses, those where you take your shoes off at the door, and those where you don’t. I can’t remember ever taking my shoes off to enter someone’s house in Florida, not even the $10 million manse of a Miami friend.

Other than my travels in some Scandinavian, Asian and Middle Eastern countries - and when I came to Canada 11 years ago - I never kicked off my shoes at the door. Old habits are hard to break, and while I never fuss about removing my shoes, I often wear sandals or moccasins from May to October when I’m in the Okanagan, and don’t relish padding around in bare feet in my friends’ homes.

Of course, I certainly understand the reason people leave shoes at the door…and let’s be honest…it’s poop. We walk around all day…often treading where dogs, cats, horses, cows and - name your favourite animal here - have soiled the soil…then go inside our homes or the homes of others. Don’t even mention walking into a public restroom…something that requires a certain desperation for me. All told, that’s a lot of E. coli, friends.

Indeed, people who measure such things say 96 percent of shoes have E. coli on them. So, I get it. Kicking off the shoes saves some bad ass germ spreading around the house…but unless you’re Oscar Madison…does anyone even remember him?…you probably clean your floors regularly anyway.

Also, from an aesthetic perspective, a pile of shoes at the front door - unlike raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens - is not one of my favourite things. I know some families whose foyer looks like a discount shoe store at the mall.

And while the two-year bout with COVID-19 reduced some of our coming and going…but we appear to be out and about once again…so the shoe piles are growing. Some folks have indoor shoes and outdoor shoes…a veritable footwear changing-of-the-guard as you come and go. My life seems complicated enough, so I’m not apt to go there.

One expert advises: “You can leave foot sprays near your shoe rack if by any chance that you have guests that worry about taking their shoes off because of smelly feet. You can even leave a pair of clean socks that they can use just in case.” Yeah, that should bring your friends even closer. Maybe you should leave some clean underwear at the door, too…just in case.

There are some alternatives to leaving shoes at the door…clean them regularly…wash those running shoes. You can even spray the soles of dress shoes, high heels, boots and sneakers with antibacterials like Lysol. You should be de-contaminating doormats anyway…if you think wearing shoes in the house spreads germs…doormats make the typical toilet look good.

I can be found barefoot in my home 95.4 percent of the time…OK, I made the .4 up just to sound more scientific. Experts - feet or flooring? - claim bare feet leave and track body oils and dirt all over your house. I say, that’s why we clean house…regularly.

There’s no carpeting in our house…largely because they become fibrous Petri dishes over time…whether wearing shoes or going barefoot. Even if you love carpet cleaning…and who does…carpets exist as germ factories and to give your cat a place to toss hair balls.

Hey, I admit that walking around indoors with outdoor shoes - if you never clean and disinfect them - can expose you to not only unpleasant stuff…but cancer-causing toxins from asphalt roads and endocrine-disrupting lawn chemicals. But unless you work for a paving company or spray lawns for a living…are you that much more at risk?

I appreciate being careful. But I know people who avoid vaccinations against COVID-19 who won’t let you wear shoes in their homes for fear of germs. That’s like smoking a couple packs of cigarettes a day and drinking two bottles of Vodka a week…but really worrying about the threat of off-gassing of your wood flooring instead.

A modicum of cleaning will lower your risks of what’s lurking at the front door to an acceptable level. And for those who insist on kicking off your shoes…do they clean and disinfect their shoes? Their shoe rack? Doormat? Dog’s paws?

We all do what we believe will get us to a ripe old age, and for me the whole shoes off at the door doesn’t seem like the thing that’s gonna take me out. I don’t know what I want on my tombstone, maybe not, “Damn it, I told you I was sick!” or “Better here than Winnipeg.” But, I’m certain it won’t be, “If only I’d taken off my shoes at the front door.”

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines.

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