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And It's Not Like Your Socks Are All That Clean, Either
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While it's a cultural thing with Asian and Middle Eastern families, a lot of other families have everyone take their shoes off at home to ostensibly prevent the spread of bacteria tracked in on your soles. This article examines whether doing so is really beneficial. The answer: Nah, it really doesn't matter. One study, commissioned by a shoe manufacturer, said that your shoes do indeed have E. coli on them, but on the list of bacteria carriers to worry about, your shoes are near the bottom. Sponges? Yup, bad. But shoes? It's more gross -- yes, poop bacteria are there -- than health-threatening. Oh, and beware floors in general: A public bathroom floor has a LOT more bacteria, 2 million per square inch, than the toilet seat, which has more like 50 per square inch. And what doesn't kill you... well, you know. (New York Times)
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