You have been out running errands, and you followed the guidelines…You had your mask, you kept your distance from others, and you washed your hands at least 100 times! Now you are home, though, and there is something you might not have thought of…Your shoes!
The outside of your shoes averages 421,000 units of bacteria, and 95% of shoes are positive for fecal bacteria! Can you say yuck! Don’t worry though; we are here to help you stay germ-free with this guide on how to disinfect shoes!
Let’s get started!
Keep Your Shoes Quarantined
Your shoes should have a quarantine of their own! They need to be kept separate from the rest of your house to isolate any possible germs from getting into your home.
This can become tricky, especially if you have children or roommates. So, try keeping a specific pair of shoes that are easy to slip off and on for running quick errands or heading to the grocery store.
Start Clean and End Clean
Before you get to work on disinfecting your shoes, you must ensure that your hands are germ-free. Use gloves, or your feet, to kick your shoes off at the door and then either wash your hands or disinfect with hand sanitizer. This step will ensure that you are not adding any additional germs to your shoes via contact with potentially contaminated hands.
Use the Right Tools
When it comes to knowing how to decontaminate your shoes, it is essential that you use the proper tools and materials. There is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning removes any excess debris like dirt, but it does not remove germs.
Clean your shoes first with a hot water wash to get any build-up off the shoe, and then you can disinfect your shoes with alcohol that is at least 70% in strength or a household bleach solution. There is technology to make the process of disinfection easier and safer for you. Check out Patho3gen.com to learn more about convenient UVC decontamination.
Use Your Washing Machine
Washing your shoes in the machine after each use is highly impractical; however, you should try to do it as much as you can. As long as your shoes are cloth, you should be able to toss them in the washer with no issue, and doing so will give your shoes a fresh start.
With that being said, not all shoes are washing machine safe. Plastic and leather shoes should not go into the washing machine, so instead use the other methods listed above.
How to Disinfect Shoes
Know that you know how to disinfect shoes, you can rest assured that you are doing everything you can to keep your home germ-free! So, keep this guide handy and share the steps with your family today!
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