I’m instituting a new rule for those who come to my tiny Brooklyn apartment: all shoes off at the door. Until recently, I really resented such mandates when I went to other people’s houses, mainly because — like most women — my shoes usually coordinate with my well-thought-out ensembles. And nothing kills a sexy outfit like thick white sport socks that were never meant to be seen by the outside world.
I was inspired to adopt the no-shoes-in-the-house policy after attending an event last week in honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. At a discussion hosted by L’Oreal’s Color of Hope initiative, nutritional counselor Oz Garcia was one of the featured speakers. During the Q&A afterward, someone in the audience asked Garcia about BPA toxins in plastic, which led to a larger discussion about toxins in general.
It was pretty disturbing. You know, the kind of conversation that exposes information you’d always suspected but decided to ignore anyway, like all those chemicals in the air that we breathe. Well, according to Garcia, who cited a report by President Obama’s Cancer Panel, there are about 80,000 or so, and many of them are known carcinogens. And get this, apparently some other really official and important study, also referenced by Garcia, tested tissue samples from umbilical cords and found that babies are born with more than 200 toxins in their systems.
Way to give our kids a head start. Imagine how many toxins you’d find in the body of the average American adult.
After Garcia dropped the aforementioned gems on us, someone asked him what we should be doing to curb the amount of poisons in our bodies and our environments.
“You can start by taking off your shoes when you come in the house,” he responded. He didn’t have time to elaborate, but I didn’t need him to. I walk around the streets of New York City every day.
In a place that’s home to some 8 million people, filth, grime, dirt, bacteria such as coliform from human and animal waste, and general nastiness abound — and collect on the bottom of your shoes. I hadn’t really thought about it until last week’s event, and now I’m wondering how it is that I never really thought about it until last week’s event.
I wash my hands all the time. I also wipe down the light switches and doorknobs in my apartment and regularly change the sponges in my kitchen. I keep my toothbrush in my medicine cabinet to prevent any extra bathroom germs from taking residence on an instrument that I put in my mouth, and sanitizer and hand wipes have their own special spot in my new designer bag.
But what does it all matter if I’m contaminating my home with the muck and the mire stuck to the bottom of my soles?
Now, it grosses me out to think of what I may be bringing home, something many before me must’ve considered before banning footwear in their houses, too — people like my sometimes employer, domestic goddess Martha Stewart (not to mention the millions of folks who live in parts of East Asia). I’m a little late to the game, I know. But now I get it.
And I’m going to make Martha proud. Near my front door, I plan to set up a boot tray for shoes. And next to it will be a pretty swing-handle basket filled with fresh slippers for all my guests.
I like the idea of basket of booties by the door. Thanks!
Mmmmmmhhhhhmmm
Welcome back, Chana.
I’ve had a no-shoes-in-the-house policy for years, which was mainly influenced by Eastern philosophy and my concerns about cleanliness. I’m glad there’s now some medical evidence to back me up so that my visitors won’t think I’m an old fuddy-duddy.
I like the booties in the basket idea. So chic.
Chana, like you I resented being told to remove my shoes in someone else’s house–especially if there was a party, and the shoes complemented my outfit. But now I gladly comply. Once inside my own apartment, I remove my shoes and switch to my house flip-flops. I have yet to demand that visitors remove their shoes. Sad to say, I don’t get that much traffic.
Dear Cancer Slayer,
My partner and I are in the process of taking your good advice and are trying to remember to take our shoes off as we enter the house. A little thing that makes good sense. Now, any suggestions on how we can get our dog to wipe his paws when he enters. And while we’re at it…where’s his nose been….AHHHHH!
Excellent move! Having a no-shoes rule makes so much sense.
I have an whole blog about removing shoes in homes: Shoes Off at the Door, Please You might like to take a look.
Shoes are nasty. Period. Shoes make their way through crap, urine, blood, spit, roadkill, parasites of all types, etc., not to mention toxic pesticides and petroleum. We do not allow shoes in our home, and haven’t done so for years.
Your home is your home, your sanctuary and sacred space. It’s where you do your living. Why should anyone have a problem with removing shoes? If they want to live in filth, they should go ahead and do so in their own homes. Nobody who is a guest in someone else’s home should ever question the no-shoe policy; if you don’t live there, it’s none of your business.
We found that there are some who are very difficult when it comes to the no-shoe policy. One even took his dirty sneakers off at the door, but put them on a table before he left, as he was putting them back on. He was simply choosing to be difficult. He hasn’t been asked here again. Once, a guest came to the door for the second time (the first time, she was asked to remove her shoes) having worn no shoes on the city streets! She said, “I didn’t wear shoes this time, so I wouldn’t have to take them off.” Either she was trying to see how far she could push us or she was really kinda slow. That’s like the little girl who climbed trees and got tired of little boys trying to peek through the holes in her underwear, so she didn’t wear any….
Those who are respectful of our space have no problem removing shoes. Most of them understand why we have the rule.
Another option is to offer booties (like doctors wear over their shoes in surgery) for those who refuse to remove shoes. The best policy, though, is to insist upon your own no-shoe rule.
If defeating Obama means siding with Matthew Frank, then I side with Matthew Frank. If defeating Obama means siding with John Podhoretz, then I side with John Podhoretz. Defeating Obama is a far greater matter of pure principle than either (a) tolerance of or fairness to gays and (b) social conservative beliefs about gays.