Should I take my shoes off inside the house?
STEPHANIE LEE, BRISTOL
Keep them on, if you can stomach knowing what they carry on their soles. Tests have shown that shoes carry a host of faecal bacteria – including E. coli – which could come from the floors in public toilets as well as from dog poo. One study carried out at the University of Arizona, US, suggested that over 90 per cent of the bacteria from your shoes then transfer to the floors in your home. Shoes can also traipse in carcinogenic chemicals from roadside dust, along with problematic pesticides from lawns. Of course, some dirt is good for you, but you can always go in the garden to be exposed to germs. ED
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