Here’s Why You Should Leave Your Shoes at the Door While Entering Your Home During Winter- Toxicologist Warns

In the 2003 Sex and the City episode A Woman's Right to Shoes, Carrie Bradshaw is asked to leave her $485 Manolo Blahnik shoes at the door during a baby shower hosted by her friend Kyra. The request might have sounded doleful to the shoe-lover, but as it turns out, it's recommended by health experts. In a recent TikTok clip from The Diary of a CEO podcast episode hosted by Steven Bartlett (@steven), toxicologist Yvonne Burkart reveals why it is so pivotal to follow this simple practice. “This is why you should be keeping your windows open during the winter months,” Steven wrote in the video caption

“This shocks a lot of people, but there are simple ways to improve your indoor air quality and one of them is taking off your shoes [at the door],” Burkart told the host, “Not wearing your outside shoes in your home.” Burkart emphasized that indoor air is “absolutely imperative” if someone desires to improve their health. And shoe soles, she explained, are “vectors for fecal material, poop, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, industrial chemicals, pesticides; things that are outside should stay outside.”

Plus, she added that the “Air quality indoors can be up to five times worse than the air quality outside,” quoting statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She mentioned that most homes are not properly ventilated, especially because there are processes like burning candles and cooking going on inside. Cooking generates a lot of smoke and other matter which gets deposited on the walls, ceiling, and floor of the house. “We need to prioritize what’s important and what’s not important,” Burkart said, adding an example, “Burning candles, how important is that to you? Make sure you’re choosing the right candle. Make sure you’re opening the windows.”

As for removing the shoes at the doorstep, she mentioned that it doesn’t mean that one needs to remain barefoot inside their house. “You can wear slippers or other shoes that are specifically meant to stay indoors,” she told the podcast’s host. At this point, Steven had a question. “But didn’t we use to stay outside as a species,” he asked Burkart, answering which, she explained, “Right, but when we used to live outside, there weren’t all these cars and factories that were spewing all of this exhaust all over the place.” Picturing a visual of this scenario, @kisrene commented on the video saying, “Imagine tracking your boots after being in the snow on your carpet at home.”

@violentsmiles said, “I feel uncomfortable going into people’s homes who wear their shoes inside! I just can’t.” They aren’t entirely wrong in saying that. Leanne Stapf, COO of The Cleaning Authority, described why this is so important, in an article, "Many homeowners forget and track the bacteria and dirt from their shoes across the carpet. Not only can a buildup of grime break down your carpet fibers, but it can also harbor pollutants that may make you sick.”

Meanwhile, commenting on Steven’s video, some people suggested following the German tradition of “luften,” which refers to opening the window at least two times during the day to keep the indoor space ventilated or keeping a host of indoor plants to keep the indoor air clean and fresh. Removing footwear at the doorstep is a practice that is intently followed in various traditions including Shinto Buddhism and Indian temples. The Japanese custom of “genkan,” which is the act of removing shoes outside the house, also represents the transition from the outside world to the intimate, clean space of the home.

However, what if the guest in your home is someone like the shoe-lover Carrie Bradshaw or Mariah Carey with her immaculate gold shoe collection? Well Carey herself follows a “no-shoe policy” when it comes to her home, as she explained in a blog post. “We have a no-shoes policy here at our house, so when you come over please bring your favorite slippers or comfy socks,” she wrote. One way is to arrange a “shoe-changing station” at the front door for guests.

You can follow Steven Bartlett on TikTok to watch more episodes of his podcast.