Spring in the North, where there are all four seasons, is the time it usually rains a lot and looks like a dirty, muddy mess until the green starts to pop. During this time, it is inevitable that you will be doing yard work and tracking in mud and rubbish from the yard. Also pesticides and other poisons.
Having good quality outdoor floormats and indoor floormats to clean your boots on after cleaning the yard are the best way to keep your home clean and mud free.
Those floormats are not just knocking some mud off, they may also be reducing dangerous things being tracked into your home, like weed killer, fertilizer and other chemicals you use outside in Spring.
We all know that organic fruits and vegetables are better because they reduce the chance of being exposed to outdoor chemicals used on plants. The same goes for making sure your shoes are clean before entering the home and taking them off at the door, on a floormat you can easily clean regularly.
Wearing dirty shoes around the house can spread traces of pesticides, weed killer and also feces from animals. While hopefully not visible, these traces can be dangerous to pets, kids and anyone who comes into contact with them. It only takes a small trace to have bacteria like E. coli, which is a source of urinary tract infections and diarrhea, as well as other bacteria causing pneumonia, known as Klebsiella pneumonia and Serratia ficaria which causes respiratory tract infections.
The transfer rate of these bacteria is very high, according to a recent study. Over 90%, which means just a quick walk around the home will spread dangerous bacteria. Also, consider what you pick up on your shoes whenever you use a public bathroom. Even one that looks clean still can have traces of things you do not want in your home.
It is easy to see that your shoes are the number one carrier of bad things into your home, yet most of use take it for granted because they look clean.
Preventing all these bacteria, mud and dirt from entering your home is nearly impossible. All you can do, other than wash your shoes after each time you wear them is, to have outdoor floormats to wipe your shoes on before entering the home and then keeping all footwear confined to a nice big floormat near the entrance.
While the average home can benefit from normal, good quality floormats, there are also specialty floormats like anti-microbial floormats for places where it is very important to reduce risk. They reduce the spread and development of bacteria and make for a cleaner environment. They are frequently used in doctor’s offices and hospitals but can be purchased for homes as well if someone is at high risk of exposure.
