Overview
- UK outlets on December 10 amplified a Life Pro warning that keeping shoes on inside could “shorten your lives,” framing it as advice grounded in prior studies rather than new peer‑reviewed research.
- Cited University of Arizona research found 96% of shoe soles carried coliform bacteria and about 27% carried E. coli.
- Another study reported roughly 421,000 bacterial units on a typical shoe, with up to 99% transferred to clean floors within a few steps.
- Coverage referenced a 2016 study reporting up to 40% of non‑healthcare shoe soles contaminated with toxigenic C. difficile, which the NHS says can cause diarrhoea and often follows antibiotic use.
- With residues from public toilets, shopping centres and hospital car parks—and pollutants such as pesticides and lead—found on soles, recommended steps include leaving shoes at the door, offering indoor slippers or socks, using an entry mat or rack, and regularly cleaning high‑traffic floors.