Keep the Outside Out: Removing Shoes to Reduce Indoor Pollutants

Week 7 of my 52 Small Changes challenge

Photo by Jayson Hinrichsen on Unsplash

I’m nearly two months into my year-long challenge of trying a new habit each week.

The Change

Remove shoes at the door and create a transition space to minimise unwanted outdoor pollutants in your home.

Why this matters

The air we breathe can have a significant impact on our health and everyday comfort. Pollutants, allergens, and chemicals can affect our lungs, ears, and eyes, often leaving us feeling less than our best.

Each time we enter our home, we risk bringing some of these pollutants inside, including dust, pollen, mould, and dirt. Creating a buffer zone between the outside and inside can help limit how much of this enters the home, improving air quality, reducing asthma and allergy symptoms, and potentially increasing energy efficiency.

Roadmap for success

Blumenthal recommends removing shoes at the door and creating a transition space. A few tips:

• Slippers and socks: Create a no-shoe policy inside your home, including for guests. Remove shoes at the door and go barefoot or wear indoor slippers to reduce dirt and contaminants.
• Location: Create a buffer space near the most-used entrance, such as the garage, kitchen, or front door.
• Flooring: Ideally, the buffer zone should have hard, easy-to-clean flooring that is moisture-resistant and doesn’t trap dirt or dust.
• Accessories: Tools like an outside mat, shoe scraper, area rug, shoe mat, bench, hooks, baskets, or even an exhaust fan can help reduce what comes inside.

My strategy

I usually try to remove my shoes before coming inside, but I also have a toddler, which complicates things. Often I’m juggling him, groceries, or bags, or making quick trips between the car and the house.

I have a small area in the garage where shoes can be left, but it needs a tidy and a couple of doormats I haven’t set up yet. With pets and a toddler, some dirt is inevitable.

My goal for the week was to tidy the entry areas (garage and front door) and remove my shoes before entering. If that wasn’t possible, I aimed to wipe them thoroughly and deal with whatever I brought inside straight away, rather than letting bags or shoes land on the floor.

How did I do?

I managed to keep my shoes outside on five out of seven days. The two days I didn’t were workdays. On those days, I usually make two trips from the car — one with my toddler and one for bags and lunchboxes — and I simply forgot while juggling everything.

How do I feel?

I already do this most of the time, and I didn’t notice a big difference in floor cleanliness this week, even with my shoes outside almost all the time.

Takeaways

One person doing this didn’t make much difference. If my husband did it too, we might notice more of an impact. That said, we also have a cat and two dogs, so fur and dirt are always going to be part of our floors.

Will it stick?

Keeping my shoes outside most of the time feels easy and sustainable. I don’t mind the occasional slip-up — this week my shoes were only inside for a few minutes total. I’m just not convinced it makes a noticeable difference in our household.

Did you know?

For adults, allergies (hay fever) are the fifth leading chronic disease and a major cause of work absenteeism and presenteeism, resulting in nearly four million lost workdays each year and more than $700 million in lost productivity.

In a recent survey, over 50 percent of homes had at least six detectable allergens present.

Extra credit

If you have the space, consider creating a mudroom with a second transition door. This can help keep pollutants out, reduce heat and cooling loss, and improve energy efficiency.

Update on previous challenges

My progress during week 7 of my challenge

I started a writing challenge this month, so my focus on this health challenge was slightly reduced. That said, I’m still maintaining most habits most of the time, which feels like the important part of long-term change. Drinking water and taking a daily multivitamin feel pretty cemented into my life now.

My sleep sis improving, and I’m prioritising rest over productivity, which feels positive. Food journalling remains my weak point — but next week’s challenge is eating more vegetables, so maybe that will help bring nutrition back into focus.