Is your living room really cleaner because you impose slippers on your guests? Not so sure. Deciphering a modern obsession with a hygienist and microbiologist who helps us disentangle fact from fiction.
The image is familiar: we cross the threshold, we take off our shoes, sometimes with the conviction of doing what is necessary to keep the interior clean. This very widespread habit has become obvious in many homes. However, it is based more on an impression than on solid scientific facts. It is precisely this point that the hygienist and microbiologist Christophe Mercier Thellier, guest of the podcast, questions Legend hosted by Guillaume Pley.
To the question “Is it extremely dirty to keep the shoes inside?”Christophe Mercier Thellier does not speak of obvious danger. According to him, our fear of germs has developed over time, often based on ideas that are too simple. In reality, contamination does not work as we imagine. In this context, he emphasizes an important point: chemicals. “It’s the chemistry that is dangerous, it’s not the microorganisms,” he explains. By trying to disinfect everything, we can sometimes produce the opposite effect.
This idea becomes more concrete when we look at our habits. Many take off their shoes when entering, but bring other things in without thinking. For example, a bag placed on the table or an opened package on the kitchen worktop are much more problematic. “So someone who says I’m taking off my shoes but who, at home, puts the package or the handbag on the table, in the end it’s as if he were putting his shoes on the table”he emphasizes. In other words, taking off your shoes is not enough if the rest does not follow.
In his own life, he doesn’t have any strict rules about shoes. “At home we don’t systematically take off our shoes.“And he adds a key point: “We do not become contaminated by the soil. Bacteria, fungi, viruses do not jump. This means that the soil is not a danger as long as what is on the ground stays on the ground and as long as you have not replaced the microorganisms on the ground with chemicals.”
He gives a very concrete example. “Where do fruits and vegetables come from? From the earth. In one gram of earth, you have 100 billion bacteria, viruses, fungi. So, you sometimes go to a garden, pick strawberries, wipe them a little and eat them directly. Do we come out sick? Of course not. The earth is our friend. What is our enemy is chemistry. Microorganisms do not pose a danger in themselves.” To avoid using chemicals, the specialist recommends cleaning the floor with water, white vinegar and a microfiber. Nothing more.
So, the next time you insist that your child, your parents or your friends take off their shoes before walking around your house, think again. Ultimately, it’s not that serious and science says so.
