Have you ever really thought about the bottom of your shoes? Every day we walk on streets, through grass, across public restrooms, and back into our homes. All these surfaces we walk on day in and day out are bound to leave something behind, but these souvenirs aren’t exactly something we want to track into our personal spaces.

Dr. Charles Gerba at the University of Arizona conducted a study in which he got an inside look at just what’s on the bottom of the shoes we wear every day. After testing the bottoms of new shoes worn for two weeks, he found coliform and E. coli bacteria. The presence of these two bacteria indicates frequent contact with fecal matter – our shoes are as dirty as a toilet.

While the thought of our shoes being as contaminated as a public restroom is scary, that wasn’t the scariest finding in the study. Dr. Gerba found that the shoes in his experiment had a 90-99% transfer rate of the bacteria from shoes to floors. Even over long distances, shoes can carry fecal bacteria into our homes, offices, and personal spaces.

Luckily, there is a quick fix to prevent the spread of bacteria. Our shoe covers instantly cover the contaminated part of the shoe, stopping E. coli and coliforms in their tracks. You’ll never have to worry about spreading harmful bacteria to loved ones or co-workers by ensuring your shoes are covered, but that’s only the first step.

BootieButler also offers shoe cover dispensers and removers. Take cleanliness a step further by keeping your hands completely out of the equation. Our dispensers and removers offer a hands-free alternative to putting on and taking off your shoe covers, keeping any harmful bacteria from transferring onto your hands and into your home.