You’ve likely got special bags and containers for all the spillables in your suitcase, from perfume to body lotion to shampoo.
But an even bigger mess might be lurking invisibly inside your bags if you’re not packing smartly, a disease expert has warned.
Fortunately, there’s a pretty cheap fix that’ll lower your risk of toting spit, vomit and urine home along with your souvenirs.
Philip M. Tierno, a professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, told the HuffPo that there can be plenty of gross stuff clinging to your shoes.
“If the bottom of the shoe has ridges or there’s ribbing on the side or other areas that can collect material, then think about what they’re picking up,” Tierno said.
“Depending on the city where you’re living, you’re likely walking on sidewalks and streets where people cough, spit and vomit. There’s urine, human and animal feces and a whole host of other things that are relatively germy.”
In fact, there is almost guaranteed to be poop on your shoes, according to Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona.
“If you wear shoes for more than a month, 93% will have fecal bacteria on the bottom of them,” he told the Today show of the results of his study on bacteria on shoes.
That’s why Tierno firmly recommends putting each pair of shoes inside a plastic bag, whether it be a recycled one from a grocery store a reusable one you bought online.
Still, while you could very well have bodily fluids clinging to your soles — and few people would want that touching their clothes or toiletry bag — you’re unlikely to actually get sick from whatever your shoes picked up.
“People do the strangest things in public, and walking on the street, you can pick up all sorts of things that may be contaminated. But it’s still a relatively low risk of causing infection,” Tierno added.
Saskia Popescu, senior infection prevention epidemiologist at HonorHealth and George Mason University, agrees.
“Shoes are definitely dirty, 100 percent. They are icky, they are gross,” she told Afar — but that being said, she doesn’t use plastic bags.
“I’m sure some of my infectious disease colleagues would cringe,” she admitted. “I put the bottoms facing the walls of the suitcase. I personally wouldn’t [put them in a bag] unless they were covered in mud or blood or something super weird. But that’s just me. I would much sooner wipe the bottoms of my shoes with a Clorox wipe than I would bag them in something.”
Some experts go a bit further with footwear than just bagging it for travel. Gerba, whose study found fecal bacteria on shoe soles, notes that wearing your sneakers and boots indoors means you’re spreading that bacteria around your home.
“Shoes make microorganisms fairly mobile, and you’re tracking that all around [the house],” he said. “Also, if you’re immunocompromised or have allergy issues, it’s a good idea to take your shoes off.”
