You think we all would keep the ground cleaner if we all went barefoot?Would you go barefoot for that issue?

Question

You think we all would keep the ground cleaner if we all went barefoot?Would you go barefoot for that issue?

Answer 1

Do you mean inside (tracking dirt inside) or outside (litter)? Inside, the way to keep the floor cleanest is to wear footwear outside and wear house slippers indoors. People who're taking closed footwear off & walk barefoot or sock footed without washing up are missing the point and are in fact tracking a lot of germs around; the dirt may not be the visible kind like on the sole of the shoe or on the sole of a bare foot when you've been walking barefoot outdoors, but there are *lots* of germs inside closed shoes. That's what creates the foot odor, that's where fungus grows (athlete's foot needs the dark, damp and slightly moist environment of a closed shoe to grow, it's rare among populations that go barefoot more often and little chance the visually dirty bare foot will have any fungus spores). But yes, it will *look* clean if you had been wearing footwear outdoors and take it off at the door.

If you don't leave your footwear at the door, it makes little difference, as long as you wipe your feet you can wipe bare soles as well as shoe soles. A little harder to get the dirt off than smooth leather soles and much easier to get the dirt off than sport shoes with a lot of grip like walking shoes, but it probably averages out. The one great advantage of going barefoot is that if you step in something really gross like dog poo you'll at least notice and you can wash it off before coming inside; it may seem more gross but I've done both and believe me, it's worse if you stepped in it shod, didn't notice, and tracked it all over the carpet inside. If there's one thing worse than washing dog poo of a bare foot (which is gross briefly but also comes off very easily), it's cleaning a shoe, the door mat (where it's all rubbed in because I had wiped my feet normally, just not enough to get it all off), and then a bunch of spots on the carpet. Also in the kitchen I've picked up stuff right away while my mom tracked some spilled peas around without noticing just a couple weeks ago. So it does help prevent/limit spills & tracking accidents!

Outdoors, going barefoot makes you aware more of where you walk, and I think it will stop some people from littering. But I'm afraid the worst litter is from people who just do not care and probably won't care even when they are barefoot. Thrown out of car windows -they're driving, they're not going to be walking much and especially not there. Lots of glass and other litter around bars -they're drunk, they're not thinking about themselves or others at the time at all.

The other thing is that litter truly isn't that dangerous; it may be hard to believe for those who haven't tried it, but going barefoot always feet get very tough very quickly, tough enough to deal with glass. I have been barefoot for eleven years, I regularly pass bars where there's lots of glass on the ground, I regularly walk and even run at the train station which is very much littered, I go to the recycling center barefoot, I have walked straight on without even a hesitation when kids broke a bottle in front of me, I've carried my bicycle over the worst mess when there was a bad load of glass on the bike trail and I didn't want to get a flat. I've NEVER had a cut! I get a tiny splinter maybe once a year, a bit more regularly I'll feel something stuck in my callouses and flick it out without it ever getting through to the live flesh or taking more than a second to remove, but not one cut, in all those years. I love going barefoot, I'm very happy with my tough feet, but when it comes to preventing littering... well I think the litterbugs would also discover soon enough that feet generally are tougher than the litter and they'd happily fall back into their old habit.

Answer 2

Yes, I think so.

No I wouldn't go barefoot.  I keep my own floor at home very, very clean (I'm somewhat of a germophobe) and I still don't go barefoot in my own home.  I swear to you I feel the small little microbes climbing up my feet and making my foot itch.  I can't stand it, I gotta be wearing shoes at all times, house shoes at the very least.

Answer 3

Good question, thanks.  More bare feet, less wear and tear on the environment.

Answer 4

I don't think so

Answer 5

IT SEEMS TO BE AN INTERESTING IDEA. HOWEVER, IT'S NOT PRACTICAL IN FACT SOMETHING QUITE RIDICULOUS. SO ...........................................

Answer 6

i think no..because it is not with our foot.we all need discipline..thats what i think

Answer 7

no and no

Answer 8

Yes...... great idea.

Answer 9

ouch!no way!never ever!!!

Answer 10

not cleaner but it would ultimately cause less erosion and be low impact for the earth.  I would and have done it from time to time.

Answer 11

being barefoot would have no effect on the cleanliness of the ground.  

we would all wind up with crazy infections and what about the cold months?! my toes are freezing when i go outside and i don't even live anywhere near snow.

now if everyone stopped littering and would spend one or two days a month picking up trash for a few hours, the ground would without a doubt be cleaner.