Barefeet for Happy Homes

Remember being a kid, running through a fresh-cut lawn, nature's fertile ground cushioning your feet? Those days are back and for much more reasons than comfort. The overall health of your home, your family, and your feet are dramatically improved by walking barefoot. In fact, many cultures have been practicing this tradition for thousands of years, in particular, many Asian countries. At first they did this because of the poor quality of public walking areas and streets as well as their sleeping, sitting, and eating accomodations, which were usually on the floor, making it understandable as to why the footwear stayed outside. But even now, with much improved pavement systems and raised Western-style furniture, the tradition remains.

Shoes transfer large amounts of bacteria, toxins, pollutants onto the interior floors which gets circulated throughout the home. Walking barefoot also benefits the health of your feet tremendously. It is much healthier for the skin of the feet because rubbing points on shoes and sandals can leave callouses, bruises, and chafing, as the feet are naturally aired and circulated, the risk of fungal or bacterial growth (athlete's foot) is much lower. In addition, the overall structure and strength and agility of your feet will be improved by barefoot walking. Footwear hinders the full capacity of your feet's movement, bounce and flex, creating weak muscles, bones and ligaments.

The act of simply taking off your shoes can have tremendous outcomes, not only for the health of your feet but as well as the air circulation and quality within your home. So kick off those shoes and let your feet and family reap the benefits of going barefoot!

The answer to improved indoor air quality is right under our feet!

What's one of the biggest culprits in poor indoor air quality? CARPET.

Much research has been conducted to understand the effects of interior carpeting on indoor air quality, mostly due to it's high content of chemicals and restrictive air-flowing properties. One of the most common emitted chemicals from manufactured carpeting is styrene and 4-PC. Styrene is a well-known toxin and carcinogen, while 4-PC is a latex backing used in 95% of carpets which emits a strong odor, one that is most notable during the first few weeks of the carpet's installation. 

In addition to off-gasing its own pollutants, carpet als acts as a filter, trapping all pollutants from the bottom of our shoes or feet, from animals, etc, and holding them in our living space. Consistent vacuuming and steam cleaning can help eliminate these pollutants but will not eliminate them all. Area rugs are a good compromise, as they can be cleaned and aired out more thoroughly. Fortunately, more and more carpet manufacturing companies are using sealants and adhesives that are low-VOC and less harmful for the environment. 

In The Go Green Home, to help maintain good indoor air quality,  we decided to use cork flooring, a very sustainable alternative to treated lumber or carpeting, due to its rapid regeneration process. The cork floor is sealed with a non-toxic finish, and will not trap pollutants in the way that carpet does. We're also making it convenient to take off your shoes when you first enter the house so that you don't have to track the day's worth of pollutants inside with you.