Before we know it, the summer holidays will have been and gone and it will be time to re-open the school gates for kids to return to school- new shoes and all. Teachers too will be wrapped up in back to school madness, getting their class back into the routine of school and ensuring lessons are planned. There is another thing that shouldn’t be disregarded as feet walk once again into the classroom: bacteria.

Why should schools worry?

It’s easy to forget about shoe bacteria due to the simple fact that people can’t see it. At home, leaving shoes at the front door is common practice for a clean and tidy house, but of course this isn’t usually possible in a learning environment and as a result the bacteria that is found on the bottom of shoes is all too often transferred inside. An unnerving level of bacteria can be walked inside, with a shoe inspection study at the University of Arizona finding over 421,000 different types of bacteria such as E-coli as well as faeces. According to the study, 99% of shoe bacteria is shifted to indoor surfaces. 

Once the germs are brought indoors, it can also settle for a long time and can develop into something potentially more harmful. Another study, from University of Houston, showed that 26.4% of shoes carry Clostridium Difficile and 40% had Listeria Monocytogenes, both capable of causing infection.

In order to avoid harmful germs being walked into school buildings, Mats4U have a range of entrance mats that can clean shoes at the door, preventing bacteria being transferred onto carpets and other inside surfaces. The newly-designed Waterhog Eco Elite has a 25% heavier pile than the original, which makes room for more scraping and wiping to ensure as much bacteria as possible is left at the door. For a personal touch, Schools can have their logo printed onto a heavy-duty mat, making it great for both purpose and aesthetic.

For more information, visit www.mats4u.co.uk.