MD Podiatrist Discusses Downsides of Walking Barefoot at Home

Kicking off your shoes when you walk in the door feels like a tiny reward at the end of a long day — a simple ritual that says “you’re home now, you can relax.” But here’s the catch: spending all your time barefoot indoors has its drawbacks. You’ll want to consider what’s on the floor. Dan Michaels, DPM, a podiatrist and foot surgeon with more than 25 years of experience, notes that small objects such as sewing needles, staples, thumbtacks, or children’s toys such as Legos can lead to cuts, scrapes, or bruising when stepped on barefoot. Even in the tidiest homes, it’s easy for something sharp to go unnoticed until you find it the painful way.

And it’s not just sharp objects you need to think about. Shoes can track in bacteria and germs from outside. While that’s typically not a major concern for healthy adults, any small crack, blister, or cut on your foot can increase your risk of infection. Another thing to keep in mind: if anyone in your household has a contagious foot condition, such as athlete’s foot or plantar warts, walking around barefoot can make it easier for those issues to spread.