After pumping out a 5km run the majority of us would admit to immediately crashing out on the couch, activewear and all. But if you’re tramping your dirty joggers – or any used shoe – through the house, then you’re probably bringing a bunch of bad bacteria in with them.

A study out of the University of Arizona has found that the average shoe 421,000 units of bacteria on the outside and 2,887 on the interior, some varieties of which are incredibly harmful. Researchers discovered bugs like Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Serratia ficaria, which can all lead to dangerous infections.

But according to The Independent, you don’t need to be too stressed about what’s lurking on your shoes unless you’ve stepped in animal faeces.

“Microbes exist all around us and will become attached to surfaces they come in contact with,” Michael Loughlin, principal lecturer at the school of science and technology at Nottingham Trent University told The Independent.

“The bacteria found on shoes will have come from what we walk through, so really clean your shoes if you have walked through faecal matter (dogs and other mammals) as they may contain bacteria that could harm us.”

Fortunately, the study found that cleaning your shoes reduced the amount of bacteria present by at least 90 per cent. So if you’ve accidentally walked through something smelly, a soapy sponge will do the trick.  

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