Did you know that COVID-19 was one of the leading causes of death in 2020? While the world may be getting safer now, the virus can still spread, but methods like shoe disinfection can help.
Whether you run a small office or a major corporation, you should consider how to disinfect shoes to protect your employees. That way, you can all stay healthy and productive.
Read on to learn more about how disinfecting shoes may help stop the spread.
The Virus on Surfaces
To understand why shoe disinfection matters, you should know how COVID-19 behaves on different surfaces. Near the beginning of the pandemic, researchers found that the virus can live on surfaces like plastic and stainless steel for hours.
It may also live on other smooth surfaces, like leather, that are common shoe materials. Once the virus gets on shoes, it may stay there all day, and it can spread as you walk around.
If your employees get the virus on their shoes at the beginning of their shift, that gives the virus even more time to spread. And the more ground someone covers during their day, the more chances the virus has to move.
Then, it can land on other smooth surfaces where it can last for hours. If you have multiple shifts, an employee on the next shift could pick it up on their shoes, and the cycle continues.
How COVID-19 Gets on Shoes
COVID-19 can get on shoes in a few different scenarios, some of which are hard to avoid. If you have a lot of employees and customers that come through your office, you can be at a higher risk of the virus spreading.
When considering your shoe disinfection strategy, consider a few ways that COVID-19 can get on footwear.
Crowded Areas
Any crowded, public space, from a hospital to a grocery store, can be the perfect environment for COVID-19 to spread. The more people in the area, the easier it is for people’s shoes to touch.
Even if your shoes don’t touch, the virus might move from a shoe to another smooth surface. Then, as someone else walks there, the virus can transfer to their shoes.
Areas without as many crowds may also transfer the virus if they have many people come and go throughout a day. Since the virus can sustain itself for a few hours, people don’t have to be in the area at the same time.
Public Transportation
Similar to other public areas, public transportation can be a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses like COVID-19. Many people can get on a bus on the same day, and some routes are full of passengers.
Because of that, it can be easy to brush against someone’s shoe. Even if that’s not the case, pathogens may live on the smooth surfaces, like the bus seats.
If someone’s shoe touches the back of the seat in front of them, the next passenger to sit there might also touch the back of the seat. Then, they could pick up COVID-19 and any other pathogens the first passenger left behind.
When the second passenger arrives at their destination, they can track those things into the building. The virus can then move like it would in any crowded area.
Aerosols
Perhaps your business doesn’t get many customers, and your employees all drive themselves to work. Aerosols can help transmit viruses , such as COVID-19, when someone sneezes or coughs.
And since people may not have other symptoms, they might not know it’s anything other than allergies or the common cold. That can make people feel safe to go to work.
If your employees work in close quarters, it can be hard to keep a good distance. So when someone sneezes, their aerosols could land on the shoes of a nearby worker.
When that happens, the employee who sneezed and the employee wearing the shoe with the aerosols can both spread the virus. Even in a small office, that can have serious consequences.
Why Shoe Disinfection Matters
It may seem like you and your employees can’t prevent the spread of viruses. However, shoe disinfection can help reduce the spread by killing the virus.
As long as everyone knows how to disinfect shoes properly, you can all protect each other. You can set up a disinfection shoe mat in any spot where it makes sense, so people can use it throughout the day.
Consider a few benefits of using a shoe disinfectant mat. Then, you can determine how best to use it in your office.
More Detailed
Cleaning shoes is important, but it’s not as effective as disinfecting them. When you clean your shoes, you can get rid of dirt and dust from the surface.
A good soap or detergent may also kill some bacteria or viruses. However, shoe disinfection can use chemicals or ozone and UV light to get rid of germs.
Disinfecting shoes may not get rid of dirt, but it can help kill germs, so people can keep from spreading them around. That way, you can protect everyone who comes into your office whether they’re an employee or a customer.
Now, some disinfectants take time to work. But you can find a 10-second shoe disinfectant that offers similar results without employees having to take long breaks throughout the day.
More Convenient
Depending on the disinfectant you use, it may even be more convenient than cleaning. If you want to clean shoes well, you usually have to take them off, and you might need to let them sit to dry.
When you use a shoe disinfectant mat, employees only need to step on it for a few seconds while the light does the work. No one has to take their shoes off, so they can quickly get back to what they were doing before.
And you can get a small disinfection mat that you can place anywhere in your business. If you find that one area gets a lot of traffic, consider placing a mat there.
Then, employees won’t have to go out of their way just to disinfect their shoes. The process can be part of someone’s rounds throughout their shift.
More Flexible
Along with being able to place a shoe disinfectant mat anywhere, you can make work easier on your employees. You don’t have to require people to bring a second pair of shoes to change into at work to keep from spreading germs.
If you place a shoe mat at the entrance, people can use it before they get to work. You can also place a mat near a break room or in front of the bathrooms.
Medical businesses that have areas to treat COVID-19 patients can also use a mat outside of those areas. Then, employees and patients can sanitize their shoes between spaces.
If you were to use another type of disinfectant, you would need to have a special spot for it and any accessories. You can’t just set it on the floor like you can with a shoe mat.
More Effective
If you want shoe disinfection to be the most effective, consider something that combines ozone and UVC light. The two can work better than other products, which can help everyone in the office.
When you have employees clean their shoes, human error can be quite common. You have to rely on individual employees using the right cleaning products and not missing any spots on their shoes.
A shoe disinfectant mat takes away all of that guesswork because all you have to do is step on the mat. As long as employees stay on the mat for the right amount of time, the light can get rid of as many germs as possible.
More Protective
If you rely on chemicals to clean or disinfect shoes at work, you may only have one or two spots for those supplies. Employees then have to go to those spots, potentially tracking the virus even more.
However, you can place a shoe disinfection mat in a more convenient and protective spot. As mentioned, consider placing mats in areas with a lot of foot traffic.
Then, people won’t have to go out of their way to keep their shoes from housing COVID-19 or other viruses. The virus won’t be able to spread as easily, so you can keep everyone safe.
More Cost-Effective
Another benefit of shoe disinfection mats is that they can save your business money in the long run. At first, a mat may cost more than a bottle of chemical disinfectant.
However, you only need to buy the mat once, and you can use it over and over. If you rely on chemicals, you can run out of them quickly, and people can’t reuse them.
After a while, you may notice that you haven’t spent as much on cleaning supplies. So consider the finances over the long term to see how disinfectant mats can benefit your business.
What Shoe Disinfection Method Will You Use?
Shoe disinfection is critical when it comes to keeping viruses like COVID-19 from spreading. Whether your workplace has a ton of people or not, you and your employees should know how to disinfect shoes.
That way, everyone can stay as healthy as possible. And you don’t have to waste time cleaning or disinfecting shoes with chemicals.
Do you want to give shoe disinfection a try? Schedule a free demo today.