The ground, this surface that we tread on dozens of times a day without thinking about it, until we realize everything that we bring there from the outside, literally under our soles.
A study conducted by the University of Arizona, relayed by Allo Docteurs, is food for thought: a simple pair of shoes can carry up to 400,000 different germs on its sole. Even more striking, the researchers discovered that 96% of the new shoes tested already had fecal coliforms, including the infamous E. coli bacteria, after just two weeks of normal use. A figure that gives another dimension to this simple journey between the street and the living room.
But before sinking into the psychosis of contaminated soil, a counterpoint is necessary, provided by the same source: the real infectious risk linked to soil remains low to zero in daily domestic use. The reason is simple, almost reassuring: microbes do not jump from the tiles to your body on their own. The real risk of contamination focuses on specific behaviors, such as putting the hands directly to the ground then to the mouth, a common gesture among young children who crawl or play at ground level. For an adult who walks normally at home, exposure remains generally limited.

What this task actually involves

Washing the floor involves mopping or mopping all floor surfaces in your home, paying particular attention to high-traffic areas such as the entrance, kitchen and hallway. Allow around 20 minutes for a standard-sized apartment, a time which varies depending on the surface area and the number of rooms to be treated.

Tips and tricks for a truly clean floor

Creating a buffer zone at the entrance to the home, with a coat rack and a space dedicated to shoes, considerably limits the spread of contaminants to the rest of the home. This simple gesture, widely practiced in some Asian and Scandinavian cultures, mechanically reduces the amount of dirt deposited on interior floors before cleaning even comes into play.
For the actual cleaning, changing the washing water regularly avoids simply redistributing the dirt from one room to another: water that has become cloudy no longer cleans, it only moves the residue. Working methodically, from the back of the room towards the exit, avoids going over areas that are already clean and gives a more uniform result.
One last simple but often neglected reflex: systematically wash your hands after handling shoes, shopping bags placed on the floor or delivered packages, rather than considering these objects as neutral once you enter the home.

With 400,000 germs per pair of shoes according to the University of Arizona, the floor deserves regular maintenance, without justifying excessive worry on a daily basis. The essential remains this basic and often forgotten gesture: washing your hands after any indirect contact with the ground, much more determining than the frequency of cleaning itself.