In Feng Shui tradition, removing your shoes at the door represents leaving worldly goods behind. But after reading an article on TreeHugger.com, I learned there is more to taking off one's shoes then leaving the world behind! Not only do you significantly reduce the amount of dirt you track into your house, you also decrease the pesticides, chemicals, and even lead you are exposed to on a daily basis. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has done studies that show that pesticide-laden shoes are a major source of pesticide exposure, especially in young children who crawl on the floor and put fingers in their mouths. A surprising discovery from these studies also showed that wearing shoes indoors is an even larger source of a child's pesticide exposure than eating non-organic fruits and veggies. So yes, it is feng shui but it also keeps the house and body clean!
Great resources:
http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/reduc_pb.pdf
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es9020958
Great resources:
http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/reduc_pb.pdf
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es9020958
