Not Enough People Pack Essential Items in Their Suitcase

Compression cubes, dopp kits and garment bags are great products available to keep your suitcase neatly stacked during travel – but one essential type of item helps with organization AND hygiene: shoe bags! People may feel comfortable throwing their shoes in with clothing and other luggage items when travelling; however, those more sensitive to germs might consider this an unnecessary precaution. Do you really want the bottoms of your sneakers or work shoes coming into contact with the clothes that you want to keep clean?That is why shoe bags are important. Philip M. Tierno, an assistant professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. Tierno notes that whether shoes contain bacteria depends upon multiple factors including design, location of use, frequency of washings as well as design features like stitched-on logos. Tierno suggested, “if your shoes feature ridged bottoms or have areas which could collect material such as ribbing on their sides or other areas that collect debris, consider what material these might be picking up,” adding: “Depending on where you reside, these materials could collect coughed-up material that people cough over when coughing or vomiting on public sidewalks or streets. There’s urine, human and animal feces and all manner of other potentially germy material out there – studies have even demonstrated that one pair of shoes can contain millions of bacteria including E. coli or other disease-causing strains! Your footwear’s interior can harbor germs as well as its soles. “Some sweat more than others and may carry staphylococcus aureus bacteria which spreads via sweat odor,” Tierno noted. “Sweat can also spread an unpleasant odor throughout a suitcase. What are the risks involved if I do not put my shoes into a bag? People do strange things on public streets that could potentially contain contamination.” But Tierno stressed it remains relatively low risk of infection for most. He added that our immune systems and skin barriers usually protect us against potential exposure from germs found on shoes. Tierno noted, in order for bacteria or germs to infiltrate your system and cause infection, they would first need to break through your skin in sufficient numbers and gain entry. And even then, multiple microorganisms would need to have collected on you prior to infection occurring. Your feet could potentially come into contact with potentially toxic organisms; however, I consider the overall risk as low. No matter the risk, nobody likes mixing their clothes and footwear together; especially shoes containing microscopic bacteria such as saliva, urine, vomit and feces.” Family members traveling together or sharing luggage may co-pack the same suitcase or use it on separate trips, sharing its use as part of their experience. Though your suitcase might feature an outer shoe compartment, often you need more room in there for footwear than available there alone. That’s where shoe bags come in; from washable packing cubes to colorful drawstring sacks there are various solutions available to store all of your footwear items safely.