Would you consider this sanitary?

December 2, 2016 6:05 AM

Say that six people share two shower booths, since there are 14 students per floor, where two are in suites, thus leaving twelve people per gender to use two bathrooms equipped with two shower booths each. Also assume that the shower booths are cleaned using bleach-soaked mops every day at 2 pm. Finally assume that you take showers late in the evening and early in the morning. Under this assumption, if you go barefoot into those shower booths, is this okay?
posted by red_alert_3 to Health & Fitness (24 answers total)

Yes, I would consider this sanitary and wouldn't think twice about using the shower barefoot.
posted by Kriesa at 6:07 AM on December 2, 2016

This was my setup first year of college (except it was more like 15 students than 6.) I went barefoot (in the morning) some kids didn't, it was always fine. And I have no idea how well or how often they were cleaned. Also, only one shower gave onto the main bathroom so you were constantly walking through another guy's shower to get to yours, or having them walk through yours. Ah, college! I promise, this is far from the most unsanitary practice you'll quickly come to accept as normal.
posted by escabeche at 6:13 AM on December 2, 2016

Unless I had open wounds on my feet, saw blood/feces on the floor, or had an immune system disorder I wouldn't give it a second thought. Campground showers are rarely very clean. The last thing I do in a public shower is rinse and dry my feet, then stand on my socks/shoes/a towel so my clean feet don't get re-dirtied by the floor.
posted by AFABulous at 6:14 AM on December 2, 2016

I went barefoot into the shower for my entire college career and shared showers with much larger numbers of people.

Some additional factors: if they're men, I would expect more "I wore these crocs in the mud, I will also wear them in the shower" than if they're women. Are you immunocompromised or predisposed to foot warts, etc? What floor are you on? People are more likely to wear their flipflops outside and in if they're on the first floor, IME.

I have lived in a four person house with messy people who never cleaned the tub and one of whom went barefoot outside and in for most of the year. I have lived with green anarchists who were genuinely physically dirty people. I went barefoot in those showers without hesitation and never had problems, but then I am fairly robust on the foot front. But those showers made my college showers look clean.

Basically, unless you are predisposed to foot problems, I would not worry about it. If you are, then wear flip-flops regardless.
posted by Frowner at 6:16 AM on December 2, 2016

What's the terrible outcome you're envisioning here if your feet come into contact with germs? Feet are pretty tough, and they're designed to survive contact with all sorts of ickiness. If you go outside and wiggle your toes in the grass, you're probably encountering all sorts of rodent urine and whatnot. If it would make you feel better, you can pick up a pair of flipflops for like $2, but I wouldn't stress about going barefoot. The worst thing that could happen would be that you'd get athlete's foot, and in that unlikely event, the student health center could give you something to clear it up.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:16 AM on December 2, 2016

It depends. Could be fine for a while, then something happens or you could catch something the first week.

However, wearing shower shoes/flip flops will greatly improve you chances of not catching anything and are cheap. BONUS FEATURE: you're no longer so worried that you asking random strangers if it's ok. WIN WIN.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:31 AM on December 2, 2016

I really don't see flipflops or crocs, where any germy liquid is just going to splash into them to make a new breeding ground, as being more sanitary than bare feet that can be washed and dried.
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:34 AM on December 2, 2016

I know you marked a best answer already, but think of it this way, you are FAR more likely to come into contact with germs via your hands, because people wipe their butts with their hands and sneeze into their hands, not their feet.
posted by AFABulous at 6:44 AM on December 2, 2016

You are living with them and it's six people. Lots of families have six people and share two showers. I don't see the difference.
posted by flourpot at 6:44 AM on December 2, 2016

Bleached clean every day? So assuming everyone uses the shower once a day, that's one bleach clean for every 6 uses.
This is significantly more bleaches-per-use than I've ever had in any shower I've ever used regularly.

Second that you are more likely to get sick from the door handle.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:47 AM on December 2, 2016

It's not really unsanitary but the reason you don't want to go barefoot is because if one of those people has athlete's foot and you go in the shower after them, you might get athlete's foot. This is exactly why people are advised not to go barefoot in public pools and locker rooms. More info here if you like.

You aren't guaranteed to catch anything if you go barefoot and you'll probably be fine, but not going barefoot makes it even less likely, sooo...
posted by Polychrome at 6:49 AM on December 2, 2016

Second that you are more likely to get sick from the door handle.

I thought the question would be about the effect of walking through a daily bleached bath and I am a little surprised about the concern for germs. Your kitchen sponge will have more germs than anything you can catch in that bathroom, I would say. If you want to be save, wear flip-flops (harder sole, so they dont draw water) and let them dry properly, you don't want to leave them moist.
posted by Megustalations at 6:56 AM on December 2, 2016

You're playing the numbers game. One person with athlete's foot could infect everyone else, but it's much less likely with six people than it is with the hundreds that use a public or school gym every day, especially with the daily swabbing with bleach.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:03 AM on December 2, 2016

Athlete's foot, plantar warts, toenail fungi, hookworm, staph... not life-threatening, but inconvenient and sometimes painful and expensive to treat. Why take a chance? Anecdotal stories will not protect you. Wear flip flops and sterilize them after use by squirting or wiping them down with bleach.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 7:14 AM on December 2, 2016

The daily swabbing of bleach should kill the common viruses/bacteria/fungi associated with communal showers. I wouldn't give a second thought to going barefoot in such a shower.
posted by desuetude at 7:38 AM on December 2, 2016

This was my college dorm (much, much dirtier, actually) and I went barefoot all the time. I don't know why people think flip flops will protect them from all the foot grossness, since it'd all just splash up on your feet anyway.
posted by xingcat at 7:39 AM on December 2, 2016

If you're worried about the effect of bleach on your feet, unless you're showering at 2:01pm before the bleach has been rinsed off, you'll be fine. If even one other person has a shower before you the bleach would be well-rinsed away.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:51 AM on December 2, 2016

What does "is this okay?" mean relative to your last question on basically the same topic? It's not risk-free. If you want risk-free, be the first person in after they clean the showers, or wear flip-flops or some other shoes that minimize contact with the shower. Or shower elsewhere.

But realistically you're going to get more mileage being treated for the level of anxiety you seem to be bringing to the fairly-normal situation of a shared shower situation. What is the bad situation you are trying to avoid?
posted by jessamyn at 9:07 AM on December 2, 2016

Bleached every day? Only six people? This sounds about a thousand times more sanitary than the bathroom of any house I have ever lived in, tbh
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:23 AM on December 2, 2016

Wear shower shoes (AKA flip flops.) Can't hurt, but keep them clean.
posted by Marky at 9:29 AM on December 2, 2016

So the for the past two years I've been showering at this one church that provides showers twice a week to homeless people. The shower's get cleaned at the end of the day. Not only have I not contracted anything on my bare feet but I haven't heard of anyone else having issues either.

But then my nickname is b[are]footdav[e] so I'm kind of a superhero in this regard.
posted by bfootdav at 9:39 AM on December 2, 2016

Flip-flops in a communal shower are a no-brainer. Athletes foot is contagious, and is actually a really dangerous disease to get.
posted by My Dad at 11:04 AM on December 2, 2016

Yes, wear flip flops, but more importantly, blow dry your toes after the shower. Those diseases love dampness. so this will help tremendously.
posted by Coffeetyme at 12:21 PM on December 2, 2016

These showers with their daily bleaching sound far more sanitary than any college dorm or house I've ever lived in, including my own. I would not hesitate to go barefoot in the shower (though I would most definitely wear flip flops between my bedroom and the communal bathroom). I actually tried the flip-flops-in-shower thing my first year of college and was far far more squicked out by how nasty they get when wet, than by any perceived germiness of the floor.

If you are specifically concerned about athlete's foot and other fungi, the more important thing is to let your toes dry completely before encasing them in socks and shoes. I just potter around getting dressed, checking email, making coffee, and put on my shoes just before heading out the door. You could blow dry your feet, I guess, or just spend an extra 30 sec with the towel paying special attention to the webbing and sole.
posted by basalganglia at 6:31 PM on December 2, 2016