✅ 🏠 WALKING BAREFOOT AT HOME, YES OR NO 🏠 ✅

What do you do when you get home? Are you one of those people who take off their shoes and walk around barefoot at home? Or do you put on house slippers? You're very likely one of the many of us who use our beloved, comfy slippers to be at home, since walking barefoot in our homes is less and less common for various reasons.

What has become more common lately is wondering whether it's advisable or not to walk barefoot at home. As manufacturers and experts in the sector, with over 70 years of experience, we never recommend walking barefoot at home, regardless of whether or not you use insoles in your shoes. We know our slippers will protect your feet, and you won't achieve the level of comfort of your step with one of our slippers by going barefoot.

Besides, who hasn't at some point felt that sharp pain in their toes when stubbing them against a chair leg, or any other object lying on the floor? Barefoot you'll never have the right protection for your feet, and if there's something on the floor that could cause you an injury or a graze, a good slipper will help you avoid it.

But let's take a slightly more thorough look at why we absolutely don't recommend walking barefoot in your home.

There's no denying that shoes have been one of humanity's great inventions, since they let us walk without hurting our feet. But once we step into our home, the ideal thing would be, as happens in cultures like the Asian ones, to leave them at the entrance, or even outside the front door, and use slippers exclusively for walking around the house. Look at everything that can happen if you don't:

BACTERIA

A study carried out by microbiology professor Gerba, at the University of Arizona, showed that, after two weeks of wearing footwear out in the street, you can find more than 420.000 BACTERIA ON THE SOLE. As you walk down the street your shoes collect all kinds of bacteria, which you then spread wherever you step, including of course your home. Among all those bacteria are many that transmit infectious diseases, so this alone has probably already convinced you to wear slippers at home, but there's still more.

TOXINS

Other studies conclude that, apparently, it's very easy for herbicides to stick to our shoes and for us to carry them into our homes. Even if more than a week has passed since they were applied. It's been shown that we don't need to have walked through any plantation where those chemicals, toxic to humans, were used; simply because someone has been in contact with them and is in the same place as us, they can stick to our shoes. So there you have another health-related reason to wear slippers at home. But let's carry on.

DUST

Fortunately, dust isn't harmful to the health of the vast majority of us, unless we're allergic or have other problems, but it's true that dust is a real nuisance to have at home, and maybe you didn't know it, but the vast majority of the dust that comes into your home is brought in from outside on your shoes.

USE AND WEAR

This point is much less important than the previous ones, but it surely worries many of us too, and we should be aware that wearing shoes inside our homes causes more wear on the floors, whether they're wood, laminate, ceramic or carpet. So, without shoes, everything at home will last longer, even your shoes ;)

NEIGHBORS

If you live in a detached or single-family house, this aspect won't worry you, but if you live in a block of flats or apartments, surely your neighbors will be very grateful not to notice every time you take a step around the house; with our slippers you'll avoid that annoying noise.

PAIN

Many of us spend a lot of time at home on our feet, even if we work away from home. From the moment we arrive until we go to bed, we spend a lot of time walking around inside our home. Depending on the type of footwear you wear during the day, your feet will be more or less tired. If you're one of those people who suffer from foot pain, you've probably already felt discomfort while carrying on with all your household chores. That's why it's so important to buy yourself a good pair of house slippers, just as you surely already do with your outdoor footwear. Many people make the mistake of searching for and buying good footwear to wear during the day, but when it comes to buying house slippers, they don't and they buy the first ones they see in a cheap bargain store, which usually leave a lot to be desired in terms of quality. What sense does that make? None, right? It's as if we take care of our diet during the day, and then at home we have dinner made entirely of ultra-processed products every day.

For all the aspects we've briefly explained to you, we feel very proud to know that, at our online slipper store for the home, you'll find the solution and track down that good pair of super comfortable house slippers, of the best quality the market can offer, so your feet can rest and relax when you get home.

What features should you keep in mind when buying your house slippers?

• Quality. Without a doubt, the first thing you should look at when searching for good slippers, because ones that aren't well finished and are poorly designed will end up causing you discomfort when you walk.
• The last. With a wide last, you'll make sure your foot is as comfortable as possible. A bit of height is good so that your step is the right one and doesn't cause wear on your joints, which is why the ergonomic soles of at least 0,5 centimeters that you'll find in many of our products are a very good option.
• The sole. Natural rubber is a high-quality material for soles, since it's very durable, flexible and, of course, and very importantly, non-slip. Plus, you'll get great durability from your slippers. If your home has a parquet floor, they're an excellent choice since with these soles you'll avoid marks, and that quietness when walking that's so prized by your neighbors, which we mentioned earlier. Sponge rubber soles also offer good comfort underfoot, but bear in mind that, if you have any physical ailment, they won't be the most suitable for you, because they deform a lot under weight, and podiatrists recommend firmness in these cases.
• The time of year. House slippers are usually made of warmer materials when they're for winter and of thinner fabric for summer.
• The finishes that join the sole to the upper should be looked at carefully, something that guarantees durability. We make all our slippers using the vulcanization manufacturing technique. Vulcanization consists of a process for making soles whose main material is rubber. The mixture of these materials with sulfur and accelerants is heated under pressure at temperatures above 150ºC, and it's thanks to this chemical process that the molecular chains are modified, the result of which is an elastic, thermoplastic material that translates into a high-quality sole for footwear. The main difference between vulcanized footwear and other types of slippers lies in the quality, because a sole made through vulcanization provides greater flexibility, which translates into much healthier and more comfortable walking. But not only that, it also considerably increases the lifespan of the slippers. At Marpen Slippers we're committed to this age-old manufacturing method because we firmly believe it's by far the best option.
• Washing. It's also important to check whether or not they're suitable for machine washing, since it's much more practical than having to do it by hand. The vast majority of our slippers are suitable for washing in your machine, but in any case, in each slipper's description we show you whether they are or not. The fabric has to be strong enough not to lose its shape, and the sole flexible enough not to be damaged during washing; it's best to wash them in cold water on a delicate cycle to ensure their durability.
• Design. In our online store you'll find very varied designs, as well as different fabrics that provide enough warmth or lightness, depending on whether you're looking for summer or winter slippers. We have more eye-catching designs meant for the little ones at home with colorful prints, characters, or one of their favorites, like our house slippers of FC Barcelona, the Atlético de Madrid house slippers, Sevilla, Cádiz or other football teams.

To finish, we're very proud to be able to tell you that all our slippers are handcrafted, since we have professionals in every area; only this way can we guarantee you a completely perfect final product. We create our pieces from scratch: sketch, design, choice of materials and constructions.

Our primary goal is for you to find the slippers you like best, since comfort is completely guaranteed thanks to their quality. We don't buy any slippers from other suppliers; we make everything ourselves by hand, since 1960.