Choosing the correct shoe cover for your industry can take time and effort. We’ve made a short guide to choosing the right shoe covers for your operation.
Disposable Shoe Covers
Hand-applied one-time-use covers
This shoe cover
is the most widely used type of shoe cover. You can usually find a pack of these shoe covers in your local Hardware store or cheap on Amazon. Most of these shoe covers are a blue fabric non woven material with a small traction pattern. They are great for small operations, hospital operating rooms, or going into people’s homes for repair work.
Pros: Relatively inexpensive and simple to put on and remove. Helps protect floors and shoes from becoming soiled and provides a necessary level of protection for meeting certain requirements in some industries. Smaller operations may need fewer shoe covers, so adding this small cost won’t take much of your safety budget.
Cons: Applying these types of shoe covers does come with fall risk that could cost your organization hundreds of dollars if a worker’s comp case does occur. Adds additional time needed for employees to put them on reducing productivity in some operations. The shoe covers also contribute to waste management increases in your facility.
Machine applied one time use covers
This type of shoe cover is very similar to the manual application shoe cover. The main difference between these is the compatibility to be inserted into an automatic dispenser.
Pros: The machine makes the application process of shoe covers happen at about 4x the speed of manual application. These systems can be pricey upon start-up but the cost savings are shown in large assembly line processing centers and reducing costs from worker comp cases. Lastly, this is a one-size-fits-most (up to men’s size 15) shoe cover. No need to worry about different-sized covers.
Cons: The price per shoe cover is more expensive. You still contribute the same amount of waste to the environment.
Semi-Disposable Shoe Covers
Semi-disposable shoe covers are new in the world of shoe covers. This option is great for technicians that do most of their work in remote locations like people’s homes. These shoe covers last around 30-45 days of daily use. They can also be washed in the washer or sanitized and reused for a more professional appearance.
Pros: These shoe covers reduce waste while having strong durability.
Cons: More expensive than disposable shoe covers. Need to buy multiple sizes for different-sized feet.
Reusable Shoe Covers
These shoe covers are similar to the semi-disposable. they are made with a thicker fabric so the life of the shoe cover extends up to a year. They are also laundry safe. This shoe cover choice is the most environmentally friendly option in the industry.
Pros: Environmentally friendly. Longest lasting cover on the market. Multiple size options.
Cons: Most expensive option. Multiple size options.