It’s become the classic Aussie way to celebrate – sculling a tinnie from a sweat-soaked shoe.
But as you would’ve expected, footwear skolling isn’t just gross – it’s potentially hazardous to your health.
The ABC got the School of Medicine Gastroenterology Laboratory at the University of Western Sydney to test a selection of sports shoes, trainers and boots (yes, really – your tax dollars at work).
The shoes were then dunked in a variety of alcoholic beverages for 60 seconds, re-swabbed and re-tested.
Doing a shoey could make you spewy
Even after shoes had taken a swim, the researchers detected staph – which can lead to septicaemia, pneumonia, food poisoning, vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea.
The “three-second rule” doesn’t apply either – the quicker you drink the alcohol, the more likely the bacteria will enter your stomach alive.
The good news was that in most cases, the booze did kill a lot of the bacteria the longer they were soaked – except for sparkling white wine or champagne which encouraged the growth of more dangerous bacteria.
It just goes to show – always go for the tinnie.
