Can YOU solve this problem? It will help my husband who has brain cancer!!!

My husband has brain cancer and will soon be in the hospital for 3-4 weeks for a procedure. When he comes home, he will have to stay home (except for doctor’s visits) for the first 100 days. During that time especially, it is EXTREMELY important for the house to be kept super clean due to his super compromised immune system.

We live in a small rental house that has no “mudroom”. You walk in the front door and are in the living room. If you need to take the trash out, you go through the kitchen and there is a backdoor right there leading to the trash containers.

I am concerned and am wondering if you all have some ideas about what to do. We take our shoes off as soon as we enter the house, but they are in the room with the sofa and TV. So, my husband and I have slippers we wear as soon as we walk into the house.

The issue is that, while we have neighbors who are a G-send and take our trash bins to and from the curb, I still have to throw the trash bags into the bin. So, have to wear something when I take out the trash. Remember that I am standing in the kitchen, I open the backdoor and I am outside. There is a concrete patio that I have to take 2 steps onto to reach the trash bins and throw out the bags of trash (and throw in recycling items). Then I step back into the house and I am in the kitchen.

So if I take off those “trash” shoes and leave them at the back door, I am leaving them in the kitchen.

I can’t leave shoes outside since there are lots of feral cats around and I don’t want even cheap shoes/slippers/flip flops to be peed on!

I don’t know what to do- I am just worried about tracking anything inside the house even though I am only taking 2 steps onto that back patio!

Thank you for any and all suggestions!