Scrub your shower and disinfect it with a bleach-based cleanser, Andersen says. Spray your shoes with an antibacterial spray, especially if you've worn them without socks, and wash all socks in hot water with bleach to kill any fungi.
Toenail fungus is contagious, and you can pick it up by walking barefoot in moist, warm environments like showers, saunas, or locker rooms.
You can use a loofah or clean washcloth to thoroughly work the soap around your feet and toes. Fungi love damp, warm environments like the insides of your shoes. Each time you take a shower or bathe your feet separately, dry your feet thoroughly with a clean towel.
Bring your own soap or body wash so you do not use ones that may be contaminated by another person. Soap can be dropped on the shower floor where a fungus is present then transferred to your feet and body. If you bring your own, you can know that it is safe to use. Bring and use your own personal towel as well.
Fungus is already a difficult infection to get rid of, and what surprises many people is that fungus can live in your shoes for up to 20 months. Thus, continuously treating your shoes throughout treatment is essential. There are many ways to treat shoes including Lysol, anti-fungal mists and UV shoe cleaning devices.
Vinegar is inexpensive, accessible, and effective in killing microbes, including bacteria and fungus. It can also be used as a safer alternative to bleach for some applications, such as cleaning.
If you share a bed with another person, the fungus may transfer to them via shared linens. Wearing clean socks to bed and washing sheets regularly minimizes transmission risk.
Athlete's foot spreads either through contact with fungi or by contact with infected skin. Perpetually damp areas like locker rooms, bathroom floors, showers, and swimming pools are prime breeding grounds for the fungi. They can also live in socks, shoes, and towels, all of which have a tendency to remain moist.
Public showers can harbor bacteria and fungi that can cause foot conditions such as athlete's foot or toenail fungus. Even worse, MRSA bacterium could be in the shower and is more serious than a fungal infection. The best way to avoid an infection is to utilize shower shoes to avoid contact with the ground.
Soaking your feet and toes in a bath containing Epsom salts can help dry out fungal infections by killing fungal spores. Add 1–2 cups of Epsom salt to a footbath of warm water and soak for 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can add 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt to 2 cups of water and soak a cotton ball in it.
If you just finished treating nail fungus, throw away shoes, boots, skates, and other footwear that you wore before you started treatment. Fungus can live in footwear, giving you another infection. If your footwear is expensive or new, you can disinfect them using an ultraviolet (UV) shoe sanitizer or ozone cabinet.
Yes, many types of toenail fungi, including tinea unguium, are quite contagious. You can spread the fungus to someone else through direct contact. You can also get toenail fungus by touching an infected surface.
It may be tempting to hide fungal infections under pretty pink polish, but this can trap moisture and worsen the infection. Wash your hands after touching an infected nail. Nail fungus can spread from nail to nail.
The fungus can live on towels, clothes, sheets and household surfaces for months.
Boiling your socks for 10 minutes at 55-60 degrees will kill off any fungus that might be lurking in your socks. But remember, simply washing your socks on a regular (40-60 degree) wash cycle will do nada to nuke fungal spores.
Treatment usually begins with your dermatologist trimming your infected nail(s), cutting back each infected nail to the place where it attaches to your finger or toe. Your dermatologist may also scrape away debris under the nail. This helps get rid of some fungus.
Choose the hottest setting on your washing machine. Most mold spores will die at temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius), so cold and warm water cycles won't work. Add laundry detergent (regular detergent is fine). Add any other disinfectants, like vinegar, bleach or baking soda.
“Applying Vicks VapoRub to fungus-infected toenails can clear up the notoriously hard-to-treat condition. Michigan State University clinicians found that applying the product daily to the infected nail cleared the condition in 32 of 85 patients, though it took anywhere from 5 to 16 months…”
The best type of vinegar to treat toenail fungus is apple cider vinegar, a very acidic and strong solution that destroys toenail fungus at the source. To take full advantage of this, mix one cup of apple cider vinegar with at least 2 cups of water – this will dilute the vinegar so that it won't burn your skin.
Mix one cup of bleach in a gallon of water, apply to the surface and don't rinse. Mix a 50/50 solution of ammonia and water. Spray on the surface, wait two to three hours, then rinse. Never mix ammonia with bleach or other all purpose cleaners; this will create toxic and dangerous fumes.