Athlete's foot home remedies: the foot bath, and the part everyone skips

It starts as a small itch between the toes, usually the fourth and fifth, and it is one of those things people put up with for months.

French households treated it with what was in the bathroom cupboard, and the method was less about the remedy than about the routine: a bath, a thorough dry, and clean socks every single day.

Before you start

If you have diabetes, poor circulation, or a weakened immune system, do not treat a foot infection at home. See a doctor. A small crack in the skin of a foot that heals badly is not a small thing.

Same if the skin is cracked open, weeping, or the foot is red, hot and swollen. That is no longer a fungus alone.

The drying, which is the whole method

This is the part everyone skips, and it is the part that works.

Dry between every toe, individually, every time your feet get wet. A separate towel corner, or a few seconds with a hair dryer on cool. The fungus lives on damp skin, and a foot that is genuinely dry between the toes is a poor place to live.

Then: cotton socks, changed daily, shoes that get a day off to air out, and sandals in public showers and locker rooms.

Nothing below matters much if this part is not done. Nothing.

The baking soda foot bath

The simplest of the French remedies, and a good one.

Dissolve about 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a basin of warm water, and soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes. Once a day.

Then dry completely, between the toes included.

Baking soda makes the skin less hospitable and takes the smell away, which is a real part of the problem for most people. It will not cure a stubborn infection on its own.

The diluted cider vinegar bath

The other classic, and the one that needs a warning.

One part cider vinegar to two parts warm water, ten minutes, once a day. Dry thoroughly afterwards.

Never use it neat, and stop immediately if it stings. Vinegar on cracked skin hurts, and on broken skin it does harm rather than good. If your skin is split, wait until it has closed.

Tea tree oil, diluted

Tea tree is the essential oil with the most traditional standing here, and NCCIH notes that it has been studied for athlete’s foot, with results that are limited and not conclusive.

Two drops in a teaspoon of a carrier oil, applied to clean dry skin, twice a day.

Never neat, never swallowed, never on broken skin. NCCIH is explicit that tea tree oil is toxic if swallowed, and that it can cause confusion and worse. Keep it away from children.

If your skin reacts, stop. Some people simply do not tolerate it.

Coconut oil, overnight

A thin layer of virgin coconut oil on clean dry feet at bedtime, with cotton socks over the top.

It is soothing on skin that has become dry and cracked from the itching, which is its real merit. Whether it does anything to the fungus is not established, and we would rather say so.

The mistakes that keep it going

• Stopping when it looks better. Keep going for one to two weeks after the last sign. This is the single commonest reason it returns.
• Wearing the same shoes every day. Alternate, and let each pair dry out fully.
• Sharing towels. It travels that way, easily, inside a family, exactly like head lice.
• Treating the feet and ignoring the socks. Wash them hot.
• Putting a bandage over it. Covering it keeps it damp, which is exactly what it wants.

When to see a doctor

Home care suits a mild case in an otherwise healthy person. It suits nothing else.

Make an appointment if:

• there is no improvement after two weeks
• the skin is cracked, weeping, bleeding, or blistered
• the foot is red, hot, swollen or painful, which can mean a bacterial infection on top
• the nails have turned thick, yellow or crumbly, which needs a different and longer treatment
• it keeps coming back
• you have diabetes, poor circulation, or a weakened immune system, in which case do not wait at all

Feet that have been walked on all day in closed shoes also ache, and what helps a sore foot or a night cramp is a separate matter worth knowing.

Pharmacies sell antifungal creams that work well and cost little. There is no prize for treating this the hard way, and if two weeks of foot baths have changed nothing, that is the sensible next step. Meanwhile, what helps itchy skin from bites does not help here: this is a different problem with a different answer.

FAQ

How long does athlete’s foot take to clear up?

Two to four weeks with consistent treatment, and it needs continuing for one to two weeks past the last visible sign. Stopping early is why it so often returns.

Can I use bleach or neat vinegar on it?

No. Both damage the skin, and damaged skin is more vulnerable, not less. Diluted cider vinegar is as strong as this should get, and even that comes off the moment it stings.

Is it contagious?

Yes, through damp floors, shared towels and shared shoes. Sandals in public showers and a towel of your own are most of the prevention.