We get a lot of questions about Some footwear is more prone to causing foot infections like Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) and Fungal Nail (onychomycosis). Here are 5 simple rules to ensure your footwear is infection free.
The most common foot infections are fungal. They result in discomfort and cracking of skin and nails and can be painful. They are easy to avoid if you follow these simple rules. Treating these infection once they get hold is a lot harder than avoiding it in the first place.
The biggest cause of foot infections is lack of air circulation. “Your feet need to breathe” is the sort of thing that grandparents might say to you, and it’s true. The lack of fresh air to the feet is the biggest cause of infection. Few shoes are airtight but many come close. Trainers are pretty much the biggest issue because they are so popular. If your footwear sometimes results in your feet sweating you are wearing high risk footwear. Things like sandals are very low risk of causing Athlete’s foot. Leather is better than Rubber, Canvas is better than plastic. I am sure you get the idea
If your feet get wet, do something about it. They may be wet because of sweating or because water and rain have seeped in. Either way, don’t hang about - get them dry. Change wet socks and put on a different pair of shoes. If you have just done sports make sure you change out from the socks and sports shoes. If your shoes are wet then NEVER dry them on a radiator or in a warm place. Warm and damp are the perfect conditions for the infections to flourish. To dry wet shoes let the air get to them. Put them somewhere that air rather then heat is the drying agent. Sunlight helps too - UV light is a great disinfectant.
If you have 2 pairs of shoes or trainers then alternate them on different days. It will make a big reduction to your risk of infection.
If you can take them off when you are at home, this will reduce your risk. This is especially true in the summer months when it is easier to do.
Put 2 drops of essential oil on a cotton wool ball or pad and quickly rub around the inside of the shoe. Don’t throw the pad away immediately, just leave it inside the shoe and throw it away then next time you want to put that pair of shoes on. The best oils to use are amongst the least expensive ones such as “Tea Tree”, “Lemon”, “Lavender” and “Pine”. Many people have one of these in their home.