How To Get Rid Of Athlete’s Foot Fungus Forever (At Home Cheap & Fast)

If you’re been suffering from Athlete’s foot infection I understand completely how you feel.

I’ve been dealing with this for years, altough I didn’t have to. In all honesty, I was just too lazy to take action until one day the fungus expanded so much that now it developed into nail toe fungus. Arghh

Anyway, I’m sure you’ve looked up on Youtube and probably on Google as well for Athlete’s foot fungus remedies and treatments and I bet you’re overwhelmed by the vast quantity of content about this topic.

Many of them don’t even show you real results or tests done, they just list a number of random things you should do and try. In my case, I’ve tested the things you’re about to read on my own feet!

So you might not know where to start, what to believe or what to try first in order to get rid of the fungus. Well, a great idea is to start by visiting a doctor and see what they recommend to you.

I’ve used a few products and some I even documented on this site and YouTube as well like for example 3% hydrogen peroxide. But it didn’t work for me although some people commented on my videos that it worked for them.

How did I got infected with the Athlete’s foot fungus?

I’m a construction worker, so I’m in my work boots all day long. That could mean at least 10-12 hours per day without removing my work boots.

Many times my boots get wet due to working in rain or next to the water and then it stays wet for the rest of the day.

That’s what this fungus (tinea pedis) loves the most. Dark and wet places where there is a lot of moisture.

My work boots…their home!

So that’s how I believe I got infected with the Athlete’s foot fungus.

Other ways you can get infected with this fungus

If you think:” well Adrian, I don’t wear work boots like yourself. Or my feet don’t sweat that much, I’ll be fine.” …

…think twice.

Because you can get athlete foot in places such as the swimming pool, the sauna, locker rooms, basically all places where there’s a lot of moisture.

The best thing to do when you go to public places like the ones mentioned above is to avoid walking barefoot. Get some flip-flops or something. That will help avoid bringing this fungus home.

Btw, many times I see people on Reddit showing a pair of work boots they bought on eBay or some other place that sells second-hand work bots.

This is one of the reasons you should never buy used footwear!

You never know who wear those boots or shoes before.

What can you use to get rid of the Athlete’s foot fungus?

There’s a vast majority of products available out there for this.

Some are approved by professionals such as:

• Creams
• Powders
• Sprays

While others are considered more like home remedies that are not properly tested and documented as official treatments against Athlete’s foot fungus but people seem to have used them with success.

Some well-known remedies to cure Athlete’s foot fungus are:

• Cider vinegar foot soaks
• Hydrogen peroxide foot soaks
• Listerine
• Epson salt

What treatment did I use to get rid of Athlete’s foot?

In the previous article, I shared my tests and results of using 3% hydrogen peroxide to cure Athlete’s foot infection.

That didn’t work for me so then I tested the 6% hydrogen peroxide and that didn’t work either.

I wish I could say I’ve used some 700 bucks product that I could promote and get some nice commission from doing that 🙂

But as with everything I do on this website, honesty comes first to me and my team.

So I’ve used this very cheap My Cota cream that you can find in many stores. You can even buy it on Amazon if you prefer.

How long did it take to get better from the Athlete’s foot infection?

To my surprise, it took about one week to see massive improvements. By the second week of doing the steps, I’m sharing with you below I was free of Athlete’s foot infection.

But, and this is a big BUT, make sure you don’t stop using the cream or any treatment given by your podiatrist just because you’ve seen some signs of improvement!

You should carry on with the treatment for at least 3-4 weeks to make sure it’s effective and after that, you simply need to maintain a better overall hygiene of your feet and footwear.

Here are the steps I did to get rid of the Athlete’s foot fungus

First, here are a few things I’ve used for this:

• A towel
• A plastic tub (big enough to place both feet)
• 3% hydrogen peroxide
• Shower gel
• Toothbrush
• Multi-purpose pedicure tool
• A hairdryer
• My Cota cream for Athlete’s foot fungus
• Anti-fungal powder
• Moisturizing cream (whatever you prefer, I’ve used Vaseline)
• Dry cracked skin repair cream (whatever you prefer, I’ve used this one)

Alright, now let’s get into it. To free myself from the Athletes foot fungus I’ve followed these simple steps:

Step 1: Start applying anti-fungal cream and powder

My wife bought everything for me (thanks love hehe). When she bought the My Cota Athlete foot fungus cream I asked her to buy some anti-fungal powder too.

Before I’d go to work, I would apply the My Cota cream in between my toes and under my toes, also on the length of the sole.

Apply the cream and rub until the majority of the cream penetrated the skin.

Right after that, I’d apply tons of anti-fungal powder on top and under my feet and most importantly in between and under my toes.

The anti-fungal powder is great for absorbing moisture and reducing sweat so it’s highly recommended to put some of it into your socks and into work boots or whatever footwear you wear for your work.

Editor Tip

If your feet sweat a lot more when wearing work boots than they usually do I highly recommend you have one extra pair of socks with you and also leave one powder can at work in your locker room.

This is so you can swap in the middle of your shift the old socks with the new, fresh ones and apply some powder as well.

Step 2. Proper cleaning of the feet

I’d do this step every time I came back home from work. Imagine 12-15 hours shifts in the same work boots. Yep, so my feet needed some deep cleaning!

This step is probably the most important at this stage.

Fill up the tub with water

I’d fill up a plastic tub with warm water and stick my feet in there for a couple of minutes.

It’s actually quite nice and relaxing, especially if you throw in some Epsom salt.

Brush the feet using the nylon brush

Then using the brush that comes with the multi-purpose pedicure tool and some regular shower gel I’d start brushing the feet in circular motions.

For the first few days, I’d spend 4-5 minutes per foot. In the second week, I’d spend about 1-2 minutes per foot.

Do not use a sponge for this. First, the sponge can’t penetrate between the cracked and dry skin to remove and clean the fungus. The brush does.

And secondly, the brush is much more hygienic than the sponge since the fungus can get into the sponge and it won’t be easy to take it out forcing you to throw away the sponge after just one use.

Use a toothbrush to scrub in tight places

Use a toothbrush so you can scrub properly and effectively in between and under your toes. The other brush wouldn’t reach there, it was too chunky.

Scrub properly on top of your nails and if you can under the nails as well. Don’t force it though, you don’t want to make it uncomfortable or painful.

Exfoliate

Using the same multi-purpose pedicure tool I’d use the pumice stone to exfoliate the bottom of my feet and try to get rid of some dead skin.

Spray some hydrogen peroxide

We’re getting to the end of this step. The last thing is to spray a little bit of 3% hydrogen peroxide on and under my feet also in between and under my toes.

Be careful though as it can sting a little bit (or quite a lot depending on your tolerance) if you have open wounds like I did.

Step 3. Dry the feet properly

Many people say to dry your feet properly after you had a shower, especially in between the toes. To me personally, it was always an impossible task.

For that reason, I’m using the hairdryer to dry my feet. It takes less than 3 minutes for both feet and that way I know my feet are completely dry and moistureless before the next step…

Step 4. Skin moisturizing time

I know. I just said you should bone-dry your feet and make sure there’s no moisture left.

That’s BEFORE applying the cream!

After you took your shower at night time and you’re ready to go to bed you have to moisturize the skin in order to fix those cracks and dry skin.

Dead skin is a food source for the fungus so getting rid of the dead skin it’s a good idea, it’s a must actually.

I haven’t used anything special for this step. I’ve applied some Nivea and Vaseline Cocoa Butter intensive cream I’ve had at home.

This step is most effective if you do it when you go to sleep or after you had a shower and you’re ready to go to bed.

Editor Note

For the first 5-6 days I would only apply the My Cota Athlete’s foot fungus cream trying to make sure I kill the fungus. Only after a week or so, I started the step of moisturizing the skin of my feet.

Step 5. Getting rid of the dead skin

It won’t be long before you see significant results just by using the My Cota cream, at least in terms of itchines and rushes.

Now it’s time to take care of the dead skin. Dead skin not only looks horrible especially if you want to wear sandals or flip-flops in summer but as mentioned previously, dead skin is also a food source for the fungus.

So the faster we can get rid of it, the faster it’s going to run out of food supply if you want.

Every morning when I woke up I would sit on my balcony enjoying a nice coffee while I was exfoliating and sanding my feet using the excellent multi-purpose pedicure tool again.

This time I was using mostly the sanding paper part to remove dry skin and also to smoothen the skin. I’m telling you, this tool is amazing!

Editor Note

Quick note here. This step needs to be done in dry conditions. So make sure your feet are not wet or even sweaty. The sandpaper on the pedicure tool needs to be dry as well.

Step 6. Repair the dry and cracked skin

In week three of this Athlete’s foot fungus treatment I’d start to look into repairing those cracks the fungus caused on my feet.

For that I would follow the same steps as above but before going to work instead of applying the Athlete’s foot fungus cream, I’d apply a cream that helps with repairing the cracked and flacky skin.

Use any cream you like, there are many options out there and most of them work great. My wife bought some cheap crakced heel repair cream at a random store so I can try them out.

It worked like a charm!

I apply the cream, put my socks on, apply some anti fungal powder in my work boots and off to work.

At this stage I’m not using the My Cota cream anymore. At least not daily. I still apply it one or twice per week just to make sure the fungus doesn’t have the slightest chance of coming back.

Editor Note

Applying the cracked heel repair cream became a habit for me. I’ve used these types of creams many times but never paid attention to an important detail which is…

This cream creates something like a layer on top of your skin that prevents your feet from sweating. It covers the pores of the skin I guess so your feet won’t sweat.

I found that very interesting, especially because my feet sweat a lot, especially in summer!

Step 7. Rinse and repeat

Now it’s a matter of being consistent and repeat the steps above.

At the beginning it might be a bit tedius but slowly-slowly you’ll get use to the whole process.

Additionally as you see improvements you’ll start to decrease the amount of time and intensity you put into all this.

I only spend about 2 minutes cleaning my feet now and I do it while I have a shower. Maybe it’s a good idea to keep doing a deep cleaning maybe once per month. It won’t harm for sure!

Should you get rid of your footwear?

Some people will tell you that it’s the right thing to do but you don’t really have to.

You should try and clean them properly inside out and disinfect them before thinking about throwing them away.

That’s what I do anyway.

Additional tips to prevent Athlete’s foot fungus from coming back

Disinfecting your work boots is just one of the things but here are a few more..

1. Start wearing Merino wool socks

I’ve always heard people in my industry (construction) that they wear wool socks and I thought they’re crazy.

Simply because my memory related to anything made with wool is that is itchy as hell.

But last year I decided to pull the trigger and buy some Merino wool socks to wear with my work boots and see what’s the deal with them.

I was wowed by the comfort and more specifically for the fact that they don’t get stinky as fast as the synthetic socks I use to wear.

Wool socks absorb moisture and sweat very well so it was a game changer for me.

2. Have more than one pair of work boots

If budget allows it buy 2 or 3 pair of work boots so you can rotate between them.

This way you allow the boots to dry properly after a long day at work and avoid moisture and bacteria building up in your work boots.

If the budget is tight, the next best thing I suggest you to do is to at least have a few extra insoles.

3. Have more than one pair of insoles

Buying insoles is cheaper than buying a few different pairs of work boots. You’ll achieve almost the same result.

All you want to do is wear your work boots for one week and in your day off swap the insoles you’ve had that week with a new clean pair of insole.

In my day off I take the opportunity to wash the dirty insoles and leave them to dry. Next week I’ll have a nice clean pair of insole waiting for me.

It’s not a hard task, it only take about 5-10 minutes and it’s good practice. Especially after you got rid of the Athlete’s foot fungus in order to prevent it from coming and also your feet won’t stink anymore.

4. Get your self a boot dryer

Another game changer for me was getting my hands on boot dryer. The first one I bought and I still have is this PEET Original boot dryer.

It’s a very affordable boot dryer and I have to be honest with you, I love this simple piece of kit.

Every day, when my shift is over I come home and I put my boots straight on the dryer, even if they’re not wet from working in rain or water.

There will be moisture in the boots no matter what, even if that’s just sweat.

Not only that I love to have a pair of dry work boots when I start my day but most importantly in our case drying the boots overnight will leave no option for the Athlete’s foot fungus to develop inside the boots.

Whatch the video on YouTube if you prefer

Last notes on getting rid of the Athlete’s foot fungus

There you have it. This is how I finally managed to get rid of the Athlete’s foot fungus at home, fast and cheap:

• Wash my feet properly every day
• Bone dry my feet after each shower
• Apply anti-fungal cream and powder
• Moisturize my skin
• Repair creaked skin
• Rinse and repeat maintaining good hygiene of the feet moving forward

Based on what I’ve seen, read, and talked to professionals of the feet, there isn’t a solution that fits us all.

Hence the reason many of you told me that using hydrogen peroxide and other solutions that soled your problem. It helped you get rid of the fungus, but it didn’t help me.

So based on that I’d say to try a few different things until you find something that works for you. But whatever you do, don’t give up after one week. You have to be patient and persistent!

It took me about 3 weeks to get completely get rid of Athlete’s foot fungus. Hope this helped.

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Team Members Working On This Page

Victor Adrian – Editor And Webmaster

Construction Professional, driver, crane operator, cleaner, head chef … these are just some of the jobs I did in the past. Working in all these different environments taught me that having good footwear to protect your feet from different dangers at work IS PARAMOUNT for any worker! On this website, I aim to share all my knowledge and personal experience in dealing with different footwear and foot care issues, and hopefully, you can get something out of it. Enjoy!

Jessica Flynn – Writer And Researcher

Love technology, going to the beach, taking care of my body, and writing (amongst other things). You’ll see my face around here a little bit since I’m responsible for part of the research and writing of some of the articles you’re reading on BestForMyFeet.com. I hope you’ll find our content helpful and enjoyable! See you around, thanks for reading!

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