If you’re struggling to clear up athlete’s foot, the culprit might be your own bathroom floor. We focus so much on creams and sprays that we forget where we stand every morning. Fungus thrives in damp environments, and your shower floor is a prime breeding ground for reinfection.
Weekly Deep Clean
Use a diluted bleach solution to scrub the shower floor and drain. This kills lingering spores that your regular soap won’t touch.
The Bath Mat
Switch to a cotton mat and wash it on the hottest setting twice a week. It’s better than those fluffy rugs that never truly dry out.
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Honestly never thought about the drain specifically. I usually just spray the tiles.
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Does this work for wooden shower floors too? I have one of those teak mats and I’m worried bleach will ruin the wood finish.
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I started wearing flip flops in my own shower while I was treating my infection. It felt weird at first but it definitely stopped the cycle of me catching it again from the floor. Also, make sure you’re scrubbing the grout. That’s where the nasty stuff really hides out. Bleach is the only thing that actually works for me, everything else just smells nice but doesn’t kill anything.
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The bath mat tip is huge. I switched to a diatomaceous earth mat recently. It dries almost instantly so the fungus doesn’t have a chance to grow in the fibers like it does with cotton.
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My wife thought I was crazy for bleaching the shower every Saturday but my feet finally look normal again lol.
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Good advice. Another thing to check is your bathroom fan. If the room stays humid for hours after you shower, the spores stay active. I leave my fan running for at least 30 minutes after I get out now. It makes a big difference in keeping the whole room dry.
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Is there an alternative to bleach? The smell gives me a massive headache even with the window open.
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I use a squeegee on the floor after every use now too. Getting rid of the standing water immediately helps a ton.
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