sweaty feet remedy
OK, nobody dies of fungus in their toenails. But don’t you want to look at all your various parts and be happy about them?
About a quarter of adults eventually end up with a toenail problem, pictured here. As of 2026, there are many treatments to eliminate the fungi and bacteria involved. Even with the expensive treatments, the condition often returns within a year of treatment completion.
Image from https://brisbanefootclinic.com.au/conditions/ dated 15 Aug 2026 and used under Creative Commons license 4.0 .
What Makes It More Likely?
Section titled “What Makes It More Likely?”The biggest cause is stuffy shoes that don’t breathe. About 45% of people who work in steel-toed boots end up with toenail fungus.
Socks that hold moisture and don’t wick it away also encourage this. Sweaty feet and too-warm socks make a great environment for these micororganisms.
Prevention
Section titled “Prevention”Your big toe isn’t a hoof; treat it and all your toenails carefully.
Trim them! Excessively long toenails jam against the inside of your shoe. This causes microscopic trauma allowing bacteria and fungi to take hold.
Wash your feet, especially between the toes. Dry them, between your toes! They spend all day cooped up—they need some love!
Minimize walking barefoot in public showers and pool decks. This isn’t nearly as bad as stuffy work shoes, and you need the exercise and enjoyment. So, take care and wash your feet afterward.
Keep your socks and shoes clean. Choose socks that let your feet breathe, such as cotton, or moisture wicking socks.
If you are looking to keep your feet dry inside your socks and shoes, over-the-counter Zeasorb AF keeps feet and socks drier than the competition. The AF stands for “AntiFungal”. If you have really sweaty feet, that’s a separate problem. Here’s help.
Don’t stifle them with excess polish or cosmetics.
If your feet smell, you aren’t necessarily built upside-down. You probably have bromodosis. Check it out.
Treatment
Section titled “Treatment”There are some home remedies you can find online, but you're usually better off with toenail drugs.
Higher Risk Groups
Section titled “Higher Risk Groups”Here are some folks who need to take extra care to avoid toenail problems.
People with athletes’ foot.
Athletes—over twice as likely—because coaches don't care about your toenails, plus stuffy footwear, sweating, and bare feet in shared showers.
Also twice as likely are people whose household members have athletes’ foot or toenail fungus. If that’s your household, sanitize your shared floor surfaces weekly.
Smokers.
People with diabetes and weight gain.
If you have eliminated your toenail fungus
Section titled “If you have eliminated your toenail fungus”This will help keep it gone.
- If your clothes washer has an ‘antibacterial’ cycle, use it on your socks.
- Use ultraviolet sanitizers in your shoes.
This extra care helps you avoid...
Section titled “This extra care helps you avoid...”The Dreaded Toenail Fungus!