You are probably familiar with the fact that athlete’s foot is a very common fungal infection that mostly affects the skin on your feet. It can equally affect men, children, and women of all ages.
A lot of people ask us that does athlete’s foot live in the carpet and how do you get rid of the athlete’s foot?
This article will answer many of your important questions about athlete’s foot and help you stay safe from it.
Let’s get ready and jump into the article.
Can athlete’s foot spread on carpet
Yes, athlete’s foot can spread on the carpet.
The reason is that athlete’s foot is contagious. For your information, a contagious disease can either spread from person to person or from contaminated surfaces to a person.
Your carpet can catch athlete’s foot on its surface and then it can spread from there. Whenever you will walk barefoot on the carpet, the athlete’s foot will contact your skin and then your feet can become a potential source of spreading the athlete’s foot to other places in your house.
How long does athlete’s foot live on carpet
Athlete’s foot has a very long life.
It can live on carpet for several weeks. As per some experts, athlete’s foot can live on the carpet for even years in the form of spores.
Therefore, if you have athlete’s foot on your carpet then you shouldn’t expect that it will go away on its own and you won’t have to do anything. No, that’s not the case.
Instead, you have to take proper countermeasures to get rid of the athlete’s foot from your carpet.
What can remove athlete’s foot from the carpet
If you have athlete’s foot on your carpet, you must be stressing about what you can use for removing or killing it.
Luckily, there are tons of methods out there that can help you effectively remove athlete’s foot from your carpet.
You can use things like hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, anti-fungal spray, and vinegar, etc.
We have a complete detailed guide that will teach you how to remove athlete’s foot from the carpet. You will learn all the methods step-by-step.
Does peeing on your feet help athlete’s foot
No, peeing on your feet doesn’t help athlete’s foot.
A lot of people think that peeing on your feet helps kill athlete’s foot. They say that urine contains a compound called urea that is present in many skincare products especially in products related to athlete’s foot treatment.
However, if we look at reality then this is just a baseless claim without any scientific evidence.
Here are two reasons why peeing doesn’t help athlete’s foot:
- There is not enough urea present in urine to give any significant results.
- Urea doesn’t kill the athlete’s foot. Instead, it just targets the thick skin produced by the athlete’s foot and helps the anti-fungal ingredients to better penetrate the affected area and treat it effectively.
In simple words, the conclusion is that you should stop peeing on your feet because it is just gross and doesn’t help athlete’s foot.
Does Lysol kill athlete’s foot
Yes, Lysol can kill athlete’s foot!
Lysol has proven to be extremely effective for killing and removing athlete’s foot from surfaces.
If you have athlete’s foot on any surface then simply spray some Lysol over it and you will be able to easily kill it.
You can also spray Lysol into your shoes so your feet can stay safe from the athlete’s foot.
Does rubbing alcohol help with athlete’s foot
Yes, rubbing alcohol can help with athlete’s foot. In many homes, rubbing alcohol as well as hydrogen peroxide are the two most widely used home-based go-to disinfectants to clean cuts. If you cannot afford over-the-counter treatment, rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide can definitely help with the infection. However, if there are no obvious changes after a few days, it is better to go see a doctor.
Will Isopropyl alcohol kill athlete’s foot
Yes, isopropyl alcohol will kill athlete’s foot. Isopropyl alcohol is a home-based solution that can be effectively used to kill off the fungus that causes both athlete’s foot and toenails contamination. However, Isopropyl alcohol is not the most effective way of getting rid of such infections because it can only completely kill off surface-level bacteria like the athlete’s foot when they are in their early stage.
Can hand sanitizer kill athlete’s foot
Yes, hand sanitizer can kill athlete’s foot. The major ingredient in hand sanitizer is rubbing alcohol, an ethanol solution that is effective against fungus, viruses, and bacteria. If you don’t have anti-fungal spray or cream (the best treatment for athlete’s foot, you can clean the affected area with hand sanitizer.
Can Dettol kill athlete’s foot
Yes, Dettol can kill athlete’s foot. Dettol is an effective antifungal soap that can kill up to about 98% of microbes within a very short period (15 seconds). In fact, Dettol is commonly used as an ingredient in some athlete’s foot treatment products like the powder Zeasorb, however, they are often printed with new names on the product’s label. For example, Dettol is renamed as 0.5% chloroxylenol in powder Zeasorb.
Does bleach kill athlete’s foot
Yes, bleach can help to kill athlete’s feet. I have seen medical experts recommend bleach as one of the best treatments for athletes’ feet as it can effectively eliminate the fungus causing the infection. However, they often follow up their recommendations with a stern warning: and this is quite understandable because bleach can cause skin irritation, burns, and blisters.
Hence, the reason why they usually tell their patient to dilute bleach properly with water before use. Bleach should be diluted with water in the proportion of one tablespoon of bleach to half a gallon of water.
Does Aquaphor help athlete’s foot
Yes, Aquaphor can help athlete’s foot. Although Aquaphor is an ointment moisturizer that helps to maintain the moisture level of the skin and is best used as a treatment for dry skin: however, it can also be used for athlete’s foot but just to keep the skin surface from drying, and not as the ultimate remedy.
How to get rid of athlete’s foot on carpet
Do you have athlete’s foot on your carpet but don’t know how you can get rid of it? Don’t stress because we will teach you how to do it.
Here are the best methods you can use for removing athlete’s foot from your carpet:
1. Vacuum the carpet
When you have a carpet at home then you surely have a vacuum also, right? Take it out and start vacuuming your carpet.
Vacuuming will help you remove all the germs, bacteria, dust particles, and most importantly all the athlete’s foot spores that are hiding in your carpet.
Therefore, you can keep vacuuming and disinfecting your carpet on regular basis to remove the athlete’s foot.
2. Clean and disinfect it
If the athlete’s foot infestation is a bit severe then you will have to clean the carpet and disinfect it.
Start with creating a solution of vinegar and hot water in equal volumes. Now add an anti-fungal carpet cleaning solution inside it for more effective results.
Put this solution in your steam cleaner and start running it over your carpet affected by the athlete’s foot.
Once you have run it on your whole carpet then you should stop everything and allow the carpet to completely dry. Doing this will also let the vinegar smell fade away.
The best approach is to do this whole process before sleeping so the carpet can dry overnight and then you can have a clean carpet in the morning.
Recommended antifungal carpet cleaner
You might be wondering which antifungal carpet cleaner you should use?
There are many good antifungal carpet cleaners out there that you can use such as:
- Mold Control
- CLR Mold & Mildew
- RMR-141 Disinfectant and Cleaner
- Mold Armor FG502 Mold killer
If you find any other better option available in your area then you can use that as well.
3. Seek professional help
If you feel like you don’t have the time to do this on your own or you just find it too much difficult then no worries.
You can also seek some professional help.
There are many professional carpet cleaners out there that will remove the athlete’s foot infestation from your carpet. They have all the tools, equipment, and experience to get the job done.
You can also find one in your area and get your carpet cleaned.
How to clean floors after athlete’s foot
Do you want to clean your floor affected by the athlete’s foot? If yes, then we are here to tell you how to do so.
- Simply wash the floor with a disinfectant bleach (like antibacterial, antifungal).
- You can also use a solution of rubbing alcohol and clean the floor with it.
- Using a solution of Lysol liquid is also a good choice for cleaning the floor affected by the athlete’s foot.
All these options are good for killing the athlete’s foot and other harmful germs living on the floor and thus save you and your family from them.
How to disinfect shoes against athlete’s foot
If you have ever been to a place and noticed that everybody in the room started covering their nose after you put off your shoe, that is a first-hand sign that your shoe needs to be disinfected. All you have to do is politely excuse yourself from such a gathering, go straight home and disinfect your shoe with any of the methods discussed below.
Use Antifungal spray or cream
This method is one of the best (if not the best) treatments for athlete’s foot. Thoroughly spray the inner part of the infected shoe with an antifungal spray like Lamisil AT or Lotrimin AF making sure it touches every nooks and cranny, then rub the antifungal cream on the affected areas of your foot.
Use Baking soda and vinegar
- Sprinkle baking soda into the inner part of the shoes to get them deodorized.
- Pour distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle and spray generously in the shoes.
Bonus: You can also both the vinegar and baling soda together. The combination of the two will prevent the growth of bacteria.
Use UV shoe sanitizer
UV shoe sanitizer is a machine that makes use of ultraviolet light to get rid of bacteria and germs from shoes. All you have to do is to put this machine in your shoe and it will help you eliminate all infections. UV shoe sanitizer is so effective that it can destroy up to 99.9% of fungi or bacteria infections in your shoe. However, of all the methods, UV shoe sanitizer is the most expensive.
Use Bleach
- Make a solution from the mixtures of a tablespoon of bleach and half a gallon of water in a bowl and pour into a spray bottle.
- Spray inside the infected shoes
How to disinfect the shower from the athlete’s foot
After getting a disinfectant cleaner ( you can get from the store or use vinegar or bleach solution: mix as explained earlier), follow the steps below.
- Put on your gloves.
- Thoroughly clean the shower to get rid of any dirt or dander that might be accumulated. Then spray the disinfectant cleaner of your choice on the surface until it becomes wet.
- Leave the disinfectant on the affected spot for about 10 minutes to kill the infection.
- Wipe the treated surface with a damp towel or rag.
- Rinse off all stain remnants with warm water.
- Repeat the process every day until the shower becomes athlete’s foot infection-free. Once the infection is completely wiped out, disinfect your shower once a week for maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can Athlete's foot live in shoes?
The lifespan of an athlete’s foot in a shoe is not written in stones because how long they can live in your shoe largely depends on how quickly you respond to the treatment of your shoe and how you actually treat the fungus causing the infection. However, it is of the popular opinion that athlete foot can stay in shoes for about a year or a year and a half.
What cleaner kills athlete's foot fungus?
Make use of any bleach-based cleaner or hydrogen peroxide.
Conclusion
Athlete’s foot isn’t a life-threatening condition but it can be extremely uncomfortable. By following our instructions provided above, you can easily remove the athlete’s foot from your carpet and get rid of it once for all.
Are you interested to learn how to remove old bleach stains from carpet or how to remove old vomit stains from carpet too?
References
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/athletes-foot/symptoms-causes/syc-20353841
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/athletes-foot/
- https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/disease/athletes_foot.html
Jody Bjerke is the president of Health Care Auxiliary of Minnesota (HCAM). HCAM represents 83 health care auxiliaries in Minnesota totaling in excess of 18,000 persons volunteering in services to hospitals and long-term care facilities.
