Vinegar has antifungal and antibacterial properties that can help slow foot fungus, prevent foot odor, and soothe dry feet.
How to Make a Vinegar Foot Soak
Vinegar has antifungal and antibacterial properties that can help slow foot fungus, prevent foot odor, and soothe dry feet.
We demand a lot from our feet. They carry our bodies around all day, often from within uncomfortable shoes. It’s no wonder many of us end up with blisters, pain, odor, and fungus, like athlete’s foot.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to your woes, and it can be found in your kitchen.
Vinegar is a diluted form of acetic acid that’s both versatile and harmless. We use it to cook and clean — and to treat our tired, aching, stinky feet.
Acetic acid has antifungal and antibacterial properties. Vinegar may slow the growth of some types of foot fungus and skin infections.
A 2020 study suggests that distilled white vinegar is effective in treating Sarocladium kiliense, a fungus found in soil that may cause a skin disease called mycetoma.
NOTE: You should avoid the treatments listed below if you have diabetes. People with diabetes should have a healthcare team treat any foot issues.
Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that affects the toes. The toes appear red and the skin may peel. Athlete’s foot often burns and itches.
For mild forms of this condition, a vinegar soak might work well. The antifungal properties also make vinegar soaks a good idea for people with toenail fungus. Soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes daily in a vinegar bath until the infection subsides.
You can increase the length of time in the soak gradually. It may take 2 to 3 weeks or longer to see improvement in symptoms. Improved symptoms indicate that you’ve treated the fungal infection long enough.
It might be a good idea to soak your socks in vinegar as well.
There aren’t any high quality studies that show vinegar is highly effective. Vinegar isn’t effective for all types of fungus, but there’s little risk in trying this home treatment.
If the symptoms don’t improve, or if they worsen or spread up the foot, you should seek medical attention. If you note increased dryness and cracking, you may need to decrease your soaking to a couple of times per week instead of daily.
Vinegar can also disinfect the feet. This helps eliminate or reduce foot odor by getting rid of the bacteria that make them smell.
Before soaking, wash your feet thoroughly with soap and water. Then relax with your feet in a vinegar soak.
In addition to soaking, lifestyle choices are important to consider when treating foot odor.
For example, try wearing shoes made of leather or canvas. These allow your feet to breathe, unlike shoes made from plastic materials. Also, wear breathable cotton or wool socks. When you’re at home, go barefoot.
Quick tips
- Wear breathable cotton or wool socks.
- Wear canvas or leather shoes, which allow your feet to breathe.
- Go barefoot when you’re at home.
Vinegar is a mild exfoliator, so you can also use it to treat callouses and warts. After soaking, you can file your feet with a pumice stone to help get rid of hardened skin.
You can also apply vinegar directly to the affected areas with a cotton ball.
Vinegar foot soaks can also soothe dry, cracked feet. Use cool water, as hot water can dry out your skin. Soak nightly, then moisturize your feet and put on socks.
Soaking too often or for too long may cause your feet to get even drier, so use this soak sparingly for dry and cracked feet.
Vinegar will not hurt your feet, but you should still dilute it for a foot soak. Generally, using 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water is a good ratio.
If you’re tolerating the diluted vinegar soaks, and not noticing any difference, you can use a stronger soak.
While the soak will smell strong, the odor will dissipate after the vinegar dries from your feet. You can also use essential oils to change the scent slightly.
Vinegar is an inexpensive and easy-to-find remedy for a variety of foot ailments. Not to mention, soaking your feet after a long day can be quite relaxing.
Last medically reviewed on January 16, 2023
7 benefits of soaking your feet in vinegar
Vinegar has long been a standard solution to many aches and pains. When it comes to your feet, vinegar has been known to help with fungal problems, foot odor, athlete’s foot, and more. The acidic properties of vinegar can even help soften dry skin on your feet, helping against cracked heels just by soaking your feet in vinegar.
The most common vinegar used to soak your feet is plain white vinegar, available at any grocery store. In addition to using white vinegar, other vinegars may be perfect for what ails your feet.
These instructions for soaking feet in vinegar can help you with painful and annoying foot problems to eliminate, until you get soft feet in a matter of weeks.
Table of Contents
7 benefits of soaking your feet in vinegar.
No matter what type of vinegar you use (although organic apple cider vinegar is best), make sure the tub or container is spotlessly clean before you begin.
Don’t worry about the vinegar smell, as it will soon dissipate. The following recipes for a good healing vinegar foot soak have proven that your feet will look and feel better.
1. Soak feet in vinegar for fatigued feet.
If you’ve been on your feet all day, this soothing mix will help ease aches and pains. In a large bathtub, combine 1 cup of Epsom salts, 1 cup of sea salt, 1 cup of vinegar, and ½ cup of dried lavender.
Mix everything together with large amounts of warm or hot water.
2. For athlete’s foot.
Athlete’s foot can be a smelly, itchy mess. Relieve it with five cups of apple cider vinegar for every gallon of water used. Soak your feet for at least ten minutes to help relieve the itchiness and itching caused by athlete’s foot.
Do this every day for ten days. When you remove your feet from the water, finish with a cotton ball dipped in vinegar and wipe it all over the affected areas.
3. Soak them in vinegar for a bad smell of feet.
To help combat foot odor, combine two parts water with one part vinegar in a foot bath. You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar for this.
Add several drops of thyme oil to the water as well – this helps alleviate the smell. Also, you can try using a mixture of four cups of water, four cups of vinegar, and half a cup of baking soda dissolved in the liquid.
Use this foot soak in vinegar for 15-20 minutes. Remember that you should never use this recipe if you have open sores, scratches or cuts on your feet. Make sure to dry your feet well, especially between the toes.
4. Soak feet in vinegar for warts and corns.
Vinegar is also known as acetic acid, which is a mild exfoliator. This can help decrease the appearance of corns and warts. Mix equal parts of white vinegar and hot water, then soak your feet.
You can also alternate between soaking by soaking your feet in hot water for five minutes to soften them, then soaking in pure apple cider vinegar for 15 minutes to work on corns and warts.
Also, you can apply a cotton ball soaked in vinegar to the problem area, put on a gauze or bandage and leave it there overnight.
Also, you can use a delicate brush on the parts of your foot that are very sensitive, such as the top of the foot or on the ankle. When you’re done, use a good moisturizer on your feet. Do this twice a day for smooth and supple skin.
6. For nail fungus.
Mix two parts of water with one part of vinegar and soak your feet in it for 15 minutes every day. Apple cider vinegar is best as it has anti-fungal properties.
Also, you can use a splash of Listerine in the water to help speed up the healing of the fungal problem.
7. For regular foot care use vinegar.
For daily foot care, try a foot soak made from two gallons of warm water, 1 cup of white vinegar, and a few drops of essential oils. Soak for 45 minutes twice a week, then rub your feet gently with a pumice stone.
Don’t forget to hydrate afterwards. And remember, never use the same solution more than once – always use a fresh solution each time.
Warnings about soaking feet in vinegar.
Although soaking feet in vinegar can be very good for most people, there are times when it should be avoided.
If you have open wounds, scratches, or cuts on your feet, don’t use the vinegar foot bath. If you have diabetes or other conditions that affect blood flow to your feet, be very careful when you have a foot problem.
In most cases, you will need to consult a doctor and get an opinion before using vinegar on your feet in this way. If you use the vinegar soak on a regular basis and start to notice a rash, redness, itching, or irritation, these water baths can be irritating to your feet.
This is especially true if you have one of the problems listed above. In order to solve this problem, you can reduce the frequency of using this treatment, or you can decrease the amount of vinegar in the solution until it feels comfortable for you.
But if the irritation doesn’t go away, it’s time to stop soaking your feet in vinegar and speak with a doctor before resuming them.
Benefits of soaking your feet in vinegar
Vinegar can protect against bacteria, fungi, and other harmful microbes, so putting it into a foot soak could have potential benefits for the feet. It is simple to make in a 1 part vinegar, 2 part water solution.
Vinegar can have a variety of uses, such as in cooking, cleaning, or alternative medicine. This is because vinegar contains acetic acid, which has antimicrobial properties.
Vinegar may help improve the following conditions:
Different types of vinegar contain varying amounts of acetic acid. For example, white vinegar contains around 4 to 7 percent acetic acid, whereas cider and wine vinegar contain about 5 to 6 percent.
Make a vinegar foot soak by using the following recipe:
- filling a basin with 1 cup of vinegar
- adding 2 cups of warm water
- continuing to add 1 part vinegar, 2 parts water until the basin is full
- soaking feet for 10 to 20 minutes
Repeat this process daily or until foot problems disappear.
The type of vinegar a person uses is unlikely to make a significant difference in the effectiveness of the soak. However, it may be better to avoid herbal or fruit vinegar as they contain additional ingredients.
The skin on the feet is susceptible to developing problems because of dehydration and exposure to environments where bacteria or fungi can grow.
Vinegar contains many useful properties that could help address these problems.
Bad foot odor can result from sweating, which can build up around the feet. Some people find their feet sweat even when they do not engage in exercise or other strenuous activity.
Sometimes, foot odor is made worse by the growth of bacteria and fungi on the feet and in footwear.
Because vinegar is antimicrobial, soaking the feet in a vinegar bath for 10 to 20 minutes may help to kill the bacteria or fungi contributing towards foot odor. Clean the feet with a regular, soft soap before and after soaking.
Athlete’s foot is an infectious skin disease caused by exposure to certain fungi. It affects the feet because shoes create a warm, dark, moist environment for the fungi to grow. It often develops between the toes and causes the skin to become dry, sensitive, and susceptible to damage.
Being barefoot in public places, such as in gyms or swimming pools, can lead to athlete’s foot.
As vinegar has antifungal properties, soaking the feet daily in a vinegar foot bath could help fight off fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot.
However, there is currently no reliable evidence to suggest that any home remedies, including vinegar, are useful in the treatment of athlete’s foot. However, a vinegar soak may soothe and ease symptoms and is unlikely to cause any harm.
Medications are still the most effective form of treatment for athlete’s foot.
Share on Pinterest Vinegar has antimicrobial properties that may help prevent warts.
Warts are skin growths caused by a viral infection.
The virus that causes warts is the human papillomavirus (HPV). It is possible to pass warts from one person to another through close contact with the skin.
Warts can occur on the feet. They are not usually painful and have no links to cancer, but they can be unsightly.
As vinegar has antimicrobial properties, it could protect against viruses. It is possible that a vinegar soak could help treat or prevent the growth of warts on the feet.
There is currently no evidence that vinegar can fight infections caused by viruses, such as HPV. However, research has found that the acetic acid in vinegar can be useful in preventing skin infections in people with burns.
Vinegar is mostly safe when used in moderate quantities. People should still use vinegar with caution, however.
It is possible for vinegar to irritate already inflamed skin. Vinegar is also not appropriate for treating wounds on the foot.
People who have diabetes should avoid using vinegar for foot problems. Although diabetes can cause a range of foot conditions, including warts and athlete’s foot, these will often require specialist care.
Currently, there is little substantial evidence to support using vinegar in this way, but a vinegar foot soak is unlikely to cause any harm in most cases and could provide some benefits for foot-related problems.
Last medically reviewed on November 20, 2018
- Dermatology
- Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
How we reviewed this article:
Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
- Athlete’s foot. (n.d.)
https://www.apma.org/Patients/FootHealth.cfm?ItemNumber=978 - Budak, N. H., Aykin, E., Seydim, A. C., Greene, A. K., & Guzel‐Seydim, Z. B. (2014). Functional properties of vinegar. Journal of Food Science, 79(5), R757–R764
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1750-3841.12434 - Foot complications. (2018, November 19)
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/foot-complications/ - Foot odor . (n.d.)
https://www.ipfh.org/foot-conditions/foot-conditions-a-z/foot-odor/causes-of-foot-odor - Halstead, F. D., Rauf, M., Moiemen, N. S., Bamford, A., Wearn, C. M., Fraise, A. P., . Webber, M. A. (2015, September 9). The antibacterial activity of acetic acid against biofilm-producing pathogens of relevance to burns patients. PloS One, 10(9)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566994/ - Vinegar. (n.d.)
https://www.poison.org/articles/vinegar-164 - Warts. (n.d.)
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/contagious-skin-diseases/warts - What helps to get rid of athlete’s foot? (2018, June 14)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072732/
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