Question About Foot Hygiene

[Isaac Kramer]

Should I be washing my feet everyday?

As of writing this, I have been barefoot for 108 days (only wearing Whitin barefoot shoes to work and to the store). I have been learning a lot about being barefoot but one thing no one ever mentions is the hygiene part.

I do not take showers every day, only about 3 times a week. Sometimes more, depending if I've been sweaty or dirty that day.

So I like to walk my dogs along a road that is quite messy. There is usually a bit of roadkill on the road.
I don't like to wash my feet unless I'm already planning to take a shower or unless I walked around a public area like in a Walmart or something that day.

But usually, I won't wash my feet and will go to bed with my dirty feet. Or if I think they're too dirty, I'll wipe them with rubbing alcohol. And I only do this because I thought, well, since I let my dogs sleep on my bed with me, I don't wash their paws and never had a problem, even when I used to wear shoes and socks all the time.

I just don't know if what I'm doing is fine or if I should really be making sure I clean my feet every night.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Wash, Wash, Wash your feet everyday!

 

[Isaac Kramer]

Wash, Wash, Wash your feet everyday!

Wouldn't that be bad for your skin though? Because soap dries out the skin.

 

[footloose2]

alcohol dries the skin even more. I use just water, followed by moisturizer.

 

[Isaac Kramer]

alcohol dries the skin even more. I use just water, followed by moisturizer.

So you don't wash your feet with soap everyday? Just water and moisturizer? If so, do you wash your feet with soap occasionally?

I'm just trying to understand what would be best.

 

[Isaac Kramer]

Wash, Wash, Wash your feet everyday!

Can you elaborate on this a little bit more?
Because although it might be obvious, "if you're going around barefoot, you need to wash the bacteria off your feet every day".

But even before, when I always wore shoes and socks, I still never cleaned my dog's paws every day. Only wiped them with a towel if it was raining and they were all muddy. And after 8 years of them sleeping in my bed with me (one of them goes under the covers as well) I've never had any problems, with fungal issues or anything like that.

So, I feel like it would be the same thing with my feet.

 

[footloose2]

So you don't wash your feet with soap everyday? Just water and moisturizer? If so, do you wash your feet with soap occasionally?

I'm just trying to understand what would be best.

I almost never use soap anywhere apart from my hands. I don't eat with my feet so see no need to upset the natural balance of oils and skin flora (micro organisms). I'm not saying everyone should do this but it works for me.

 

[macdiver]

This is an interesting question.

I don't think bacteria and virus are really a concern from walking or running typically. If you stepped in dog poop or something similar then it may be a concern but I think you would wash that off. Most people rarely if ever wash their shoes yet wear them in the house with the same dirt that you would have on your feet. What is the difference from walking around your house in dirty shoes or dirty feet, not much I suppose.

I also notice that the more frequently I run, the more permanent dirt I have on my feet i.e. still looks dirty after washing. Just an observation.

All that said, I usually take a shower every day after my run so my feet get washed daily. We also wipe our dogs paws when he comes in if it is rainy or muddy so he doesn't get the bed or furniture muddy.

 

[Isaac Kramer]

This is an interesting question.

I don't think bacteria and virus are really a concern from walking or running typically. If you stepped in dog poop or something similar then it may be a concern but I think you would wash that off. Most people rarely if ever wash their shoes yet wear them in the house with the same dirt that you would have on your feet. What is the difference from walking around your house in dirty shoes or dirty feet, not much I suppose.

I also notice that the more frequently I run, the more permanent dirt I have on my feet i.e. still looks dirty after washing. Just an observation.

All that said, I usually take a shower every day after my run so my feet get washed daily. We also wipe our dogs paws when he comes in if it is rainy or muddy so he doesn't get the bed or furniture muddy.

Out of all of the videos and other things I've read, nobody talks about this. And as someone whose life style generally does not require a shower every day, I was curious about what other people do.

I have also noticed that my feet have a more permanent dirt look after washing as well.

And yeah, if you were to step in poop with shoes on, I think most people would not really clean inside of those small crevices. At least the people I've seen, they kind of just scrape it against concrete or something.

Also, another thing I've noticed that I haven't seen others talk about is just how much better grip you get with your feet than shoes. I was walking up a very steep hill that was quite difficult to get up with shoes. Then I went barefoot and it was like nothing.