How to Make a Vinegar Foot Soak
Any products that claim to detox your body are not approved by the FDA. This means they haven’t undergone testing or clinical trials to prove or disprove results.
Health Benefits of a Foot Soak
A foot soak is relaxing and can have many health benefits. Here’s what to know about the ingredients that make a foot soak good for your health.
Why Is a Foot Soak Beneficial?
A foot soak is more than just relaxing with your feet in warm or hot water. It’s what you add to the water that makes a foot soak beneficial. The two main ingredients used in a foot soak are Epsom salt and vinegar.
What is Epsom salt? Epsom salt is a natural mix of magnesium and sulfate. Don’t be confused by its name, because Epsom salt is nothing like table salt.
How do I use Epsom salt in a foot soak? Dissolve a half-cup of Epsom salt into a tub or bowl of warm water. Soak your feet for 10 to 20 minutes once a week.
What are the health benefits of Epsom salt? Epsom salt can help soften your skin and leave it less prone to bacteria overgrowth. Other health benefits include:
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- Relieves stress and helps you feel relaxed
- Eases pain and muscle cramps
- Boosts nerve and muscle function
- Helps prevent blood clots
It also has more specific uses like:
- Reduces and prevents athlete’s foot
- Loosens skin to remove splinters
- Treats toenail fungus
- Soothes pain from sprains and bruises
- Eases gout pain and discomfort
What is vinegar? Vinegar is made from fermented things like grapes and apples. It’s high in acetic acid.
The process used to create apple cider vinegar, for example, involves using yeast to break down the sugar in apples. First, it turns into alcohol, and then bacteria turns the alcohol into acetic acid. The end liquid has a lot of B-vitamins and polyphenols, also known as antioxidants.
How do I use vinegar in a foot soak? To soak your feet using vinegar, mix two parts warm or hot water with one part vinegar in a tub or bowl. Soak your feet for 15 to 20 minutes once a week.
What are the health benefits of vinegar? Vinegar has natural antibacterial properties, so bacteria have a hard time growing on your skin. If you have fungi on your feet, including athlete’s foot, vinegar may be less effective. But it does fight bacteria that cause odor.
What About Detoxifying Products?
Many products on the market — including detoxifying foot soaks — claim to have health benefits. This may sound appealing if a weekend of unhealthy foods and alcohol leaves you feeling guilty. But research shows that these cleanses may not remove the damage caused by overconsumption.
Any products that claim to detox your body are not approved by the FDA. This means they haven’t undergone testing or clinical trials to prove or disprove results.
The list of ingredients in these detox products may include Epsom salt or vinegar. Don’t pay more for the same things you have at home. Remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Foot soak solutions are most likely safe to use, but they won’t give you dramatic results.
Other Considerations for a Foot Soak
When putting Epsom salt in your tub, don’t use more than is recommended. As with any supplements, you run the risk of an allergic reaction. Watch out for problems like:
- Hives or rash
- Trouble breathing
- Swelling in your face, lips, tongue, or throat
Also talk to your doctor before using a foot soak to treat bacterial or fungal infections. You may need a prescription treatment. Other ways to prevent infections include:
- Keeping your feet dry
- Changing your socks often
- Switching pairs of shoes
- Wearing shoes in locker rooms and public pools
- Not sharing shoes with anyone else
Show Sources
Cleveland Clinic: “4 Ways You Can Avoid Stinky Feet.”
John Hopkins Medicine: “Detoxing Your Liver: Fact Versus Fiction.”
Mayo Clinic: “Liver disease,” “Do detox foot pads really work?”
Ortho Arizona: “The Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths.”
University of Chicago Medicine: “Debunking the health benefits of apple cider vinegar.”
University Hospitals: “Feeling the Need to Detox? Here’s the Real Truth.”
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 17, 2023
Benefits of soaking your feet in vinegar
Vinegar can protect against bacteria, fungi, and other harmful microbes. Soaking the feet in a 1 part vinegar, 2 part water solution vinegar may help manage odor and infections.
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.
Share on Pinterest Different types of vinegar, including white or cider vinegar, are suitable for foot soaks.
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)
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