Everyone has their own degree of nail fungus & also sensitivity to the mixture. So I experimented with my skin type. Started with less bleach and worked up from there. After each soak I let feet air dry. For the faint of heart. Soaking feet in bleach & water is really no different than dipping your toes in a chlorinated swimming pool. I soaked both feet in pan of hot water just deep enough to completely cover them. Using 2 parts hot water one part unscented bleach. 1x day for 20-30 minutes. For faster results I could have soaked am & pm. Every few days Trimmed carefully.
The soreness gone was the first mile marker. Then next a healthy color returned. Thank God for tender mercies!
Js (New York, Ny) on 06/14/2014:
I am on my second month of soaking my toes in bleach and water to see if I can get rid of nail fungus on one of my feet. It seems to be working. FINALLY! I have tried every other nail fungus treatment on the planet, including laser treatment, to no avail.
I read about the bleach cure from someone on Earth Clinic. I have been using Chlorox bleach (regular, not the splashless one)... about 1/2 cup to a half gallon of hot water in a large plastic bucket (the kind you'd use for mopping the floor). I soak my foot for at least 1/2 hour, sometimes more, once or twice a week. I make sure to dry off my foot with a white towel and then hop to the bathroom to wash off any remaining bleach so I don't turn our carpets white!
If I fly, I make sure to do the bleach treatment on my foot the day before flying in each direction if possible.
Will update again in a few months, but so far, thumbs up on this cure.
Ron (Manila) on 04/01/2014:
I had some toe fungus in my two big toe nails for about ten years. I tried many cures but with minimal results. The fungus was very deep under the nail. then by accident I found a cure that killed the fungus fast.
Here is how it happed. I always wear flip flops and with one black pair that I wear my feet get real dirty black and it is hard to remove. One night I decided to try socking my feet in a solution of bleach and water to get rid of the black color on my feet. it didn't work that well in getting rid of the black, but the next week I noticed there was a lot of space under my big toe nails as if the fungus had died. I soaked my feet again and the fungus seemed dead and easy to remove. a month later there was lots of space under the nails indicating that most of the fungus was gone. I socked my feet again and at least once a month for the next four mounts as a precaution to make sure the fungus was gone for good. the fungus is gone now.
here is what I used:
bleach, sodium hypochlorite, known here in the Philippines as zonrox.
I used one half cup of bleach in half gallon of water. I soaked my feet for about 45 min. I did it twice the first week then once a month after that till there was no trace of fungus
It was so fast and easy compared to all the other home remedies that I tried. and best of all it worked.
Barb (Suwanee, Ga Usa) on 09/26/2011:
Tried everything to save a gross toenail on husband's big toe - he was about to lose the whole nail to fungus. Very thick, woody, yellow and lifted up... Ugh. We put Clorox or Purex bleach (full strength) into a small basin and he put just his toes into it and soaked for about 10 min. Wiggling the toes so the skin would allow bleach underneth the toenail. You will see yellow dusty-looking stuff start coming out from under the toenail going into the bleach, and after probably 5 or so minutes, we took the foot out and dried it with a towel (it kind of ruins the towel, so use one you don't care about... We used paper towels). The next day there is more of a healthy pinkness to the nail, and we repeated this procedure in about 4-5 days. This totally got rid of the fungus, and now his toes are all perfect. About every 1-10 months, we do a fingernail that looks yellow, or whatever needs doing. Usually, drs. will tell you this fungus stuff comes with age, but we feel we solved it. Don't do it too long or too often because the bleach will feel like it is burning. Pills for fungus are quite hard on the liver, so be careful of those prescriptions...
Victoria (Saint Johns, Florida) on 01/24/2010:
I suffered from toenail fungus for 15 years! It began when I moved to Virginia & needed to wear socks & closed shoes because my feet get cold very easily. Since moving to Florida 4 years ago, I thought that wearing flip flops and sandals would resolve my problem but it did not. I found out that fungus does not go away on its own. It's too hot here to wear closed shoes and it was embarrassing for me not to be able to hide my problem. I had to find a remedy where I can wear nail polish. I first started applying Tea Tree Oil twice a day for about a month. Not only did it not work, it messes up your toenail polish. Next I tried applying Vick's for about 3 months/2x's a day and although it did seem to kill the fungus, there were areas where my toe nails that did not reattach themselves to nail bed. Those areas also turned brittle and yellowish and would break off easily. I kept cutting out these parts & kept my nails as short as possible. I also found out that Vick's turns your toe nail polish dull. My mother told me that she cured my dad's problem using bleach so I decided to give that a try. Per my mother's instructions, in 1 cup, I mixed 3/4 water and 1/4 bleach. I kept this in a small, glass container with a screw top. I dipped a q-tip in it and applied day and night to my affected toes. It immediately killed the fungus and in a few weeks my toe nails reattached themselves to the nail bed. Plus, it did not mess up my nail polish. It's been 5 months now and my nails are healthy, pink and growing strong. I am still using this but only once a day just in case. I'd like to add that the bleach mix did not hurt the surrounding skin in any way. I hope this helps someone else.
Cottin (Philadelphia, Pa) on 08/21/2009:
bleach for foot fungus......i used a cap full of bleach in a gallon of water in my foot spa. i have been suffering from a bad foot fungus, not on my toes but on the bottom of my feet in the middle portion. i soak one day and used a puma stone to get the hard skin off, WHAT AMAZING RESULTS IN ONE DAY.I SOAKED FOR 1/2 HR. IN THE BLEACH DILUTED IN WATER THEN RINSED OFF IN WARM WATER...... I DID IT THE NEXT DAY... OH MY I AM REALLY RELIEVED.
Eric (Houston) on 10/10/2006:
Vics = nothing, but bleach toenail fungus if it could penetrate the nail (See below). I have fungus -- 3 toes on one foot, and two on another and I tried the vapor rub fairly diligently with no success for several months. I gave up and wasn't putting anything on it for a while then the big toe nail got bumped on a couch and came completely off, so I tried some bleach on all toes for several months. The big toe is about 80% grown in looking healthy, while the others nails don't look any better. I concluded that the bleach absolutely works, but doesn't penetrate the nails well. So I think the next step will be to file off as much of the other nails as I possibly can and see what that does
