Did you know that our feet are house to important nerves that help in the functioning of our entire body? Yeah, didn’t think so. Right from your stomach to your spine – these nerves reach everywhere. There’s a reason acupressure, acupuncture, foot spas and pedicures are so famous. Apart from making you feel refreshed, they work wonders on parts of your body that aren’t functioning like they are supposed to. Therefore it’s important to keep your feet clean and comfortable to help it function well.

How to Clean My Feet: A Step by Step Guide

Now that you have all your supplies at hand, the first thing you need to do is play your fav tracks. That will instantly lighten up the mood and help your mind relax when you’re cleaning your feet. When you’re done with that, follow the following steps:

1.      You Need a Blank Canvas

When you paint, you paint on a blank canvas, right? The same rule applies here. So if you have any nail polish, extensions, etc. on your nails, get rid of them. Even if you don’t, they will come halfway off during your cleaning process, so it’s better to get rid of a potential mess beforehand. Use an acetone free remover dipped in cotton balls.

2.      Focus on Your Nails

Trim them. Bring out your buffing block, and shine those nails till they like a bald man’s head. If you’re one of those ladies (or men) who wear their nail polish till it literally chips off from your nails, leaving behind yellow stains, then you’re in luck. The buffer will take care of that yellow stain as well. And when you’re done with it all, file your nails.

3.      Soak Your Feet

Add warm water to the tub, pour in ½-1 cap of shampoo or liquid soap to the mixture and mix it well till you see lather in the water. Let your feet soak in the mixture for a good 10 minutes. Relax, go through your social media or just listen to funky music – but make sure your feet are dipped in the mixture the entire time.

4.      Foot Filing

There are two sides on your foot file – the fine side and the coarse side. Take some shampoo or soap and lather up your feet. Then use the coarse side to rub gently on calluses or hard skin on your sole. Use the finer side to file the rest of your feet, especially in areas where you’re experiencing pigmentation or a buildup of dead/dark skin.

5.      Scrub!

Take out that tube of foot scrub, apply it generously over your feet and get to scrubbing them! Make sure that you’re scrubbing your feet for at least 3-5 minutes. Anything less than that is a waste of your efforts. When you’re done, put your feet back in the tub and wash off the scrub.

6.      Massage Time

Take out your fav cold cream, body lotion or foot cream, and make sure you massage it onto your feet for at least a minute. Be generous with the cream, because the amount that will not be absorbed by your feet can be spread to your legs. Nourishing your feet is important after you’ve cleaned them so that they remain soft and supple throughout the day.

7.      Let Your Feet Be!

After you’ve applied cream to your feet, make sure you don’t immediately get off your feet and start walking. No. Let your skin absorb as much of the cream as it can. As an added measure, wear socks when you’re done letting your feet absorb as much moisture as they can.

And…You’re done! Make this ritual of how to clean my feetsomething you do regularly, like once every week or so. And why not? You do wash your hair, hands and body several times a week, don’t you? Then why not give the same treatment to your feet?

Miscellaneous Tips That Will Make Your Feet Happy!

1.      Let Your Feet Breathe

Whenever you’re at home (or at your desk when nobody’s watching) it’s a good idea to take your shoes and socks off, and let your feet breathe. The sweat and dirt that has built up needs an escape route, not to mention how your feet will start stinking if you don’t let fresh air come in contact with them.

2.      Walk Barefoot

It’s reflexology (basically the school of thought that every part of the foot is connected to a part of our body). It’s ideal to walk barefoot on natural surfaces like grass or sand, but the tiles of your rented apartment work just as well.

3.      Trim Toenails Regularly

Make sure they’re neither too long, nor too short, as both end up causing a lot of discomfort to your feet, especially when you’re wearing tight fitting shoes. Also, use a nail cutter to cut your feet, and not scissors or other such crap. Alright?

4.      Wear Shoes That Fit

Especially if you’re in a job that involves a lot of leg work, like waitressing or gym training. The wrong pair of shoes (too tight, too loose) will not only wear your feet down quicker than normal, but might cause pain, blisters, corns and even accidents.

5.      Spice Things Up

If you feel that simply working on how to clean my feetis a boring chore, then shake things up. Add essential oils to your water, dim the lights and light some scented candles or treat your feet with that expensive hand lotion that you’ve been saving for all this while. And most importantly…

6.      Keep Your Feet Moisturized

Not as often as your hands, of course, but not as little as your scalp either. Applying foot cream 2-3 times a week is enough to keep your feet happy.