# Does peeing on your feet kill athletes foot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911 "2003-08-08T21:12:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/1 "2003-08-08T21:12:06Z")
I learned this in boyscouts. Is it true? ---
**Author:** ![SpaceForRent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@SpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/2 "2003-08-08T22:29:20Z")
I don’t know. But I’ve heard if you pee into a washcloth in the morning and wipe your face with it, it’s great against acne. (Honest, I really heard that–never tried it out, though.) Hmm, how’s that for the first post on these message boards? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/3 "2003-08-08T23:13:39Z")
I don’t know - but back when I worked on the river (Mississippi) there were a lot of guys who did it, for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/4 "2003-08-08T23:55:38Z")
I’ll bet the scoutmaster was holding you when he said that.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/5 "2003-08-09T00:01:40Z")
I don’t know about athlete’s foot, but I heard urine helps relieve the sting caused by sea urchins and jellyfish, any truth to that? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/6 "2003-08-09T01:32:35Z")
I don’t know if peeing on your feet kills athlete’s foot, but peeing on someone else’s feet might get you killed. ---
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/7 "2003-08-09T02:15:27Z")
Well, urine contains a lot of ammonia (at least for something out of your body). I can see that being a disinfectant, but I would mainly use it as a preventive measure rather than a cure. It would do a good job of cleaning the outside of your foot, but once it gets in the tissue you need something better designed. ---
**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/8 "2003-08-09T04:08:41Z")
OK, that’s kind of a gross question, but anything goes in the shower, right? A number of years back I heard somewhere that Madonna suggested this health tip for just this reason. Outwardly I thought it an odd tip, but the idea became so intriguing that, well, lets just say I have never had athelete’s foot since. And in the Army I was in some pretty questionable public showers where you could almost see the little fungi writhing & waiting for some tasty feet. ---
**Author:** ![Yuki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@Yuki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yuki)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/9 "2003-08-09T04:36:33Z")
I heard somewhere that once you get athlete’s foot, you’ll never truly get rid of it (pee or no pee), only get it into remission or something. True? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/10 "2003-08-09T05:39:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Matchka \* > **OK, that’s kind of a gross question, but anything goes in the shower, right?** For the sake of anyone who has to use the shower after you — no, anything does not go in the shower. :mad: Madonna brought up that piece of trivia as a nonsequitor in an expletive-peppered appearance on David Letterman’s show many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFunkySpaceCowboy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/11 "2003-08-09T05:42:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bouv \* > \*\*I don’t know about athlete’s foot, but I heard urine helps relieve the sting caused by sea urchins and jellyfish, any truth to that? \*\* [Yup, there sure is](http://www.discoveringhawaii.com/SF_Medicine/StingingMarineLife/JellyFish.html) According to the link urine or vinegar will neutralize the nematocysts (stingy bits of a jellyfishes tentical) stuck to your skin after a jellyfish sting. ---
**Author:** ![Azi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Azi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azi)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/12 "2003-08-09T05:51:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Yuki \* > I heard somewhere that once you get athlete’s foot, you’ll never truly get rid of it (pee or no pee), only get it into remission or something. True? As I understand, it regresses for a while and during this time if your feet are exposed to the same moist, warm conditions, the fungi will flare up again. But if you avoid such conditions long enough, you should be able to get rid of it completely. ---
**Author:** ![TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFunkySpaceCowboy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/13 "2003-08-09T05:53:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Walloon \* > \*\*For the sake of anyone who has to use the shower after you — no, anything does not go in the shower. :mad: \*\* What’s wrong with peeing in the shower, even a public one? Unless you have a urinary tract infection human urine is sterile and quite harmless. Besides it’s all getting washed down the drain anyway. I do the same thing whenever I travel and have to use a public shower, precisely to avoid athletes foot. Just like **Matchka** I’ve never had althetes foot… Now if someone were taking a crap in the shower, that’s a whole different issue, and I’m not entirely sure what they’d hope to cure by doing that! ---
**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/14 "2003-08-09T05:58:18Z")
eeeeeeeeewwww. I think **Walloon’s** imagination is running loose…but, yes, it’s always a good idea to let the shower run for a bit…especially if you doubt the character of the guy who just finished up a “Hollywood” shower.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/15 "2003-08-09T10:10:53Z")
So nobody knows for certain? ☹ I’ve always wondered if i was being bullshitted but other people that I have talked to have heard it also. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-peeing-on-your-feet-kill-athletes-foot/193911/16 "2003-08-09T15:06:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alterego \* > \*\*I’ve always wondered if i was being bullshitted but other people that I have talked to have heard it also. \*\* That’s a good definition of an old wives tale or an urban legend, isn’t it?