Nail fungus and grooming tools can be ways to spread nail fungus to others. Nail grooming and clipping are a part of most people’s regular grooming routines. Clipping your nails regularly and correctly is important to stay hygienic and avoid nail breakage or ingrown nails. Since this practice is so commonplace, the tools used to groom nails are often shared between family members. This can be dangerous because of a condition called nail fungus, which is a fungal infection under the nail.

How to Safely Share Grooming Tools

When nail grooming tools are used on fungal nails, microscopic fungal spores can attach to the surface of the tool. They can then infect anybody who uses the tools afterward. Toenail fungus is very contagious, so once this contamination occurs it will spread fast to anybody sharing the tools. 

The best way to avoid this is to have individual nail grooming tools for each person, and not share them at all. Since the fungus can be invisible under the nails, this is the most cautious way to avoid ever-spreading fungus. If you must share nail tools, you should disinfect them between each use. There are a few ways to do this. One way is to carefully boil the nail tools and then disinfect them with rubbing alcohol. Another method involves soaking the tools in a dilute solution of bleach (at least 9 parts water to 1 part bleach). This method should be done carefully, since inhaling bleach fumes can be damaging. 

Nail Salons

Professional salons use a few different methods to sterilize nail tools between uses. Barbicide is a liquid disinfectant that can be used to clean nail tools. UV Light also can be used to eliminate fungi and bacteria on the surface of tools. Any nail salon you go to should clearly sanitize its tools between customers.

softening nails

Laser Treatment for Nail Fungus

If you think you have a toenail fungus, you should seek an FDA-approved treatment with a licensed podiatrist. The best option is the PinPointe laser, which typically requires only one treatment to kill the fungus and comes with no side effects or downtime.

Our nail doctor in San Francisco, CA recommends this laser treatment. The PinPointe Laser treatment has the highest cure rate in the market. It has no side effects and no recovery period. As a result, you can go about your daily activities right after the treatment. Also, it is not painful. To schedule a consultation for the PinPointe laser treatment with a podiatrist, give us a call at 1-(800) 672-0625 or visit our website for more information.