How long were you barefoot without cleaning your feet?

How long were you barefoot without cleaning your feet? Days? Weeks? I think it´s cool, to have a dirty soles and tops, it shows that you are a true barefooter. What do you think about it?

 

A true barefooter? I think not. Merely a barefooter who cares not to wash their feet.

I've not worn shoes at all for 15 years and have traveled on 4 continents, 42 countries and countless islands barefoot. I can walk over the sharpest and hottest natural surfaces all day without worry.

I also wash my feet thoroughly with a scrub brush and soap at least once a day, if not more frequently.

Clean or dirty soles are a preference, not a badge of honor. There is no elitist club of "true" barefooters comprised solely of those who enjoy dirty soles.

There is a consequence of dirty soles however: the negative impact it has on the image of barefooting as a whole among shoddies. Clean, well cared-for feet are much less likely to shock and dismay shoddies, some of whom may otherwise be swayed to give barefooting a try, provided their first impressions of it are positive.

 

Very true in every respect what you write, seohshreven (fun name - ever considerd to mirror your alias? )

 

I'm not going to lie, I do not wash my feet specifically as much as I should. I mean, I get them a little scrub every time I shower, but other than that I just leave them alone. I sort of like the look of darkened, worn skin on the bottom of my feet. Haha

 

I 'give them a little scrub' every time in the shower, but they're quite smooth (even though the skin is thick and tough -I, too, never wear any kind of footwear at all, for over 12 years now) and the dirt doesn't stick to them much. So while I only rub the brush over them in a few seconds a foot, the soles aren't darkly stained. Not sure why, some people do seem to have skin that keeps the dirt on more than others. I've seen pics of a group outing where people sat down to show off their feet (might've been one of the Appleseed festival gettogethers or a meeting in Germany?), after walking all day in pretty much the same places, and yet there was a significant difference between their feet, some were black and others merely greyish. Mine would almost certainly be in the last category; even when I've been walking all day in the city they're greyish rather than black.

 

No scrubbing but a quick wash when dirty. I want tops of my feet to be clean but don't care very much about bottoms. Most often bottoms are sort of dark grey no matter where I've been. A few times when were truly filthy I did some walking in sand, grass or beside the road.

When washing I do it quickly and avoid soaking so I won't leave prints everywhere after the shower. Or if soaking can't be avoided, then I try to keep some toilet paper for a quick dry-up.

However odd it may appear to let bottoms stay dirty it all works very well as long as they stay dry as well. This is especially true when bottoms are green from garden-work or moving the lawn or when on vacation in countries where streets are considered waste-bins.

How long...? Asian vacation: Feet get very quick wash every day along with shower. At home: Feet get quick wash from twice a month up to twice a week depending on if I deliberately keep them away from water or not.

Btw, I prefer walking in sand as best method of getting clean feet.

 

Wet grass works best for me. But, like my compatriot Myranya, my feet will get greyish at their dirtiest. Maybe something to do with the dutch soil?

 

No Special Treatment......They Get Wet In The Shower Just Like The Rest

Of Me Does...

But My Experiance Over The Years Has Been That To An Extent They Are

Self Cleaning.....Much Like Hands.

And As Such, Only Require Special Attention After They Come In Contact

With Something Nasty...



Cheers Glen.

 

I'd modify that a bit to say that feet need to be maintained in the same fashion as hands. After cleaning the bicycle, doing construction or gardening, hands (and usually, feet) really need a good scrubbing. Likewise, after walking on asphalt parking lots or other public locations, feet will need a good scrubbing.

After a day at the beach or on/under the water, on the other hand, just jump right into bed, salt and all!

 

Very close to my habit and beliefs. I'm on record in these forums as believing that the dirty is a strong, and unneeded gross-out with the shoddies, thus "proving" them right that barefooting is dirty. But even when it's just me, in my many lonely places where no one ever sees me, I go for clean. A good scrubbing at least once a day in the shower, tub, or sink, and throughout the day I always go for the cleansing effects of sand, grass, moss, streams, or even just the garden hose, any chance I get. Plus, the water feels so damn good---

Barefoot Matthew got me into pedicures several years ago---I only get 2-3 a year, but it's a delightful self-indulgence, and I like the person who does it for me at a local salon. I don't go for the polish, but all the rest. For whatever reason, even at my age, I like my feet to be seen; I enjoy showing them. I have no idea what the psycholological background for all of this is. I'm not particularly exhibitionist, I like certain parts to show. This partly accounts for my preference for shorts, I suppose. More than the showing, however; the deepest reason is I love how free it all feels. I'm very tactile sensitive. What feels bad feels bad, but what feels good feels extremely good. That's the bottom line. The showing part comes in second.

 

Interesting point. I doubt it's the soil -while of course there's a difference between sand, clay, mountains etc, most of the time I at least walk on man-made surfaces. But our climate may play a part! Lots of rain washing away the dust, oil and other dirt from the tile & asphalt almost all the time, so there's less to blacken the soles even when it's dry, and walking in the actual rain my feet definitely don't get black soles. Question for those who do have perpetually-stained feet: do you live in a dry climate or a wet? Any Dutch/UK barefooters who have permanent stained soles?

 

As a regular UK barefooter (Hull) i can confirm that it's very hard to get pemanently stained soles in a wet climate.
Ten paces on wet grass will clean almost anything off them, though tar stains can last a day or two.

 

I just went from Friday morning until Sunday evening without washing my feet. I went camping and I think when camping we're allowed to be a little less vigilant about our daily showers, LOL! Still I always used to wash my feet, because I have a nice, warm, but dry-clean only sleeping bag that I try to keep sort of clean. But this time I'd been able to arrange to take my sheep skins that I also use at the history theme park, and I didn't bother to wash my feet either (besides, the washing area was all the way across a field, it would've been impossible to walk back without getting my feet dirty again). Still my soles didn't end up that dirty, mostly had more dirt on top than I usually get at any time: http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/album.php?u=13495

 

Last time . I wear shoes and clean my feet more than 2 years

 

Hygiene is important. Not getting an infection is something we should all strive to do. I also don't muck in my home. Longest I've gone was maybe 4 or 5 days during a long camping trip to Montana when I was about 16. Nothing bad happened but I'm not testing my luck.

 

My feet stay pretty stained on the bottom. I don’t fret about the bottoms much.....just try to keep the tops clean. I don’t like to get my bed sheets dirty, so I have my limits to dirtiness.

 

Every time I get in the shower. I spend a few extra minutes on my feet.