Shower is a place where water, lather and hair are always left. Generally, water and scum makes the shower floor slippery. If your feet get stuck here, you may wonder ‘why do my feet stick to the shower floor’?
When the scum is not washed off properly and dries up, it makes the shower floor sticky. An unclean, greasy bathroom brush can cause stickiness too. Moreover, spilled oily items is another potential cause here.
Read on this article to know what are the common reasons behind sticky feet. Later, you will find the tips for cleaning shower floors.
Why do my feet stick to the floor when I walk?
We, often or less, might have experienced our feet stuck to the floor. This can happen due to silly reasons or life-threatening symptoms. If you wonder what causes your feet stuck on the surface in walks, read below.
Sweat
Primarily, sweat is what makes your feet stick to the floor. You might have put on your socks for a long time. This makes your feet sweaty and when you walk barefoot, you will feel your feet and the floor are fond of each other!
Lack of scrub
When you water, air-dry, or mop your feet, stickiness problem may be solved. But sometimes doing these won’t be enough. You may feel ‘why do the bottom of my feet feel sticky even after showering or drying.
It means that water, air, and towel are not enough for drying your bottom feet. Rather, you need a deep wash in that area. While in the shower, scrub your feet, especially the bottom area, with a good soap.
Health issues
Health issues can cause sticky feet too. One of them is planter hyperhidrosis. It indicates the excessive sweat production of the sweat glands of the feet.
Diabetic patients are in the risk of moist feet as well as injuries because of that. In some cases, extremely high blood sugar level develop sticky hands and/or feet.
A quick dose of insulin can relieve this instantly. Sometimes people may feel their top to bottom sweat excessively from a shock, infection, or attacks.
Greasy items
If there is a sticky substance on the floor and you step on it, you will feel your feet sticky. In addition, foot products, like lotions or creams that are oily, cause stickiness too.
Peroneal nerve damage
In worst cases, damage in the peroneal nerve results in foot drop, difficulty in moving feet in other words. The peroneal nerve is responsible for the lifting or movement of the foot.
It can be injured due to diabetes, leg surgeries, damaged spine, and brain diseases. Other reasons, like alcohol reaction, prolonged kneeling, plaster casts can make the peroneal nerve disable temporarily.
When the foot drop happens, people find their feet are stuck to the floor while walking. Or, they cannot lift the front half of their foot.
How do you clean a slippery shower floor?
A shower floor becomes slippery due to many reasons. Most of the times scum from skin care and beauty products becomes the original culprit.
Besides, when excess water spills out of your bathtub, it makes your floor ineligible for peaceful walks.
Also, leaked pipes, faucets, a clogged toilet and/or sink can overflow a bathroom floor.
You need a mop to wipe away the dirty water and make the floor dry. But what if the mop itself is dirty also?
Mopping a shower floor with a dirty, greasy mop makes the floor more slippery, let alone reducing the water!
So, before you degrease your shower floor, do a little work.
- Remove all bathroom items and shower products.
- Sweep dust and cobwebs with a broom or brush.
- Wash the floor to drain the remaining dust.
- Dry the floor.
Commercial floor cleaners are effective but they may cost a lot. DIY cleaners are no less than them. Now follow any of these homemade recipes for cleaning slippery shower floors.
Dishwashing soap and water
- 1-2 tbsp of dish soap
- 1 cup of water
Mix these two and pour it into a bottle. Make sure the solution is less thick and easy to spray. Spray the floor with it. Scrub it with a soft brush and rinse the floor well.
Vinegar and water
- Equal parts of vinegar and water
Mix them in a bucket. Take a sponge, dip it in the solution, and start rubbing the floor with it.
Corners and stains need extra attention. So rub hard on them or scrub them with a brush. Rinse the floor thoroughly and dry it with a towel.
Vinegar, salt, and soap
- 1 cup of vinegar
- 1 cup of hot water
- 1 cup of salt
- 2 tbsp of dish soap
First, mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Then add salt and dish soap to the vinegar solution and mix well for 3-5 seconds.
Spray, cover the entire bathroom floor, and leave it for 10 minutes. Dip a sponge in water and wipe the floor thoroughly with it. Rinse and dry with a towel.
Lemon juice and water
- Lemon juice
- Warm water
The quantity of the lemon juice will depend on the size of your bathroom floor. Spray generously over the surface, heavily on rust stains and grime.
Let the juice sit for 5 minutes and wipe it later with a damp sponge. Use warm water to rinse the floor and towel-dry it.
Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide
- ½ cup of baking soda
- ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide
Pour these two in a spray bottle and shake for 20-30 seconds to mix well. Spray on the slippery floor and wait for 10 minutes.
Wipe thoroughly using a clean mop or rag. Give the floor a warm water bath. Towel-dry the floor.
Baking soda and lemon
- Baking soda
- Lemon
Again, no fixed quantity of the ingredients, rather use them depending on the floor size. You can use baking soda and lemon in two ways.
First, sprinkle baking soda on the floor. Second, cut lemons in halves. Take a half to scrub the floor and squeeze the juice out while scrubbing. Keep doing like this.
Alternatively, coat the pulp side of each lemon half with baking soda and use them for scrubbing. When you are done, rinse and towel-dry the floor.
Bleach and water
- 3 parts of water
- 1 part of bleach
Mix them in a bowl or bucket. Apply it on the floor, scrub the surface and every corner with a sponge/brush, and leave it for 2 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, towel-dry, and ventilate the area.
Ammonia and water
- ¼ cup of ammonia
- A gallon of water
Ammonia is harmful for health, so wearing gloves and safety glasses is a must before touching it. Mix ammonia and water, apply, scrub with a brush, rinse, and dry with a towel.
Other solutions
Additionally, you can install something anti-slip for shower floor, like mats, stickers, etc. Use 2 shower curtain liners inside and outside of the tub to prevent water spillage. Also, clean your bathroom floor regularly, after every shower if possible.
How often should I clean shower?
A good rule of thumb is to wash shower every 2 weeks maximum.
For daily or multiple bathing times, cleaning the shower should be once in a week. If you bathe every 2-3 days, then you don’t have to clean your shower once a week.
In case your shower chamber is made of glass or has a glass door, wipe it after every shower. Use a squeeze to remove water, vapor, and soap scum build up from the glass surface.
FAQ
How do you protect your feet in a public shower?
A public shower is a breeding place of germs. To protect your feet here, avoid walking barefoot and always wear shoes or flip-flops. Don’t use soap, towels, footwear from public showers or of other people, rather bring your own. Avoid putting on socks on wet feet. And pre-treat your feet with antifungal products so that bacteria, viruses, or fungi won’t catch up your feet.
How do I clean my shower to prevent athlete’s foot?
To prevent athlete’s foot, clean the shower floor, bathroom grate, bathtub floor with a disinfectant regularly or weekly. Also, wash your daily items, like towels, wash clothes, bath mats, sheets, socks in piping hot water. You can add any disinfectant in the wash. Make sure to sanitize your bathroom flip-flop too.
What is the easiest way to clean a shower floor?
Using dishwashing liquid is the easiest way to clean a shower floor.
Make a thin solution with dishwashing liquid and water, spray it over the floor. Scrub it off and rinse thoroughly. You can use a solution of 2 cups of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of a dishwashing liquid. Make sure to leave it on the floor for 30 minutes before scrubbing.
How do you get rid of sticky skin?
Alternate your heavy, greasy creams and lotions with the lightweight and watery ones. Use blotting paper to soak up grease and sweat from your skin. Talcum powder gets rid of stickiness and dry up skin, so use that. Bathe regularly, also exfoliate your skin with soap while bathing.
Verdict
I hope this write-up clears your confusion on why do your feet stick to the shower floor.
Sticking foot to the floor can cause severe accidents if you hurry to move forward. To stop this from happening, be patient and try to elevate your feet slowly one by one. And move by doing your best, not to let your feet stick again.
Additionally, clear your shower chamber regularly and treat your feet with medicine when necessary.
Also do check our list of Clear Epoxy Over Tile Shower Floor.