Lysol:

As a boy in the 1950s, I remember that "hospital smell". I was later to learn that the smell was that of a powerful chemical, phenol, which was used in the mop water on the universally hard hospital floors. The only antibiotics at the time were "sulfur drugs" and the new one, penicillin. So, infection spread PREVENTION was of huge importance!

My mother (age 91 in 2009) was a nurse, and our family used "red medicine" (iodine or mercurochrome) on scrapes and cuts. If that didn't prevent infection & pain, we had the bottle of Lysol. Or, we might go straight to the Lysol soaks if we stumped a toe or had something injure us underneath a fingernail or toenail.  A small amount of Lysol was put into a container (just enough to barely "cloudy" the final amount of warmish-hot water), and then we soaked the body part about 10 minutes or until the skin wrinkled. For something like an infected toenail (paronychia), it might take a series of soakings 1-3 times per day. Though I use the below soaking water to treat sore areas of skin, this is a possible foot fungus and stinky feet (see also Clorox) cure.

I offer this information as what our family did & does AND NOT as a medical recommendation.

Details:

Lysol concentrate (the "concentrate" is the only ordinary consumer-type Lysol product that contains the phenol that kills germs) of about less than 1/8 to absolutely no more than 1/4 teaspoonful to each one quart of clean & clear & VERY warm (not hot) tap water. The water should not turn any more than faintly "milky" colored. This, then, is the "soaking water".

USES:

The above Lysol soaking water is in a container large enough to soak the body part (for me, almost always just a foot or hand). I soak until the skin gets wrinkled (about 10-30 minutes), about 1-3 times per day until pain gone. If you don't feel the intensity of the painfulness at least level off or improve after the first treatment, treat again in about an hour or two.

WARNING...***ALERT!!!***

If (1) sore is still not better or (2) worsening and (3) you feel bad or (4) have fever, seek a doctor's care THAT DAY ("urgent Care" or ER if need be).

***give me
your comments
about this page***

(posted 3/7/2009)