How to File a Toenail

Take care of your feet and file your toenails correctly.

Although they can be easy to overlook, your feet need proper care and grooming regularly. Your toenails should be cut and filed to ensure your feet stay healthy and that you avoid ingrown toenails. Each toenail has to be filed correctly to keep it at a safe length. Soaking your feet in warm water prior to nail grooming will make the process much easier, especially if your toenails are thick and difficult to work with.

Things You'll Need

• Warm water or foot cream
• Toenail clippers
• Nail file
• Wet washcloth or paper towels

Instructions

1. Soak your feet in warm water or soften and moisturize them with a foot cream.

2. Clip each toenail into the basic shape you want using toenail clippers. This is important if your toenails are long and need a fair amount of nail removed before you can easily file them. However, avoid cutting them too short.

3. File your toenails, one at a time, using a nail file. File the peak, or middle, of the nail first, then file the corners. Don't move the file back and forth; file the toenail in one direction until the nail is smooth, even, and at the proper length.

4. Wipe or wash away any dust left behind from filing your toenails using a wet washcloth or paper towel.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't cut or file your toenails too short. If you do, you may develop ingrown toenails.

References

• Ohio State University: Daily Foot Care and Foot Safety
• Power Feet: How to Cut and File Toenails

Resources

• Women's Health: Health Tip: Prevent Ingrown Toenails