Medical experts say you shouldn't dip your feet into a pedicure bowl without this

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's almost Mother's Day and you may be considering a relaxing pedicure for mom, but before mom dips her feet into the foot bath, doctors say you need to make sure it is cleaned properly to avoid infections and fungus.

Nikki Tran, owner of Le Bijou Salon and Spa in West Houston, told ABC13 that they take several steps to make sure the foot bowls at her salon are disinfected.

"Before we do a pedicure, we put the (plastic) liner bag on it and we put a little block of sanitation disinfectant in the water, and we do clean before and after the client is done," Tran said.

Dr. Mary Alice Hickson, a dermatologist at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, said salons can even go a step further. She recommends using bleach to clean foot bowls.

SEE ALSO: Is dip powder nail technique safe or does it put you at risk for infection?

ABC13 wanted to know if the wildly popular nail "dip" technique was safe or if it puts salon goers at risk of infection. Here's what we found.

"The plastic liners are nice but again, it's not a substitute," Dr. Hickson said. "They should also be cleaning the foot bath with bleach after, which I'm pretty sure most salons do follow this."

She said bleach could help avoid fungus.

"Nail fungus is a really tough thing to treat because most of our treatments are only effective 50% of the time, so once you get it, especially in the nail, it's hard to get rid of," Dr. Hickson said.

ABC13 asked about ways to treat nail fungus. Dr. Hickson said fungus is treated with a combination of prescription, oral anti-fungal medications, and also creams.

There are also other preventative measures to stop re-infection such as vinegar soaks, wiping down shoes with bleach wipes, washing socks with hot water and bleach, and rotating your shoes.

For news updates, follow Samica Knight on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.