Often topical therapies can't fully eradicate fungus and you will need an oral antifungal medication to get rid of the infection. These drugs, including terbinafine (Lamisil) and itraconazole (Sporanox) can help a new, infection-free nail grow, replacing the areas with nail fungus.  Take this treatment for six to 12 weeks. Be aware that it may take four months or longer to kill the infection.  Understand you may have side effects including skin rash and liver damage. Speak to your doctor about other medical conditions before taking oral antifungals. Cutting your nails and thinning them out can help relieve pain and pressure on your nails and nail beds. This can also help any treatment more easily penetrate and heal the infection.  Soften nails before trimming or thinning them. You can do this by applying urea cream to the affected nails and covering it with a bandage and then washing off the product in the morning. Use this procedure until the nails soften.  Protect the area around your nail with petroleum jelly. Some studies have found that rubbing Vicks VapoRub on nail fungus may help treat it. Apply a thin layer of the product every day to help kill nail fungus.  Use a cotton swab to apply the VapoRub to your nail.  Put the product on at night and leave it on overnight. Wipe it off in the morning. Repeat the process until the infection subsides. There is some evidence that alternative herbal remedies may help treat nail fungal infections. Two herbal remedies that may kill nail fungus and keep it at bay are:  Snakeroot extract, which comes from the sunflower family. Apply every third day for one month, twice a week the following month, and once a week for a third month. Tea tree oil. Apply twice a day until the fungus disappears. If you notice white or yellow markings or patches on your nails, apply an over-the-counter or prescription nail cream or ointment. For more severe cases, have your doctor prescribe a medicated cream. This may help nip the infection in the bud before it spreads or gets more serious.  File off the surface of the nail, soak the affected area in water and dry it before applying the treatment.  Follow packaging and doctor’s instructions to most effectively kill the infection. Your doctor may suggest applying a medicated polish to your affected nails. This can help kill the infection and prevent fungus from spreading. This must be done consistently for months to have any effect.  Apply ciclopirox (Penlac) to your nails once a day for a week and then remove and repeat the polish.  It make take a year of this type of treatment to control the fungus. Severe fungal infections may require more invasive treatments. Speak to your doctor about other procedures such as nail removal or laser therapies to help kill your nail fungus.  Your doctor may want to remove your nail if the fungus is particularly severe. In this case, a new nail may grow back within a year.  Some studies have shown that laser and light-based therapies can help treat nail fungus, either alone or in conjunction with other medication. Be aware that these therapies may not be covered by insurance and are expensive. You can help prevent the spread or re-infection by nail fungus if you take prophylactic steps to minimize risk of the condition. Adopting the following habits can help minimize your risk for nail fungus:  Keep hands and feet clean and nails short and dry Wear absorbent socks Wear shoes that promote ventilation Get rid of old shoes Apply antifungal spray or powder inside of shoes Avoid picking skin around the nails Wear shoes in public spaces Remove nail polish and artificial nails Wash your hands and feet after touching an infected nail

Summary: Take oral antifungal medications. Trim and thin your nails. Apply Vicks VapoRub. Try herbal remedies. Use creams and ointments. Paint your nails with medicated polish. Consider other procedures. Prevent nail fungus.


Retrofitting an existing room in your home or business is the cheapest and simplest way to protect your loved ones from storms or intruders. While building or installing a prefabricated safe room can cost between $2500-$6000, you can retrofit an existing room for a thousand or less. Choose a room that is in the interior of the house with no windows or skylight, and no walls shared with the outdoors A large walk-in closet works well. A safe room needs a door that can withstand high winds or being kicked in by an intruder, and should ideally open inwards rather than outwards in case debris is stacked outside the room during a storm.  Remove the existing door and doorjamb. Replace the doorjamb with a steel one, and reinforce the surrounding wood with steel angle iron (which will prevent the door from being kicked or blown in).  Replace the door with a heavy, solid wood door (such as one sold as an exterior front door for a home) or with a heavy steel door.  Mount it so that it opens inwards rather than out. You can choose if you want to use a traditional deadbolt or a keyless deadbolt. The keyless deadbolt has the advantage that you don't have to find the key in case of an emergency, but can be dangerous if you have small children in your household who may lock themselves inside.  Before installing the new locks and doorknob, reinforce the wood around them by installing steel or brass strike plates, which you can purchase at most hardware stores.  Install the locks so that the door locks from the inside. If it's a traditional deadbolt, be sure to make a copy of the key and keep the keys in two separate but easily accessible locations, where you can find them immediately in case of emergency. If you are adding the safe room to new construction, you can reinforce the walls and ceiling with concrete, chicken wire, or steel sheeting before adding dry wall and paint to the walls. If not, you will need to tear out the existing drywall to reinforce the walls.  The most cost-effective way to reinforce the walls is by pouring concrete into the cavity between the 2x4s in the walls. Then, screw plywood or 1-1/8″ oriented strand board to the 2x4s on either side. You can then cover this with drywall and paint.  You can also screw steel sheeting to the 2x4s and cover with drywall and paint. You will need to use steel sheeting or chicken wire in the ceiling, which can be done from the attic if you're in a one-story home, or applied directly to the ceiling (less attractive, but chances are good no one will be looking at the ceiling of your closet safe room). If you want to create a more complicated or stand-alone structure, its important that it is up to code. If you don't have a lot of experience with construction, you can contact a contractor or local storm shelter company for help planning and installing your project. Ask around for recommendations of local contractors. Ask family or friends who have recently remodeled or done construction work, or contact the National Association of the Remodeling Industry or a local building inspector, who will be able to point you in the right direction.
Summary: Select your room to retrofit. Replace the door. Install locks. Reinforce the walls and ceiling. Contact a contractor for help.