How To Get Glass Out Of Finger

How to Get Glass Out of Your Foot: 4 Tips

October 17, 2019

More than 145 million people visit the emergency department annually. But most of those folks don't need an emergency room. They'd get faster, less expensive care at an urgent clinic.

A common reason for emergency visits? Glass in your foot!

But sometimes you can get a glass shard out yourself before resorting to an urgent care clinic.

Do you know how to get glass out of your foot? Read on and we'll show you how!

Urgent Care Versus ER

An urgent care clinic is a great alternative to the emergency room. Unless your emergency is life-threatening, try an urgent care clinic first. They offer a myriad of urgent services for much less hassle and cost.

1. Soap and Water

After realizing you've got glass in your foot, get to the bathroom. If possible, put your foot in a bathtub of warm water.

Wash your hands and feet with soap and water. The last thing you want is a stray bacterial infection getting into the wound.

2. Clean Tweezers

Use a pair of clean tweezers and inspect the area. Can you see the glass shard? Is it sticking out of your foot?

If you can see the shard, you're in luck. Grasp it with the tweezers and pull it straight up and out.

The big problem is when the glass isn't sticking up and there's nothing to grasp. Where did it go? It could be embedded in your skin.

Sometimes the glass goes in and the skin closes around it. This makes removing the shard much harder.

What next?

3. Soak Your Foot

Use hot water and a few tablespoons of regular salt in the bath. The salt has antibacterial properties to help you avoid infection.

Don't fill the tub all the way up, but use enough water to cover your foot.

Soaking the foot in hot water might open the hole a little, helping your body as it tries to expel the foreign body. Soak your foot for at least 20 minutes several times a day.

After a day, if the glass isn't out, it's time for further measures.

4. Suction

Here's one more thing that may work before heading to urgent care.

Find a glass bottle with a small opening. Warm it over the stove, being careful not to let it crack!

When it's hot to the touch, but won't burn you, press the opening around the area where the glass is stuck. Make sure your foot is clean before you do this. Leave a little moisture on the area.

Hold the bottle against the area as it cools. The cooling causes suction which may pull the glass out.

Now You Know How to Get Glass Out of Your Foot

Now you know how to get glass out of your foot!

Always wash your hands and feet with soap and water before attempting to remove the glass. Use a clean pair of tweezers.

If you can't see the glass, soak your foot in warm water and table salt. If that doesn't work, try suction.

If the glass won't come out, go to your nearest urgent care clinic.