Clean Your Belly Button
Whether you like to be squeaky-clean or are taking care of a new piercing, this article will teach you how to clean your belly button.
Contents
10 Second Summary
1. Dip a cotton swab into water or an astringent, like rubbing alcohol.
2. Place it into your belly button and gently swirl it around. Don't rub too hard.
3. Discard the cotton swab.
4. Use a clean swab to remove any excess cleaning solution.
5. Take regular care of your belly button. Dry it after you shower and keep an eye on any piercings.
Steps
- Gather your supplies. Of course, you'll need a few cotton swabs. But other than that, there's no go-to set of ingredients that people use to clean their belly button . Rather, they use a whole host of items. Experiment for yourself what works best on your body. You can use:
- Water
- Baby oil
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Rubbing alcohol
- Another kind of astringent, like witch hazel
- Dip one head of the cotton swab into whatever cleaning solution you want to use and start poking around in your belly button. Gently work your way around the belly button, being careful not to rub inside the navel too hard.
- Discard old swabs and repeat the process if your navel is still dirty. You should only need one or two takes and you're good to go. When you're done, take a clean swab and gently clean out any remaining cleaning solution still present in the navel. Make sure to get as much water, baby oil, hydrogen peroxide, or rubbing alcohol from your belly button as possible.
- If your belly button is dry, use some Neosporin and you work your way around your navel. Use a slow, circular pattern and get right in the middle before removing the cream entirely with a swab.
Taking Regular Care of Your Belly Button
- If caring for a piercing, make sure to soak your belly button in salt water. It's a bad idea to take your piercing, if you have one, out every once in a while, because that is when most bacteria and other infection-causing things get in. Also, it can take as little as ten or fifteen minutes for a piercing to start closing up! Even if it isn't completely closed, it may be too painful for you to re-insert it. Do not remove a new piercing until you are sure it is fully healed, and there is no blood or pus coming from it, or crust on the jewelry. If your belly button is pierced, move it as high up as possible, soak it, then as far down as possible. Make sure you de-crust it, using a clean paper towel soaked in the saline solution, because it can cause pain if you try to slide it when there is crust present. Make sure you use SEA salt. Iodized (table) salt will do nothing for preventing infections! If you have an infected piercing, do not take out the jewelry. This can cause it to close with the infection inside, and it is not pretty. See a doctor.
- Make sure you dry your navel carefully after you take a shower. Too much water and moisture can promote the growth of more harmful bacteria. Remember, your belly button is a haven for over 1,500 kinds of healthy bacteria — you don't want those interfered with by bad bacteria.
- Remember that you don't have to clean your belly button regularly. As long as you regularly bathe and use effective soap in and around your belly button, you don't have much to worry about. Your belly button, unlike your teeth, does not require constant supervision. Your belly button is like the brother who prefers to be left in his room for the whole day and prepares his own meals.
Tips
- For people with belly buttons that smell bad and exhibit redness, use a wash that is specially formulated for sensitive skin or feminine wash. The most common cause of an odor from belly buttons is washing with bar soap without rinsing well, so the skin becomes dry and irritated.
- Q-tips are the same thing as cotton swabs; they are just a specific brand of the product.
- Your belly button is a closed, healed area of your stomach. Nothing should be able to enter your body that way. Ask your doctor if washing it concerns you.
- Do not use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol as it can further damage the wound, as can cotton swabs, if you aren't careful. Instead, use antibacterial soap and warm salt water. You could also try an antibiotic ointment.
- You could use petroleum jelly on your belly button. After applying, wait 5 to 20 minutes, then take a tissue and start cleaning. Any residue should come out easily.
- Even if perfume contain alcohol, it is never good idea to use it to clean your belly button since it can cause rashes.
Warnings
- Call your piercer if something seems amiss with your piercing. If you fear it may be infected, call your piercer, not your friends. They are NOT the professional.
- Seek medical assistance if you have accidentally injured your navel while cleaning.
- If your belly button itches or burns go to the doctor. It may be infected.
- Never use sharp or dirty objects to clean your belly button.
- Be careful when cleaning your belly button. Rushing in it may hurt you and inflict pain to your belly button.
- If you have a piercing follow your piercer's instructions. Some beads on body jewelry crack or shatter when in the presence of alcohol, even the small amount in mouthwash.
- Keep the alcohol and the cotton swabs away from children.
Things You'll Need
- Cotton swabs
- Warm Water / Baby oil
