How To Clean Your Belly Button Piercing With Salt Water

Download Article

Everyone has insecurities about getting their belly button pierced, especially since there's always a chance it'll get infected. Don't worry! Here are some short steps to follow on how to keep it clean and avoid infection.

1

Get permission. If you are under 18, make sure you get permission from a parent or guardian before you get the piercing. You need to have this approval so that you don't waste your time taking care of a piercing that you'll just have to take out anyway.
2

Do your research. Find a piercer with a good reputation at a reputable tattoo or piercing shop. Read customer reviews online to find out information about the piercer's reputation, and make sure the piercer has completed an apprenticeship with a reputable piercer.

Advertisement
3

Check out the shop. It is very important for a piercing/tattoo shop to be sterile and clean. If you go to the shop and it does not appear immaculately clean, don't get a piercing there.
4

Make sure sterile utensils are used. When you get the piercing, make sure that the piercer opens up a package of unused, sterile needles to use for your piercing. This is very important to prevent the spread of infection and disease.^[1]
5

Expect a little pain. The piercing itself will hurt minimally. The initial healing and swelling are the worst part.
6

Don't be surprised. For the actual piercing, the piercer will take a clamp and put it on your belly button to hold it in place. This protects you from jerking when the piercing happens.
7

Know what to expect. There will be more symptoms for the first 3-5 days immediately after getting the piercing.^[2] Expect to see swelling, light bleeding, bruising, and tenderness, especially during this initial period.
8

Expect some discharge. Even if you follow these steps and do exactly what the aftercare sheet says, there could still be a whitish goo that come out of piercing hole. This is normal and is not an infection. Just make sure that it is not puss.^[3]

Advertisement

1

Wash your hands. Always wash your hands with soap before cleaning or touching the piercing or jewelry.^[4] ^[5] Never touch the piercing except during moments of cleaning.
2

Rinse the area. Wash the piercing with a basic soap with no dyes or extra chemicals (that is not antibacterial soap) once or twice a day. Remove any crust on the piercing with a cotton swab or Q-Tip. Then gently clean the site with the basic soap and water.^[6] Avoid tugging on the piercing; this will be painful and slow the healing.
3

Make sure the soap suds get in the holes. The easiest, gentlest way to do this is to half-fill a cup with soapy water, gently place it over the piercing, and lightly swish it around. It may hurt a little if the piercing is fairly new, but the pain will wear off in a few days.
4

Rotate the jewelry. When the piercing is wet from cleaning, gently turn the jewelry in the piercing hole. This will prevent it from scabbing over and getting too crusty.^[7]
5

Dry the piercing properly. Dry the piercing after cleaning with a paper towel or napkin instead of a bath towel or a cloth. Towels can contain germs and bacteria, so it is better to use a disposable paper product instead.
6

Avoid hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol. These solutions can slow the healing process and kill new, healthy cells.^[8]

Advertisement

1

Avoid ointment. This will prevent oxygen, which is essential to the healing process, from reaching the piercing.^[6]
2

Avoid swimming. Whether it's a chlorinated pool, a hot tub with bromine, or a natural river, it's best to avoid getting anything besides soapy water in your piercing.^[6]
3

Avoid touching your piercing. The only time you should touch your belly button ring is when cleaning it.^[6] Always remember to wash your hands beforehand.
4

Keep an eye out for infection. If there is clear or semi-white liquid, it means it's healing. If it's yellow, green, or smelly, it may be infected. In this case, go to a doctor,^[6] or visit your piercer and discuss the proper care.

Advertisement

1
Check the balls regularly. Occasionally, the balls on naval piercing bars can become unscrewed or loose over time. It is important that you regularly check to make sure they are tight. Use one hand to hold the bottom ball in place and use the other hand to tighten the top ball.
- Note: To tighten the balls, remember twisting to the right tightens and twisting to the left loosens.
2
Keep your jewelry in! Don't remove the jewelry during the healing process. Though many piercings heal within six weeks, others can take months and the piercing can close within minutes if the jewelry is removed too soon.^[6] Check with your piercing artist (or read the paperwork you should have gotten with the piercing) for an exact timeline.
- If you want a new look, and your piercing does not hurt when you touch it, you may unscrew the balls from the barbel and change them, but leave the barbel in place at all times. Changing it will irritate the piercing and may introduce bacteria to the wound.
3

Choose the right style for you. Once the initial healing process is over, you can pick any of the many styles of jewelry for your belly button piercing. Just keep in mind if you have metal allergies or sensitivities to certain materials.

Advertisement

Add New Question

Question

How do you reduce swelling from a piercing?

Sasha Blue is a Professional Body Piercer and the Owner of 13 Bats Tattoo and Piercing Studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sasha has over 20 years of professional body piercing experience, starting with her apprenticeship in 1997. She is licensed with the County of San Francisco in California.

Professional Body Piercer

Expert Answer

Whatever you do, don't touch the piercing! Swelling is a normal reaction in the early days of your piercing. If needed, take an over-the-counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen or naproxen sodium to help the swelling go down.
Question

When should I clean it?

Clean it twice a day but not more often because that could cause discomfort or infection.
Question

What kind of soaps should l use to clean my piercing?

Use an antibacterial soap that is free of dyes. It should be natural, organic, or biodegradable.
Question

Should I take pain killers for the pain that accompanies a navel piercing?

You can, if you want to. Take something like ibuprofen, which will not only take away the pain, but also help reduce the swelling as well.
Question

Is it normal for a new piercing to be red and have puss? I did it myself.

It's probably not good at all, and likely that you have an infection from doing the piercing yourself. You should always go to a professional.
Question

Is it okay for new piercings to rub against your clothes?

You may experience some pain or tugging with tight fitting clothes, so it is best to wear loose clothing.
Question

How long do I have to wait before I can go swimming?

You have to wait 4-6 weeks to swim in pool water and 6-8 weeks to swim in lake water.
Question

After the piercing is healed, can I use peroxide or rubbing alcohol on it?

No, even after the piercing has healed, you'd want to stay away from both of these products. Stick with soap and water.
Question

Is it okay to use a Q-tip to clean a piercing? Also, is it normal for a new piercing to itch?

Yes you can use a Q-tip and it is normal for it to itch since it is new and your skin isn't used to it. Just make sure to be gentle when scratching and wash your hands before touching the area.
Question

Do I need to use sea salt to clean my piercing?

Yes. Twice a day, at least 10 minutes the first time and 5-10 minutes the second. Recommended: get a shot glass and lay back. Store the rest of the sea salt water in a water bottle (keep it six days at the most).

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Salt water is a good cleaner too.
For African American and Latina skin, the black/brown/red mark at the top will go away after about 4 months.
Clean the piercing regularly, even after the area has healed. Approximately 3 months after receiving the piercing, you can stop cleaning it as regularly. During the life of the piercing, cleaning the area twice a week should be fine.
Tea tree oil is a very effective anti-bacterial and it smells nice too. You can also buy tea tree soap.
Don't touch your piercing!^[9]
Intake vitamins, such as Vitamin C through orange juice and milk; it speeds up the healing process. Avoid slouching when sitting and don't lay on your stomach for a while. Also, avoid ab workouts!
Use the most basic soap you can find. Antibacterial soaps are bad for piercings and can irritate them. Try Naked, it's a soap make for cleaning piercings. Also, soak your piercings once or twice a day in a warm salt water mixture. One teaspoon per one cup is a good ratio.
Don't use tea tree oil while the piercing is healing. The oil dries the skin out and will bring bacteria to your piercing.
Don't use anything that you wouldn't use in your eyes, like certain oils or ointments.

References

About This Article

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,264,904 times.

Reader Success Stories

Aubrey Marie

May 27, 2016

"Extremely helpful. My piercer didn't give me a lot of info when I got the piercing, but this definitely helped me..." more