Q&A for How to Clean Your Belly Button

It's best to have a doctor remove the navel stones for you. To prevent them from forming, clean your belly button regularly and check it occasionally (e.g., once a week) to make sure lint and dirt aren't building up inside.

Any kind of discharge from your belly button could be a sign of infection. Make an appointment with your doctor to have it looked at. They can identify the cause and help you treat it appropriately.

Some people have very sensitive navels, so it's possible you might feel some pain or discomfort if you don't handle your belly button gently. If you're sensitive, avoid scrubbing your belly button and just gently massage it with soap and water or a saltwater solution.

If your navel is not super deep, you should be able to clean it with a cotton ball or a soft washcloth. You may need a swab if you have a very deep or narrow innie.

The best way to clean your belly button is with warm water and mild soap. A saltwater solution can also work well. It's usually better not to put oil on or in your belly button at all, since it can trap moisture inside and lead to infections (although it may be okay to do so if you have an outie).

In general, it's best to clean your belly button with plain soap and water or a mild saltwater solution. While some doctors recommend using rubbing alcohol, it's usually not necessary (and you definitely shouldn't do it if it causes irritation or over-drying).

Because, if you didn't dry it, moisture is still inside. Moisture is one the the main conditions in which bacteria thrive, and bacteria can cause odor.

You don't. Let it heal on its own.

If you have an innie with a strong smell, you should clean it with Q tips. Lay down on your back and put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in it. Let it sit and clean it out with a Q tip.

Yes, but afterwards make sure you wash it all out because it can cause some weird smells if it remains in your belly button for a long period of time.

You can get navel stones, which are ugly. The area can look very dirty. Worst of all, it can stink.

Yes. You can use any kind of oil, be it olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, etc.

Unless you are very rough, not much will happen. Navels are healed wounds. But it can get irritated with constant poking and prodding. If you are concerned after consistently cleaning your belly button, see a doctor.

No it won't, it has some useful bacteria. Clean it regularly but make sure that you don't over clean it. Use a moist muslin cloth to clean it.

No, it's a closed off, healed area of your body. As it says in the tips, if washing it concerns you, see a doctor.

You can't just get an outie; you need to either have an innie or outie. It depends how they cut the cord when you were a baby.

Talk to your doctor for advice. You may have an infection.

If not treated properly, a cut anywhere can cause infection. Clean the area with soap, pat it dry, and apply a little bit of Neosporin. Do this daily until the cut has healed.

When you start to gain weight, your belly button can expand in size. This can lead to increased dander trapped in the belly button. Follow above directions above to significantly reduce belly button odor.

You can stop whenever you don't see or feel anything left to be cleaned (just like any other part of your body).

It might be that you get bar soap in there and the soap doesn't get washed out. See a doctor if it worries you.

This probably means that she just hasn't cleaned it that much. Over time (if you don't clean it), it can turn into a navel stone. Try the above options to clean it.

Take a cotton swab and dip it in the solution as mentioned in the article. If nothing comes out, it's clean.

There really isn't much you can do other than just leaving it alone for a little bit.

Go check it out with a doctor or just follow up the guidelines on how to clean your belly button

Children's skin tends to be more sensitive and easily irritated. Instead of using alcohol, use baby oil.

You can use water, most oils, such as baby oil, olive oil, or coconut oil, witch hazel or most face washes.

Normally, it just means that the naval is sensitive, or that you have sensitive skin. In rare cases it could be an infection, but that hardly happens.

Don't cold water, because it won't kill the germs, and don't use hot water, because it might irritate your naval. Instead, try using warm water.

It's infected, for sure. See a doctor. In the meantime, follow the q-tip and water cleaning regimen. It'll hurt, but you need to clean out the infection bacteria.