How to Clean Your Bridge/Earl Piercing

Co-authored by David Wilkins

Last Updated: March 10, 2023

You love your new bridge piercing and want to keep it looking great, right? Keeping your bridge piercing clean will help it heal properly, prevent infection, and help you enjoy it for a long time. Clean your bridge piercing twice each day using a sea salt solution, and make sure you change your bedding and clothing regularly. If your piercing looks like it might be infected, call a doctor right away.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Cleaning Your Piercing

1
Create a sea salt solution. Take a clean plastic container and place it on the countertop in your kitchen. Make sure the container is sturdy enough to withstand the extreme temperature of boiling water. Fill the container with one cup of boiling water, and then add one-fourth teaspoon of sea salt. Let the mixture cool until it is still quite warm.^{[1]
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2
Soak two cotton balls in the sea salt solution. After your sea salt solution has cooled to a very warm temperature, dip two cotton balls in the solution. The cotton balls should become completely saturated with the sea salt solution.^{[2]
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- Some professional body piercers advocate against the use of cotton balls, simply due to the fact that most people keep their cotton balls in the bathroom, where there's always the risk of fecal matters going up in the air with the flushing of the toilet. Do not use cotton balls if that's the case.
- A good alternative to cotton balls is simply using as sterile saline solution spray.
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3
Apply the cotton balls to your piercing for five minutes. Place one cotton ball on each end of your piercing. Allow the sea salt solution to soak into the area surrounding the piercing. Soak the piercing with the cotton balls for about five minutes.^{[3]
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- Exchange the cotton balls for freshly soaked ones every minute or so during the soak.
4
Let the piercing air dry. After you have soaked your bridge piercing for around five minutes, remove the final set of cotton balls and toss them in the trash. Allow the piercing to air dry completely. Make sure you don’t touch the piercing while it is drying!^{[4]
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5
Stay away from antibacterial soap. You should only use a sea salt soak to clean your bridge or earl piercing. Avoid using antibacterial soaps or other antibacterial products on the piercing. Antibacterial soap might dry out the piercing, and this can potentially increase the time it takes your piercing to heal.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Practicing Safe Aftercare

1
Clean the piercing twice a day. You should clean your piercing with a sea salt soak twice a day. Make the cleaning part of your daily schedule. For example, you can schedule a cleaning after breakfast each morning and before bed every evening. Not cleaning your piercing twice daily can lead to infection.^{[6]
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2
Wash your hands before touching the piercing. You should avoid touching your piercing unless it is absolutely necessary, like when you are cleaning the piercing. Wash your hands with hot water and soap for at least twenty seconds. Rinse and completely dry your clean hands before touching the piercing.
3
Go to the doctor if you see signs of infection. If you see redness, yellow discharge, or red lines surrounding or near the piercing, you might have an infection. These symptoms, as well as swelling and extreme pain, can result from untreated infections. If you think you have an infection, contact your doctor immediately.
4
Change your bedding and clothing regularly. It is important that your clothing and bedding are clean while your piercing heals. Change the sheets on your bed each week, and your pillowcases twice per week. You should also make sure you wear clean clothes each day.

Expert Q&A

Question

What should you use to clean piercing jewelry?

David Wilkins
Professional Body Piercer
David Wilkins is a Professional Body Piercer and the Owner of The Axiom Body Piercing Studio in Des Moines, Iowa. David has been working in the industry since 1994 and is knowledgeable about all aspects of the body piercing industry. He runs an educational YouTube channel specializing in sharing expert body piercings and tattoo information. He completed his apprenticeship in body piercing in Omaha, Nebraska.

David Wilkins

Professional Body Piercer

Expert Answer

You can use just soap and water. If you want to go beyond that, place it in an ultrasonic cleaner and that should clean it up. If it's a high quality piece, its finish should be well protected. Honestly, just basic cleaning is all you'll need to do.