You clean a piercing twice a day with a sterile saline solution (0.9% NaCl), clean hands and otherwise as little touching as possible. No alcohol, no soap, no wound spray. Sounds simple, and it is, but the details are exactly what make the difference between a piercing that heals calmly and one that stays irritated for months. Below you'll read exactly what to use, how often and how to go about it, plus what you're better off leaving alone.
What do you clean a piercing with?
The best way to clean a piercing is with a sterile saline solution of 0.9% NaCl, also known as physiological saline. That's exactly the salt concentration of your body, so it cleans the wound without drying out or irritating the tissue. You can buy ready-made saline solution as a spray at a pharmacy or drugstore, or at a good piercing studio.
Avoid anything harsher: alcohol, disinfectant, soap and wound spray don't belong on a fresh piercing. You'll read exactly why further down under what not to use.
Cleaning a piercing: step by step
Cleaning a piercing takes four simple steps. Take your time and don't force anything, because twisting or picking actually slows down healing.
- Wash your hands. Use soap and water and dry them with a clean towel or paper towel. Dirty hands are the main cause of infections.
- Apply the saline solution. Spray or dab the sterile saline generously onto the piercing, on both sides. Leave it on for 30 to 60 seconds so any crusts soften.
- Gently pat dry. Use a clean piece of paper towel or gauze, not a towel (fibres and bacteria stay behind in it) and no cotton bud on cartilage.
- Leave the jewelry alone. No twisting, no sliding. The idea that you need to twist it to stop it from growing in is outdated.
Keep doing this until the piercing is fully healed. How long that takes depends on the spot, which you can read under how long it takes for a piercing to heal.
How do you make your own saline solution for a piercing?
You can make your own saline solution for a piercing, but a ready-made sterile spray is safer and foolproof. If you still want to do it yourself, dissolve a quarter teaspoon (about 1.25 grams) of non-iodised sea salt in 250 ml of lukewarm water that has been boiled and cooled. Stir until the salt has fully dissolved.
Watch out for three things: use salt without additives, stick to the ratio (too much salt dries out and stings) and make a fresh solution every time, because homemade saline doesn't stay sterile. Not sure? Then go for the ready-made option; it only costs a few euros more.
How often and for how long should you clean a piercing?
You clean a fresh piercing twice a day, ideally in the morning and in the evening, and you keep doing that until it's fully healed. More often isn't better: cleaning too often irritates the wound and actually slows down healing. Less than once a day is too little, because crusts and bacteria build up.
How long you keep going depends on the spot. A lobe is often done after six to eight weeks, while a cartilage piercing like a helix or daith needs six to nine months. Keep cleaning until there's no more fluid, redness or tenderness.
How long does it take for a piercing to heal?
An earlobe is usually healed after six to eight weeks, cartilage needs six to twelve months. That difference comes down to blood flow: your lobe is full of blood vessels, cartilage has hardly any. There's nothing you can do to speed that up, however neatly you clean.
Where a lot of people go wrong: a cartilage piercing often feels healed after three to four months. No more pain, no more fluid, done. On the inside, though, the tissue is far from closed. Change your jewelry at that point and in practice you're starting over.
| Piercing | Fully healed | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Earlobe | 6 to 8 weeks | The fastest of all, tissue with good blood flow |
| Tragus | 3 to 6 months | Earbuds and your phone against your ear are the biggest troublemakers |
| Helix | 6 to 12 months | Feels healed after 3 to 6 months, but it isn't yet |
| Forward helix | 6 to 12 months | Small area, easily irritated by the arm of your glasses |
| Flat | 6 to 12 months | Flat patch of cartilage, sensitive to pressure in bed |
| Conch (inner and outer) | 6 to 12 months | Thick cartilage, patience really is half the battle here |
| Daith | 6 to 9 months | Sits deep in the fold, hard to reach properly with saline |
| Rook | 6 to 12 months | Thickest fold of your ear, it's fine if it takes longer |
These timeframes are a guideline, not a deadline. Your piercing is healed when there's no more redness, fluid, crusting or tenderness, for three weeks in a row. Only then can you change the jewelry. How to do that safely and when for each piercing, you'll read in when can you change your piercing.
What should you NOT use? Alcohol, wound spray, soap and more
Don't use alcohol, disinfectant, wound spray or regular soap on a piercing. Those products feel "clean", but they also kill the healthy cells your wound needs to heal, and they dry out the tissue. Below are the products people ask about most, at a glance.
| Product | On a piercing? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sterile saline solution (0.9% NaCl) | ✓ Yes, the standard | Cleans without irritating, same salt content as your body |
| Alcohol / rubbing alcohol | ✗ No | Dries out and damages healthy tissue, slows down healing |
| Wound spray (disinfecting) | ✗ No, unless your piercer recommends it | Often too harsh for long-term aftercare, can irritate |
| Chlorhexidine | ✗ No, not daily | Too strong for a healing piercing, only on advice |
| Dettol | ✗ No | Household disinfectant, too harsh for a wound |
| Regular soap or shower gel | ✗ No | Contains fragrance and substances that irritate, but do rinse well after showering |
| Antibacterial soap | Only for your hands, not on the piercing | Antibacterial soap is fine for washing your hands, but it dries out a wound |
| Iodine / Betadine | ✗ No | Discolours the skin and dries it out |
In short: if it isn't specifically made for piercing aftercare, leave it alone. If you're unsure about a product, ask your piercer, not the drugstore.
Can you use antibacterial soap on a piercing?
You can use antibacterial soap to wash your hands before you touch your piercing, but not on the piercing itself. It does exactly what it's made for: tackling bacteria. On a healing wound, that means it also strips away the skin flora you actually need, and it dries things out.
The advice to wash your piercing with antibacterial soap dates back to when ears were pierced with a gun at the drugstore or jeweller. Piercers stopped using it years ago. Sterile saline is milder and does the job better. Where to buy it and how to use it, you can read above.
Aftercare per ear piercing
The basics stay the same everywhere: saline twice a day, clean hands, otherwise hands off. Each spot does have things you need to know, though, and in practice those make the difference between three months and nine months.
- Earlobe. The easiest one. Spray saline on both sides and pat dry. If you have several holes stacked below each other, keep the space between them clean too. You'll find jewelry in the stacked lobe piercings.
- Helix. Don't sleep on that side, it's by far the biggest cause of a bump or irritation. Don't use a cotton bud, because the fibres get left behind in the cartilage. Everything about this spot is in the helix piercing guide, jewelry in the helix piercings.
- Forward helix. Sits exactly where the arm of your glasses or sunglasses rubs. Take your glasses off while cleaning and check they're not pressing against it anywhere. More on this in the forward helix blog.
- Tragus. Skip earbuds for the first few months, or use headphones that sit over your ear instead of in it. Pressing your phone against your ear does just as much harm. See the tragus piercing guide and the tragus piercings.
- Conch. Large area, so spray generously and make sure the saline really gets in and doesn't just run along the edge. You can read the difference between the two variants in inner vs outer conch, and about the spot itself in the conch piercing guide.
- Daith. Tucked deep into the fold, so aiming the spray doesn't do much. Tilt your head so the solution runs in and leave it for a moment. More in the daith piercing guide and in the daith piercings.
- Rook. The thickest cartilage of your ear and so the one that asks for the most patience. Otherwise the same approach as the daith. See the rook piercing guide and the rook piercings.
- Nose and navel. Clean the nose from the outside and don't go into the nostril with a cotton bud. With a navel piercing, keep the area dry after showering and avoid tight waistbands.
Still not sure which spot you want? which ear piercing hurts the least will help you along. All our piercing jewelry is in the Eline Rosina piercings.
Signs your piercing is healing well or that something is wrong
A piercing that's healing well is slightly red and tender for the first few weeks, sometimes gives off a bit of clear or whitish-yellow discharge and forms small crusts. That's part of it and fades gradually. As long as the symptoms get a little less every week, you're on the right track.
Do pay attention to persistent or increasing redness, warmth, throbbing pain, swelling or thick yellowish pus, because that points to an infection. Never take the jewelry out yourself in that case (the hole closes over the infection) and if in doubt, see your GP.
Showering, sleeping and sport with a new piercing
You can shower as normal with a new piercing, but rinse away the soapy water well afterwards and pat the piercing dry. Avoid baths, swimming pools, saunas and the sea for the first few weeks, because still water and chlorinated or salt water are full of bacteria. Sleep on the other side as much as possible, so you don't press on a fresh cartilage piercing.
Sport is usually fine, but keep the piercing clean and dry and avoid contact or chafing clothing. Going swimming on holiday? Then preferably wait until the piercing is further healed.
The role of your jewelry in healing
The jewelry you wear in a fresh piercing partly determines how smoothly it heals. Cheap nickel-containing metal causes irritation and allergic reactions much faster than a skin-friendly material. Solid gold doesn't discolour, doesn't release substances into the wound and is therefore a safer choice to wear for a long time.
The Eline Rosina piercings are made of 14k recycled gold with lab-grown diamonds, suitable to wear during and after healing. Want to change only after healing? Then read when you can safely change your piercing.
Frequently asked questions about cleaning a piercing
Can I clean my piercing with alcohol?
No, you don't clean a piercing with alcohol. Alcohol dries out the wound and damages the healthy cells needed for healing, which actually keeps the piercing irritated for longer. Use a sterile saline solution of 0.9% NaCl instead, twice a day. The same goes for disinfectants like Dettol.
Can you use wound spray on a piercing?
You're better off not using wound spray as standard on a piercing, unless your piercer explicitly recommends it. Most wound sprays are too harsh for the long aftercare period and can irritate the tissue. A sterile saline solution is milder and more effective for daily care. If you're unsure because of ongoing irritation, check with your piercer or GP.
What is the best thing to clean a piercing with?
The best way to clean a piercing is with a sterile saline solution of 0.9% NaCl, also known as physiological saline. It cleans the wound without drying it out and has the same salt content as your body. You can buy it ready-made as a spray at a pharmacy or drugstore, or at a piercing studio.
How often should you clean a piercing?
You clean a fresh piercing twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, until it's fully healed. Cleaning more often isn't better: it irritates the wound and slows down healing. As long as the piercing is red, tender or moist, keep going twice a day.
For how long should you clean a piercing?
You clean a piercing until it's fully healed, which takes six to eight weeks for an earlobe and six to twelve months for cartilage. So don't stop as soon as the pain is gone, because that happens months before it has actually healed. Keep going until there's been no redness, fluid or tenderness for three weeks in a row.
How long does it take for a piercing to heal?
How long a piercing needs to heal depends on the spot: an earlobe is done after six to eight weeks, cartilage like a helix, conch or rook needs six to twelve months. A tragus sits in between at three to six months and a daith at six to nine months. Cartilage has hardly any blood flow and is therefore slow.
How long does a helix piercing take to heal?
A helix piercing takes six to twelve months to heal. On the outside it often feels healed after three to six months, but the cartilage underneath hasn't recovered yet. So don't change the jewelry too early and sleep on the other side as much as possible, because pressure while sleeping is the most common cause of irritation.
How do you know if your piercing is infected?
Your piercing is probably infected if you have persistent or increasing redness, warmth, throbbing pain, swelling or thick yellowish pus. Slight redness and clear discharge in the first few weeks are part of normal healing. Never take the jewelry out yourself if it's infected, and if in doubt, see your GP.
Can you use antibacterial soap on a piercing?
Use antibacterial soap for your hands, not on your piercing. It strips away the skin flora and dries out the wound, and that slows down healing. The advice dates back to getting your ears pierced at the drugstore and piercers stopped giving it years ago. Use sterile saline solution of 0.9% NaCl.
How do you make your own saline solution for a piercing?
To make your own saline solution, dissolve a quarter teaspoon of non-iodised sea salt in 250 ml of lukewarm water that has been boiled and cooled. Make a fresh solution every time, because homemade saline doesn't stay sterile. A ready-made sterile spray is safer and only costs a few euros more.
Can you shower with a new piercing?
Yes, you can shower as normal with a new piercing, but rinse away the soapy water well and pat the piercing dry afterwards. Do avoid baths, swimming pools, saunas and the sea for the first few weeks, because still and chlorinated water contains bacteria that can cause an infection.
How long should you avoid swimming after a piercing?
After a piercing, don't swim for the first six to eight weeks, and with cartilage you're better off holding out a little longer. Pool water, lakes and the sea are full of bacteria, and chlorine also irritates the tissue. If you do have to go in the water, rinse the piercing with sterile saline straight afterwards and pat it dry.
How long should you avoid sleeping on your piercing?
Don't sleep on a fresh ear piercing for as long as it's still tender, which with cartilage easily means three to six months. Pressure while sleeping is the most common cause of a bump or the piercing growing in at an angle. A travel pillow or a pillow with a hole in it helps, and otherwise it's simply a matter of getting used to your other side.