The Right Way to Clean Your Belly Button

One look at a dirty belly button is all it takes for you to shudder, jump in the shower, and start scrubbing.

“Health providers have removed ‘growths’ from belly buttons that turned out to be a mix of bacteria, dirt, sweat, soap, lotions, and lint,” says Alexandria V. Booth, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist with HealthCare Partners medical group. “Talk about an embarrassing doctor’s visit—they go in for what they think is skin cancer and find out it’s just years of dirt.”

Your belly button should be cleaned just like all the other parts of the body; otherwise, the area can develop gnarly smells and infections,

often paired with red, itchy, and scabby skin—especially if you have a navel piercing. Also, while rare, stone-like masses called omphaloliths, omphalith, omphalokeratoliths, or umboliths can grow to fill up the entire belly button and become infected, inflamed, and ulcerated.

But even if your “innie” isn’t growing into a dirt-packed “outtie,” chances are it’s still dirtier than you realize: The average navel is swarming with 67 different species of bacteria, according to research from North Carolina State University.

Again, we shudder.

So how do you prevent an embarrassing visit to your doctor? Or your bed buddy gagging while kissing your stomach? Booth says that simply showering will remove some germs, lint, and whatnot, but if you have an “innie,” you should also dig in once a week with a cotton swab that has soap and water or rubbing alcohol on it. If you have an “outtie” (whether you were born with it or developed it from a stretched pregnancy belly), a soapy washcloth should do the job, she says.

Unfortunately, if your belly button is already out of control (meaning you can't get rid of the smell or infection by cleaning it yourself), you may need to go ahead and visit your primary care doc or dermatologist so she can dig in their with the proper equipment. Don’t worry, though—we guarantee she’s seen worse.