How to Clean and Maintain Your Nose Jewelry
There are different guidelines on how to clean and maintain your nose jewelry depending on whether your piercing is fresh and healing or if it is already healed. Fresh piercings need regular cleaning to heal healthily. And because the nose harbors a lot of bacteria, regular maintenance is recommended as good piercing hygiene and for clean nose jewelry. Read our aftercare instructions here.
Cleaning While Healing
When your nose piercing is still healing, there are a few important tips to keep in mind for the cleaning process.
Washing your hands with soap and water before touching a healing piercing will help minimize the risk of infection.
Don’t remove nose jewelry to clean it while the piercing is healing; the tissue needs to fully heal before the jewelry can safely be taken out.
Rinse or soak the nose jewelry and piercing twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed, with a homemade saline solution or one of the piercing-safe options we have on our Aftercare page.
After the saline solution, rinse with fresh water. Pat dry with a clean towel to avoid snagging the jewelry.
Avoid picking at any debris or build up as this could unintentionally damage the tissue and cause swelling, bleeding, or eventual scar buildup. Also avoid spinning or pulling at the jewelry during cleaning for the same reason.
For stubborn goop, applying a warm compress of saline solution for up to 15 minutes will usually soften it enough to be rinsed or wiped off with a soft, clean cloth (cotton pads and Q-tips can leave fibers stuck to your nose jewelry).
Alcohol-based cleaners, hydrogen peroxide, Bactine, and similar products are not recommended because they are very harsh on the healing tissue.
Check out our Nose Piercing Information & Aftercare Video for more information and tips on aftercare for nose piercings.
Maintaining Your Nose Rings
As with all body jewelry, quality is an important factor to longevity and durability. High-quality metals like surgical-grade stainless steel, gold, and titanium won’t case skin irritation or discolor over time, which are two things that can happen with jewelry made from lower-quality metals.
That means there isn’t much work needed to keep your nose jewelry well maintained other than regular cleanings!
The only exception would be if your nose jewelry were to chip or bend, then there would be a risk of tissue damage so replacing the jewelry would be the only option here.
Check out our selection of nose rings for something that suits your style and will last for years to come.