How to Properly Clean Your Vagina

Having a smelly vagina is a huge problem for many women. And it's a problem many women suffer from in silence because nobody wants to talk about how bad they smell down yonder in the nether regions.

I never smell. I make it a point to never smell and I'm painstakingly meticulous about it. Back in the good old days, our mothers used to tell us if our smell was a problem–well at least my mother did and she made it a point to emphasize that a woman needs to know how to "clean herself."

That's what our folks used to dub it–cleaning yourself. I haven't heard that cultural reference to a woman's hygiene in decades and I'm not entirely sure it's even encouraged for women any longer to clean themselves, much less clean themselves properly.

Luckily, you don't have to bend over backwards and put in a whole helluva lot of work to keep yourself clean. Here's how you can accomplish it by doing the following:

The Right Soap Means No Fancy Soaps (even the ones specifically made for vaginas)

You need to put away the fancy Bath & Body Works soaps, Summer's Eve, strawberry vagina shampoo, intimate wipes, etc., and just use a basic soap.

I use Lever 2000 and have been using it for years which is a great soap that isn't drying nor abrasive nor irritating to the skin.

The problem with scented soaps is the perfumes in them aren't designed for your cleaning your vagina. Sure, they smell great on other parts of your body, but they'll irritate your vagina.

Stick to a basic soap–and yes, you do need to use it. There's a right way to use it when tidying up and a wrong way and we'll get to that more in a moment.

You Need to Change Your Underwear at Least Twice a Day

In addition to washing, it helps to change your underwear twice a day. I have upwards of probably 200 pairs of underwear. I use one pair for daytime and one pair for nighttime (usually my feminine pair for the day and my granny panties for winding down in the evening and bedtime).

The fresher your underwear, the less you'll smell. It's like changing a bandage on a wound for lack of a better example–you need to give your vagina some air and a fresh, clean covering.

Plus, you'll just feel better. Always feels like a treat to me to put on a fresh pair in the morning and especially at night. Keeps me clean, comfortable and smelling great.

Wiping Properly

There's a bit of a trick to this that I've been using for years to keep myself really fresh after going potty.

When I wipe, I "blot" myself and hold the tissue in place for a good 15-20 seconds to capture any residuals that may be left after I go potty. Keeps me extra clean and dry and smelling nice. It's a good habit to get into and you'll notice your underwear won't smell.

This one's a lifesaver. Especially for moms like me who have a little laxity in that department where I can't catch it all in one swoop. I always feel fresh after I blot.

You Need to Dry Yourself Off

After you wash, you need to dry yourself off thoroughly with a towel. And it may even be a good idea to walk around in your towel for a good 15 minutes after you get out of the shower and air dry.

Sit there and tweeze your brows or something while you're sitting in your towel, then proceed to put on your fresh pair of panties.

The general rule is, the more air you can give yourself in addition to keeping it clean, the less problems you'll have with being smelly.

The Cleaning Technique Itself

You need to wash your outer labia on both sides of your clitoris. Take a washcloth, lather it with a little bit of soap and wrap the surface of it around your finger and reach into the inner-outer parts of your labia and clean both sides of your clitoris. You can clean the clitoris gently as well.

Make sure you keep the soap on the outside of your vagina. You can wash around your opening and no soap will get in there when you immediately rinse.

The whole technique takes about a minute at most. You get in there and clean your labia and finally your opening and rinse thoroughly and you're done. Piece of cake (and that's what he'll think of it later when you smell great using this technique).

Do Not Douche or Insert Anything Into the Vagina That Isn't Supposed to Be There

Douching is absolutely horrible for you. It messes up the delicate PH balance in your vaginal mucosa that actually functions as a natural bacteria cleaning filter that gets rid of the bad stuff that doesn't belong there.

I was doing it many, many years ago and I went to my gynecologist and she could tell immediately I was doing it and ordered me to stop.

Your vagina can take care of itself as far as being clean and smelling good. You simply wash properly with the technique listed above, you don't have to do anything else to stay clean and smelling good.

Use a Bidet

You can keep yourself extra super duper clean using a bidet. It's overkill in a way and isn't always necessary but when you have days where you're sweaty or menstruating, you can get that extra oomph as far as rinsing and feeling refreshed.

You can get a bidet attachment on Amazon and it attaches to any toilette. I've been using one for years and I really enjoy using it when I'm menstruating because it gives me a good rinse without having to get out a washcloth and clean myself the old school way.

Great way to keep yourself really fresh when you need it. Make sure you dry off with some tissue and blot and you'll be good to go.

Always Wear Panties with a Cotton Liner and Don't Use Pantyliners - They Make You Smell

Do people even use pantyliners anymore? Gosh, those things are horrible. Talk about Smell City, Population: You.

Just don't bother with them. Instead, make sure you always wear panties with a cotton liner because anything else will make you smell.

Your vagina isn't supposed to be exposed to anything from which it can't breathe for 12 hours straight which is why most all panties have a cotton liner.

And no, I don't recommend going commando either. It's just not sanitary. Cotton-lined panties act as much as a breather as they do a barrier. Keeps the good stuff in and the bad stuff out.

I hope this gives you an idea on how to keep yourself sparkling clean and not worrying about having a smelly vagina ever again. I've been cleaning myself this way for years and I've never had a problem with odor.

It's an embarrassing problem to be sure. But you don't have to suffer in silence. Stick to the basic steps listed above and you'll be good to go.

Love and Many Blessings,

Jenny

Questions or comments on this column? Have an advice question you'd like answered?

Write me: lovepilled@protonmail.com