Next, “wash out the cut with regular lukewarm tap water and mild soap to remove potential bacteria,” says Neha Narula, MD, clinical assistant professor of primary care and population health at Stanford Health Care in Santa Clara, Calif.
Soap and water can remove small debris from the cut, but you can also use tweezers soaked in rubbing alcohol for small debris. After washing the cut, pat it dry with a clean towel.
What not to do: Don’t use anything but mild soap and water to clean a wound. That means you can skip hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, and iodine. “People thought these things helped reduce infection risk, but evidence shows they can be harmful and delay wound healing,” Narula says. “Just use regular old tap water or saline if you want to be fancy.”
