You can reduce your risk for infection and injury by caring for your catheter and drainage bag properly.

Wash your hands often. Wash before and after you touch your catheter, tubing, or drainage bag. Use soap and water. Wear clean disposable gloves when you care for your catheter or disconnect the drainage bag. Wash your hands before you prepare or eat food.

Clean your genital area 2 times every day. Clean your catheter area and anal opening after every bowel movement.

For men: Use a soapy cloth to clean the tip of your penis. Start where the catheter enters. Wipe backward making sure to pull back the foreskin. Then use a cloth with clear water in the same direction to clean away the soap.

For women: Use a soapy cloth to clean the area that the catheter enters your body. Make sure to separate your labia and wipe toward the anus. Then use a cloth with clear water and wipe in the same direction.

Secure the catheter tube so you do not pull or move the catheter. This helps prevent pain and bladder spasms. Healthcare providers will show you how to use medical tape or a strap to secure the catheter tube to your body.

Keep a closed drainage system. Your catheter should always be attached to the drainage bag to form a closed system. Do not disconnect any part of the closed system unless you need to change the bag.

Keep the drainage bag below the level of your waist. This helps stop urine from moving back up the tubing and into your bladder. Do not loop or kink the tubing. This can cause urine to back up and collect in your bladder. Do not let the drainage bag touch or lie on the floor.

Empty the drainage bag when needed. The weight of a full drainage bag can be painful. Empty the drainage bag every 3 to 6 hours or when it is ⅔ full.

Clean and change the drainage bag as directed. Ask your healthcare provider how often you should change the drainage bag and what cleaning solution to use. Wear disposable gloves when you change the bag. Do not allow the end of the catheter or tubing to touch anything. Clean the ends with an alcohol pad before you reconnect them.