Belly button cleaning - yes or no?

[Bellybuttonquestion]

With friends the other night, the subject of belly button cleaning or not came up.

Caused quite a debate as one party said you never need to clean your belly button, it’s self cleaning and why would you? The other party said of course you clean your belly button every time you shower, just have a quick wipe around with shower gel like the rest of your body and all done.

There was incredulity on both sides at the others opinion.

So, to the popular vote:

YABU - there is no need to clean your belly button, it’s ridiculous.

YANBU - of course you clean your belly button when you have a shower.

I use a wet cotton bud with the tiniest amount of shower gel/ soap, then rinse with plain water. Works for me.

I have on occasion but for the most part I don't need to bother, just like I don't wash the underside of my feet/in between my toes. I've been alive nearly 37 years, had a handful of relationships, friends and not had any embarrassing conversations about the way I smell at all my workplaces so I'm happy to carry on as I am.

Tell the people who say that the belly button is self cleaning to google the word 'umbolith'.

Judging from working in theatres where surgeons have belly button cotton buds to clean before surgery... people rarely do, the swabs come out minging n stink

Shower every day, but never specifically cleaned my 55 year old belly button in my life.

In the interests of science, I have just stuck my finger in it and given it a sniff (dh looked a bit horrified, but had gone back to watching the football), all good.

I must have one of those magical self cleaning ones.

😆

I don't clean mine other than brushing over it with the loofah, but I don't think it counts as mine is quite 'flat' from being stretched out during pregnancy, it's not quite an outy but it doesn't go in either. There's nowhere dirt could collect, otherwise I'd definitely clean it.

I tell DP to wash his though as he has a proper inny which collects fluff!

I don’t think it’s self cleaning but I’m too scared to Google this 😆

Whats umbolith then if people dont want to google

An umbolith is a navel stone. It is a calcified mass of keratin and sebum, people with deep belly buttons can get them. There are some absolute beauties if you care to peruse reddit.

Mine is really deep and every time I've tried to clean it, I've ended up with it getting infected so I leave it well alone now!

Thank you all for the replies!

To clarify, I am the belly button cleaner out of the two friends. I have an innie and stick my finger in and give it a gentle clean every time I shower. Obviously those with outies don’t need to worry so much.

I will send my friend a link to the thread 😄

I’ve got an innie and it definitely needs cleaning each time I shower.

I clean mine even though I have a horrible aversion to touching it (like a physical sensation, not that I think it’s gross or anything)

And as for 'cleaning' being needed or not needed, I presume a human body wasnt evolved with the need for soap in mind?

Evolution doesn’t work that way though.
Most if not all animals grooms themselves/ each other. If they didn’t they would be more susceptible to infection, for one.
It’s an innate behaviour that’s essential to survival.
Humans have evolved in such a way that they understand the need for personal hygiene and the consequences of neglecting personal hygiene and how to take care of themselves effectively. They have also invented medicines etc.
What did people do before soap, not to mention anti fungal/ anti biotic/ antiseptic treatments were used? Probably get seriously ill or die from skin infections a lot more often.