How to Cure Boils: Can Natural Remedies Help?

Proper Wound Care

Avoid popping, squeezing, or picking at the boil. This might be tempting, but you’ll do more harm than good if you try to pop the boil yourself. You’ll spread the boil bacteria all over your skin, which could cause more boils in different spots. You could also push pus deeper into your skin and cause an abscess. Have patience and treat the boil properly without trying to pop it. If you go to the dermatologist, they may lance and drain the boil, but this isn’t the same as popping your boil at home. A dermatologist is a medical professional with sterile equipment, so they can do this without causing further harm.

Wash the boil with antibacterial soap and water twice a day. Keeping the area clean is very important to prevent the boil from spreading or getting infected. Wet the boil with warm water and gently rub it with regular soap. Then rinse all of the soap off. Do this twice a day until the boil heals, including after it starts draining. Don’t scrub the boil hard. You could cause irritation or break the skin. You don’t need strong soap either. Normal antibacterial soap will work fine.

Hold a warm washcloth on the boil for 10-20 minutes 3-4 times per day. This helps draw the pus the surface and drain the boil. Wet a wash cloth with warm water and press it against the boil. Hold it in place for 10-20 minutes at a time. This treatment won’t work right away. You’ll have to continue for 5-7 days in a row to bring the pus to the surface. Stay patient and continue the heat treatment 3-4 times per day until the boil starts draining.

Cover the boil after it ruptures. After a few days of heat treatment, the boil will start draining. When this happens, keep it covered at all times with sterile gauze. This prevents the infection from spreading and keeps bacteria out of the wound. Put on a fresh bandage every time you wash or soak the boil to prevent infections. If you use a sticky bandage, make sure the adhesive part isn’t touching the boil.

Continue applying heat for at least 3 days after it starts draining. When the boil ruptures, there will still be some pus under your skin’s surface. Keep applying heat 3-4 times a day for at least 3 days after the boil starts draining to draw out all the remaining pus. If any is left over, the boil will come back. You might be tempted to start squeezing the boil to get the rest of the pus out, but resist the urge. Let it come out naturally to avoid further infections or inflammation. If 3 days go by and the boil still seems inflamed or you see more pus in the wound, then keep applying the heat to get the rest of it out.

Preventing the Boil from Spreading

Wash your hands before and after touching the boil. This is very important for keeping bacteria out of the boil and also preventing the boil from spreading to other areas of your body. Whenever you wash the boil, change your bandage, apply a washcloth, or touch the boil in any way, wash your hands thoroughly before and after. This is why keeping the boil covered is helpful. It prevents you from accidentally touching the boil and spreading bacteria.

Clean towels or washcloths that you use to wash the boil after 1 use. As soon as you use any towels or washcloths on the boil, they’re contaminated, so don’t use them more than once. Put them in the wash as soon as you use them and clean them thoroughly before using them again. It’s helpful to designate a few towels or washcloths as your boil-cleaning ones so you don’t get confused and use the wrong ones. This is a good way to avoid spreading the infection.

Seal all old bandages and gauze in a plastic bag. Used bandages and gauze could spread the infection, so keep them contained. Put them in a sealed plastic bag and then throw them in the trash. This prevents the fluid from leaking out.

Wash your clothes and bedding with hot water to kill bacteria. The boil could spread to other parts of your body on your clothes or sheets, so wash all of these items regularly. Use the hot water setting to kill any bacteria on them. Hot water can damage some fabrics or cause colors to fade. Check the care label on all of your clothes and bedding to make sure using hot water is safe.

Use your own towels, sheets, washcloths, and personal items. Boils can also spread to other people, so don’t share anything with others in your home. Use your own towels and personal items so no one else catches the infection. Don't share clothes either. Using your own personal items is a good practice even if you don’t have a boil. It prevents all kinds of infections from spreading between people.