When it comes to trying anal play, one of the biggest concerns people often have is cleanliness. You might want to try anal douching — the process of flushing out the rectum and anal canal with water or solution. While douching is not a necessity or requirement for engaging in anal play or anal sex, the process is fairly simple. ‍

How to douche using an enema bulb‍

Enema bulbs are probably the most common and safe method for anal douching. They are a small, oval-shaped silicone bulb, with a thin, tapered plastic nozzle tip (about the width of a crayon) attached. They sort of resemble a turkey baster and work similarly. 

Enema bulbs or ‘douche bulbs’ usually retail anywhere from $7 to $20 and can be found on major retailer sites, online sex toy retailer brands, and sometimes at drugstores.

It’s generally okay to fill the bulb with water as long as you’re not douching too often. Once or twice a week is usually fine. However, according to the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, douching too often and too vigorously, can affect the microbiome of the anal tissue and leave you at higher risk of contracting STI’s and/or HIV. You generally want to douche with as little liquid as possible. Douching with large amounts of water can create an electrolyte imbalance.

To mitigate this risk, there are a couple of other options. For one, you can purchase a simple saline solution at a drugstore or online retailer. Saline solutions can help to keep the rectum safer from distruption to the electrolytes and general anal environment. Another option is the Future Method douching kit, which comes with a specially formulated solution. 

Douching really isn’t something you need to be doing every day, but using a saline solution does go a long way in protecting your rectum if you find yourself wanting to do so more often.‍

Here are the steps for anal douching using an enema bulb

1. Take off the nozzle tip of the bulb, and fill it with either lukewarm (preferably filtered) water or your desired solution, then put the nozzle back on.
2. Slather up the entire nozzle with lots of lube, and also apply some around the entrance to the anus. You can also try a lube shooter, which most often comes with the purchase of enema bulb. It’s a syringe-shaped device, about the width of a pencil, which can be filled with lube and inserted into the rectum, then released into the rectum for optimum internal lube coverage.
3. Assume your desired position. Some choose to stand in the shower, with one foot on the edge raising the leg and allowing easy access to the butt. Others prefer to lie on their backs with their knees bent and reach through. You can also lay on your stomach, with one knee slightly bent, spreading the legs, and reaching around with one hand. 
4. Once you’ve chosen your position, take some deep, calming breaths, and on an exhale, begin to insert the nozzle tip into the entrance to the anus. 
5. When it is inserted about two to three inches in, squeeze the bulb to expel the water into the anal canal. Then, clenching to hold in the liquid, remove the nozzle. 
6. Try to hold the water/solution in for several seconds (do a quick little booty shake if you like) and then, either in the shower or on the toilet, proceed to gently expel the liquid (you want to avoid using too much force)
7. Repeat this process about two to three more times. 
   

When using an enema bulb, you should also be mindful of the volume of liquid (no more than six oz. or so) and the force in which you squeeze the water into your anus and expel it out, both of which can irritate the area. Dr. Goldstein, a pioneer in the modern field of sexual health and wellness, tells O.school that too much force or volume will result in the liquid entering the sigmoid colon. “This can actually make the situation even messier than if you hadn’t even douched at all. And, most importantly, it’s simply not necessary to go that far up for every day anal sex,” he says. ‍

How to douche using a Fleet enema ‍

Fleet enemas are basically single-use douching kits that you can buy at the drugstore. Sold as “constipation relief”, these little kits have everything you need to give yourself some quick relief before you go getting your salad tossed. Fleet enemas typically come two or four in a box, each a squeezable bottle with a pre-lubricated comfort nozzle tip, filled with a saline enema solution. They are easy to access and come in at about $2 to $5 for a two or four pack. They can only be used once though, which can become expensive and wasteful. 

The process of using Fleet enemas is similar to bulb enemas. But you don’t need to take anything apart or fill it.

1. Take it out of the wrapper and remove the protective shield, exposing the pre-lubed tip. Add lube if you need it. 
2. Assume your preferred position.
3. Insert the lubed tip a few inches into the rectum, and squeeze the easy-squeeze bottle, releasing the saline solution into your asshole. 
4. Clench to hold it in, give your bum a little shake.
5. Gently expel the solution in the toilet.
6. Repeat with a new fleet enema each time, as needed.
   

Can I use a homemade douche?‍

Medical professionals tend to advise against making and using homemade douches. As Dr. Goldstein tells O.school, “The cells within the anal canal and rectum are hypersensitive, and thus, so is the skin.” Simply put, the derriere is delicate.

Homemade douches may not be the best idea, as they are unreliable and may result in the damage of rectal epithelial tissue, potentially increasing one’s risk of contracting STIs and/or HIV. In addition, they may leave the skin of the anal canal susceptible to micro-cuts and tears.

You’re better safe than sorry, so just do yourself a favor, if you really feel the desire to douche, order yourself a douche bulb, fleet enema, or douching kit, and your booty will thank you. ‍

Should I douche before anal play?‍

Many people are concerned that there may be remaining particles from their last bowel movement. They’d rather just flush that shit out, literally. Some folks say they douche their anus because it helps them to feel more relaxed, confident, and in-the-moment, when the time comes.

If douching makes you feel more confident and clean, power to you. That said, even without douching, the chances of encountering any significant amount of stool during anal play are actually fairly low. 

According to Dr. Goldstein, unless you feel like your butt is about ready to blow, your stool actually hangs out in the sigmoid colon. This space is located, above and to the side of the part of the rectum where one would actually be penetrated.

Whether you choose to anal douche or not is entirely up to you. But if you do choose to anal douche, knowing how to do it properly and safely is so important.