How to Change a Wound Dressing Safely at Home

Start with your care plan

Every wound is different. The type of dressing, how to clean the wound and how often to change it depend on the wound and on your health. Always follow the dressing orders from your own doctor or wound care clinician. The steps below are general tips that work alongside those orders, not in place of them.

If anything in your instructions is unclear, ask your clinician to show you, then do a change while they watch. It’s fine to write notes or take a photo of the supplies so you get it right.

Get ready

• Choose a clean, well-lit spot. Wipe down the table or tray you will use.
• Gather all supplies before you start: new dressing, any ordered cleanser or saline, clean gloves, gauze, tape, scissors if needed, and a plastic bag for trash.
• Check that packages are sealed, dry and not past their date.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, then dry them with a clean towel. Hand sanitizer can be used if your hands are not visibly dirty.
• Put on clean gloves.

Remove the old dressing

• Gently loosen the tape, pulling toward the wound and holding the skin down with your other hand.
• If the dressing sticks, wet it with saline or clean water as your clinician directs. Don’t rip it off.
• Look at the old dressing. Note the amount, color and smell of any drainage.
• Put the old dressing in the plastic bag. Take off your gloves, wash your hands again, and put on a fresh pair.

Clean and apply the new dressing

• Clean the wound only in the way your clinician ordered. Many wounds are cleaned with saline or as directed. Don’t use hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or iodine unless you are told to, since they can harm healing tissue.
• Gently pat the skin around the wound dry. Don’t rub.
• Look at the wound. Is it bigger or smaller? Is there new redness, swelling or a bad smell?
• Touch only the edges of the new dressing. Place it so it covers the wound and a small border of healthy skin.
• Secure it as instructed, without pulling the tape tight.
• Remove your gloves, tie off the trash bag, and wash your hands one more time.

Keep a simple log

Write down the date and time of each change and what you saw. Note the drainage, the size of the wound if you’ve been shown how to measure it, pain level, and any changes in the skin around it. This record helps your clinician see if the wound is healing and adjust the plan.

Bring the log to appointments or have it ready when your home visit clinician comes. If your clinician has asked you to take photos of the wound, take them in the same light and from the same angle each time so changes are easier to compare.

• Store supplies in a clean, dry place away from pets and small children.
• Order more supplies before you run low, so you never have to stretch a dressing longer than ordered.
• If a change is painful, ask your clinician whether pain medicine before the change is a good idea.

When to call for help

Call your doctor or wound care team if the wound gets bigger, the drainage changes color, thickens or smells bad, the skin around it becomes red, warm or swollen, pain increases, or you have a fever. Also call if the dressing keeps coming loose or you run out of supplies.

Call 911 for heavy bleeding that doesn’t stop after 10 minutes of firm pressure, or if the person becomes confused, has trouble breathing, or has a racing heartbeat.

This guide is general education, not medical advice. Follow the care plan from your own clinician. For a medical emergency, call 911.