Article: All professional piercing locations should have properly sterilized earrings and piercing equipment, and most new earrings will come in sterilized packaging. If you decide to bring your own earrings to the piercer, soaking them in rubbing alcohol is a great way to sterilize them. It is important that you clean your new ear piercings 2-3 times per day. After each cleaning, you should turn the earrings one full rotation to avoid any scabs or infection. Make sure to wash your hands with antibacterial soap prior to cleaning your ears.  Some choose to clean their piercings with rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. These are good options, but they do tend to sting. Some recommend cleaning your new piercings with salt water. This is a more natural method, but is just as effective. Some piercing stores give out an after-care solution for you to clean your ears with.  Apply your cleaning solution of choice with cotton swabs or cotton balls. Gently rub your cotton ball or cotton swab on the front and back of your piercing. It is important that you do not take your earrings out for a minimum of 6 weeks for lobe piercings and 12 weeks for cartilage piercings. If you take your earrings out, your ears are likely to close or possibly get an infection. For the first 6 months after your piercing, try to leave earrings in at all times. Fresh piercings can close very quickly, so it's best to leave in your earrings to allow your piercings to completely heal. It's common to be anxious to change your earrings but resist the urge. Keep in your basic hoops or studs until your piercing has completely healed. If you change your earrings too soon, you risk damaging or infecting your piercings. Piercings are prone to infections if they aren't properly cleaned, which is why you must take extreme care when cleaning your piercings. If you notice signs of infection, visit your doctor. Some signs that your piercing has become infected include:  Tenderness around your piercing after the first 48 hours. Swelling around the piercing more than 48 hours after a new piercing. Bleeding from your piercing. Puss discharge from the piercing. Being unable to rotate your earrings when cleaning them. Fever, especially in children. If you have a fever, it's important to get to a hospital right away, as you may have a serious infection.

What is a summary?
Make sure that the earrings are sterilized prior to putting them in your ears. Clean your piercings regularly. Leave the piercings in for at least 6 weeks. Don't change your piercing. Watch for signs of infection.