Whether you use toilet tissue, paper, water, grass or leaves to clean yourself, make sure you avoid wiping forwards. If you wipe forwards, you risk pulling germs from the anus to the vagina and urethra. This can give you an infection. You should never try to wash inside the vagina unless a doctor instructs you to do so. Unfortunately some girls and women try to wash inside the vagina with harsh soaps.
Some women also spray the area with harsh soaps.
Some women also spray the area with deodorants or perfumes. None of this is necessary, and it can even be harmful because harsh soaps, perfumes and vaginal deodorants can change the normal fluids inside the vagina and can irritate the skin inside the vagina. This is not a healthy practice because the skin inside the vagina is very delicate. Inserting foreign objects can cause small cuts, abrasions, and sores, which could become infected and could also put you at greater risk of HIV infection. In general, it is best to never place anything in your vagina, except tampons and medicines prescribed by a doctor.