But where it comes to intimate care, things can get a little confusing.

It makes sense; ads forfeminine hygiene productshave long-touted their ability to make us feel “fresh.”

But unfortunately, we may have been mislead in that regard.

A wipe being thrown into the toilet

(via Stop UTI Forever).

And that’s not the only study to come to such a conclusion.

Your vagina is actually a self-cleaning organ, which is why you get discharge.

A woman shopping for wipes

Discharge, unless an unusual color or foul-smelling, is generally not unhealthy.

So what should you do instead?

“That should never be done,” she reiterates.

running water from a sink

Okay, so whatarewe supposed to do, then?

Your vagina shouldneverbe cleansed; it does it itself.

Your vulva, however, can accumulate impurities, so you may feel the need to cleanse it sometimes.

But theonly thing you should be usingis plain old water.