Using Baking Soda For Splinter Removal: How To Try It - Healthline

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Can Baking Soda Help Draw Out a Splinter?

Medically reviewed by Mia Armstrong, MD — Written by Jacquelyn Cafasso — Updated on September 13, 2025

Removing splinters with baking soda
Other methods
Medical treatment
Summary

Baking soda may draw out deeply embedded splinters by increasing osmotic pressure, causing the skin to swell and push the splinter to the surface.

A splinter is a sliver of foreign material that gets lodged under the skin. Splinters are most often wood but can also be thorns, glass, metal, or other foreign objects. If you’ve ever had a splinter, you know they can be both annoying and painful.

If possible, remove a splinter immediately to keep the area from becoming infected.

For tiny splinters that aren’t too bothersome, though, it’s sometimes best to wait for the splinter to rise to the surface of the skin and then remove it with tweezers. If you do use tweezers or needles, they must be clean and sterile to prevent infection.

Even after waiting, sometimes there isn’t enough of the splinter sticking up to grab with tweezers. But there’s another way to remove it that doesn’t involve poking around your already throbbing finger with a pair of tweezers or a needle.

This is where baking soda comes into play.

While this life hack may seem odd, it can be useful for splinters that are more deeply embedded in the skin. The baking soda method is quite simple but does require a little patience.

How to try to remove splinters with baking soda

While this method hasn’t been tested in controlled clinical studies, baking soda is thought to work by increasing osmotic pressure in the skin.

The skin is a semipermeable membrane. When you apply two unequal substances, like water and baking soda, to the skin, the skin will absorb the mixture. And this leads to a change in osmotic pressure.

Increasing osmotic pressure causes the skin to swell up, driving the splinter to the surface.

The process for using baking soda to remove a splinter is as follows:

Wash your hands.
Mix 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with water to form a paste.
Clean the skin around the splinter with soap and water.
Apply the paste to and around the splinter.
Place a sterile bandage on top.
Leave the bandage on for 24 hours, and then remove it. The splinter should be sticking out at this point.
Sterilize a pair of tweezers using alcohol or heat. To avoid burns, do not apply them to the skin until they cool.
Use the tweezers to pull the splinter out.
Apply antibiotic ointment to the affected area after removing the splinter.

If you still don’t see the splinter after removing the bandage, repeat the process until the splinter works its way out.

Other ways to remove a splinter that don’t involve needles

The traditional go-to methods to remove splinters are tweezers and needles. However, some people say several other natural remedies also help remove splinters.

Duct tape

If the splinter is very small and already near the surface, but you can’t seem to grip it with tweezers, try using a piece of sticky tape, like duct tape.

To try this method:

Gently press a small piece of tape over the area containing the splinter.
Wait up to 30 minutes.
Slowly peel back the tape. Try to pull the tape in the opposite direction from where the splinter entered the skin.

This method may be better for children than using tweezers since some children (and some adults) may find tweezers a little scary.

Banana peels or potato skins

Like baking soda, banana peels and potato skins are thought to help remove a splinter by causing the skin to swell up and push the splinter out.

To try this method:

Slice off a small section of the banana peel or potato skin and place it skin side up against the splinter.
Cover with a bandage and leave it on for a few hours or overnight.
After removing the peel or skin, remove the splinter with a pair of tweezers.
Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water, apply antibiotic ointment, and cover with a bandage until the wound heals.

Essential oils

You can also try soaking the area in essential oils, such as lavender or tea tree oil, to draw out the splinter. Always dilute potent essential oils with a carrier oil to prevent skin reactions.

To try this method:

Clean the area of skin containing the splinter.
Soak the splinter in the diluted essential oil for a few minutes.
Once the splinter rises closer to the surface of the skin, use a sterilized pair of tweezers to remove it.

It’s important to talk with a healthcare professional before you begin using essential oils and to research the quality of a brand’s products. Always do a patch test before trying a new essential oil.

Should you go to the doctor with a splinter?

While splinters might seem like a minor medical issue, there are a few reasons to visit a doctor.

Splinters pose a high risk of infection. This is because a foreign body can introduce bacteria and other germs under the skin’s surface, where they can multiply.

You should see a doctor for the following:

large splinters that break off under the skin
splinters that are deeply lodged and can’t be removed despite your best efforts
splinters that cause extreme pain
splinters with barbs, like fishhooks, that may be difficult to remove without causing pain
a splinter that’s near a vein or has caused bleeding that won’t stop
a splinter made of glass that can’t be easily removed in one piece
a splinter that’s underneath a fingernail or toenail
symptoms of an infection, such as redness or flushing, warmth, oozing pus, fever, and chills
a deep splinter, if you haven’t had a tetanus booster in over 5 years

Medical emergency
If you have a splinter in your eye, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Takeaway

Baking soda is one of several methods that can help force a splinter to rise to the surface of the skin, where you can more easily remove it with tweezers.

No matter which method of splinter removal you choose, be sure to first wash the area with soap and water and sterilize any tweezers or needles you’ll use to pull the splinter out.

Sterilizing the tool before use reduces the risk of infection. And you can sterilize tweezers or needles using alcohol or heat.

Afterward, check the area carefully to ensure that no pieces remain under the skin. Contact a doctor for very large splinters, splinters in the eye, or splinters that seem infected.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Halaas GW. (2007). Management of foreign bodies in the skin.https://www.aafp.org/afp/2007/0901/p683.html
How to remove a splinter. (n.d.).https://www.aad.org/public/skin-hair-nails/injured-skin/splinters
Scherr S. (2018). The baking soda companion: Natural recipes and remedies for health, beauty, and home. Woodstock, VT: The Countryman Press.https://books.google.com/books?id=L4ZTDwAAQBAJ&printsec
Splinters and other foreign bodies in the skin. (2015).https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/skin/Pages/Splinters-and-Other-Foreign-Bodies-in-the-Skin.aspx

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Medically reviewed by Mia Armstrong, MD — Written by Jacquelyn Cafasso — Updated on September 13, 2025

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How to try to remove splinters with baking soda

Other ways to remove a splinter that don’t involve needles

Duct tape

Banana peels or potato skins

Essential oils

Should you go to the doctor with a splinter?

Takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

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