Urinary tract infections are some of the most common infections around. Indeed, an estimated 60% of women and 12% of men will get at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetime! On top of that, it’s an infection that can easily come back, especially if you’re sexually active. As doctor’s appointments and medications can easily rack up and break the budget, you must know how to prevent UTIs and also cure mild cases of them at home with home remedies.

If you think you have a UTI, try any of these five home remedies for size!

1. Plenty of Water

Drinking plenty of water every day can help prevent a myriad of illnesses and conditions including urinary tract infections. That’s because with plenty of hydration comes plenty of urination, which helps to flush out bacteria hiding around in your bladder and urethra. The less you pee, the more chances the bacteria get for breeding and increasing their numbers. Besides that, plenty of water helps the leader of the urinary system—the kidneys.

Water can also help ease the symptoms you suffer from with a UTI. For example, one common symptom is a stinging, burning sensation when you pee. When you drink lots of water, the urine is much more diluted and does not hurt the affected areas as much.

If your urinary tract infection isn’t severe, you can totally get rid of it by just drinking lots of water. You won’t need to visit a doctor or take antibiotics for that, so save yourself the trouble of fighting with insurance and setting up a doctor’s appointment by just drinking your daily recommended intake of water!

2. Vitamin C

Vitamin C supports your immune system. The stronger your immune system is, the better your chances of resisting or fighting off a urinary tract infection and other harmful diseases that can wreak havoc on your body.

Some studies also suggest that Vitamin C can amp the acidity of your urine. This acidity supposedly kills off the bacteria living in the urinary tract. In a 2018 study, for example, researchers discovered that female children with UTI recovered much faster when their antibiotic treatments were supplemented with Vitamin C. Additionally, a small 2020 study also showed that people undergoing kidney transplants who received Vitamin C had fewer bacteria in their urine than others.

All in all, more research is needed, but adding more Vitamin C by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will be far from harmful for you.

3. Cranberry Juice

Cranberry juice is perhaps the most famed natural remedy against urinary tract infections. It’s so popular, in fact, that it is often the first go-to for people who think they have the condition. It even comes in capsule form if you don’t like the taste of cranberry juice!

Cranberry juice is especially helpful for those with recurrent infections. In a 2016 study, people with recurrent UTIs were asked to drink eight ounces of cranberry juice every day for six months. Interestingly, they reported fewer UTI symptoms than the others who didn’t drink cranberry juice and were less likely to report reinfection.

However, cranberry juice does have its limitations. For one, the studies suggest it only prevents urinary tract infections and does not actually treat them. You can drink water and cranberry juice to help flush bacteria out, but if it gets too bad, you still might have to go to the doctor. Secondly, only unsweetened cranberry juice works—anything sweetened will not help.

4. Probiotics

Probiotics are food that contains good bacteria. It’s found in fermented foods such as kimchi, yogurt, and kombucha, though it can also be taken in supplement form. It has numerous health benefits for the body but especially for the digestive system—it aids in digestion, prevents problems in the gastrointestinal tract, reduces illnesses and infections, and much more.

But the most useful thing about probiotics when it comes to urinary tract infections is that it restores your gut’s flora. When you’re taking antibiotics to kill bad bacteria, you kill the good bacteria as well, which is why many people with UTIs also suffer from digestive problems. Probiotics help with that by introducing more good bacteria into your stomach and promoting quicker recovery.

5. Healthy Hygiene Habits

Like they always say, the best cure for anything is prevention. So, make sure you never give bacteria any avenue to infect your urinary tract by always keeping your downstairs area nice and clean.

For starters, practice proper urination by not holding in your urine for too long. Always empty the bladder if it’s full, as the urine inside allows bacteria to grow. It also ensures that your bladder muscles are strong, which is helpful as you get older as urinary incontinence is more common as you age.

As much as possible, it’s also important to pee every time after you have sex. During intercourse, bacteria are introduced to the reproductive organs. For males, the urethra is the same passage for semen and can host bacteria there. For females, the urethra is very close to the vaginal opening, and bacteria from the vagina can easily spread up the urethra. Peeing flushes the bacteria out of both openings.

Lastly, for women, wiping your bottom from front to back is crucial. If you wipe back to the front, some bacteria can remain in the labia, and bacteria from your butt could also be transferred! Gross.