Like many of our mothers say: Cleanliness is next to godliness.  Having a clean penis not only makes you feel better but also makes you more attractive.

Learning to clean your penis properly is a great step towards overall better hygiene, as well as better sexual health.

With that in mind, let's dive in!

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How to Properly Wash Your Penis in the Shower

Washing your penis in the shower is the most common and preferred method of penis washing.  It's simple -- grab some non-perfumed soap, then wash.  It's quick, it's easy, and it's efficient. However, for the sake of clarity, we're going to break this article down into clear and concise details that will help your overall hygiene and teach you how to properly wash your penis.

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1. Find a Non-perfumed Soap

Perfumed soaps tend to contain artificial scents, which often contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals.  These chemicals can, over time, lead to an increase in acne by clogging pores. Sometimes, perfumed soaps contain harsh chemicals that you don't want near your genitals, which contain openings to your body. For this reason, you'll want to use a non-perfumed, gentle soap.

Just like you use soap anywhere else on your body, you're going to want to lightly lather the soap and use the suds to wash your genitals.

2. Clean Under Your Penis

Since you're already in the shower, it makes sense to take this time to clean your testicles and scrotum. The skin on your scrotum, like the skin on the rest of your body, requires the same care and attention that you give to the skin on your face.  It should be cleaned every day, just like your face.

There's no need to use anything special to clean your scrotum and testicles -- any gentle soap is fine. However, you will want to be extra careful about the soap you choose.  Since this area is so sensitive, any perfumed soaps or soaps with harsh chemicals should be avoided.

3. Washing Your Penis Properly

Now that you've cleaned your testicles, you're going to want to wash your penis. This is best done using the same gentle soap that you used to clean your testicles. If you're using a non-perfumed soap, then you're good to go.  If you're using perfumed soap, you will want to dilute the soap with running water before you apply it to your penis.

When washing your penis, use a gentle circular motion, making sure to get under your penis and into your pubic hair.  This will help ensure that your penis is clean.  Take your time -- there's no need to rush through this process.

4. Rinsing

Once you're done cleaning your penis, you're going to want to rinse it off thoroughly.  Use the shower head to rinse off your penis, making sure to remove any soap that remains on your penis. The ringing process is important, as leftover soap can leave a sticky residue.  This residue can lead to irritation, which is something you'll want to avoid.

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5. Patting Dry

After rinsing, you'll want to pat your penis dry.  While this isn't technically washing your penis, it's an important step in drying it.  Drying your penis is an important step in preventing infection, as well as in preventing a sticky residue from leftover soap.

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Things To Look Out For While Cleaning

1. Smegma

Smegma is a substance that is formed when dead skin cells get trapped between the glans and foreskin, or between the glans and the shaft.

Your penis will produce smegma, but you should always minimize it by practicing proper hygiene.

This is especially important if you're  uncircumcised, as smegma tends to build-up around your foreskin.

If you're uncircumcised, you should clean the smegma from your penis every day.

2. Foreskin Retraction

When washing your penis, make sure to pull back the foreskin with your fingers, or wash the penis with your foreskin retracted.

If you're uncircumcised, you should clean under your foreskin by retracting it, as well as the glans.

3. Cleaning The Glans

If you're circumcised, you should clean your glans by retracting the foreskin.

After washing the penis, and retracting the foreskin, you should wash the glans thoroughly.

If you're uncircumcised, you can wash the glans directly.

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Avoiding Irritation While Washing Your Penis

One of the most common issues with washing your penis is irritation.  If you aren't using the right products, you're using too much, or you're using the wrong technique, you may find that every time you try to wash your penis, it gets irritated.

Most of the time, this is caused by soap.  Yes, it may seem like soap is the easiest way to go about it, but it actually isn't.  Soap dries out the skin and can easily lead to irritation.  If you're having this problem, you may want to avoid or at least reduce the amount of soap you use and switch to something that's non-perfumed and is gentle on the skin.

It's also important to avoid using any sort of scented products on your penis.  The oils and perfumes in these products will irritate the skin and lead to irritation.  Instead, stick with unscented products to avoid irritation.

Don't be afraid to try new products, either.  If you're having trouble finding something that works for you, try a new product.  Make sure to read the ingredients and avoid anything scented or that contains any sort of oil.