The back of her earring gets dirty because it sits in the one place that collects everything and gets cleaned least. Skin oil, dead skin cells, sweat, and residue from shampoo, soap and lotion all gather behind the lobe, and a butterfly back has curled coils that hold onto them. It's normal, it isn't a sign she's unclean, and it's easy to manage. Our safety FAQ covers everyday care.
What's the dirt behind her earring?
It's mostly her own skin. The skin of the earlobe sheds dead cells all the time, like skin everywhere else, and the sebaceous glands release a little oil. In most places that falls away or washes off. Behind a stud, it's held in place.
Add to that:
- Sweat, which leaves salt behind as it dries
- Shampoo, conditioner and soap, which run down behind the ear in the shower and are rarely rinsed fully
- Lotion, sunscreen and hair products
- Lint and fibers from pillowcases, hats and sweaters
Mixed together and pressed into a warm, closed space, they form the gray or white paste you find inside the back. If it's the white, cheesy kind on the post itself, we've written about that in What is the white gunk on her earrings?
Why do the backs of my earrings get dirty faster than the front?
Three reasons, all mechanical.
The shape. A butterfly back is a small flat plate with two curled wings that grip the post. Those curls are a ready-made trap. Residue gets pushed in every time the back slides on and doesn't come out on its own.
The position. The back sits against the skin behind the lobe, where air barely reaches and water collects. The front of the earring is open to the air and gets wiped by accident many times a day. The back doesn't.
The habit. Most children leave their earrings in for days or weeks. The front gets a rinse in the shower. The back almost never comes off, so nothing ever clears it.
Why do my earrings get dirty so fast?
Some children build up residue much faster than others, and that's down to skin chemistry: how much oil her skin makes, how much she sweats, and what goes on her hair and skin. A child who plays sport, sleeps in her earrings and has long hair washed with a rich conditioner will see a dirty back within days.
Earrings get dirty faster, too, when the back is a rough or worn metal. A smooth, polished surface lets residue rinse off. A scratched or tarnished one holds it.
Why do my earring holes get dirty too?
The hole and the back are one system. Whatever builds up inside the butterfly is pressed against the opening of the piercing at the back of the lobe. So the crust you see around the hole often comes from the back as much as from the ear itself. That's covered in Why do her earring holes get crusty?
Why does my earring back smell?
Skin oil and dead skin cells held in a warm, damp place develop a sour, cheesy smell as they break down. It's the same reason socks smell. The smell is unpleasant, but on its own it's ordinary build-up rather than a problem with her ear.
If her lobe is red, hot, swollen or painful, or there's yellow or green discharge, that's different. Take the earrings out and speak to her pediatrician.
How to stop earrings from getting dirty
You can't stop the build-up entirely, because her skin will keep doing what skin does. You can stop it collecting.
- Take the backs off once a week. Even for earrings she keeps in, slide each back off, clean it, and dry it before it goes back on.
- Clean with warm water and mild soap. A soft toothbrush gets into the curls of the butterfly where a cloth can't.
- Clean behind her lobe at the same time. A little soap and water on a cotton pad, then dry it.
- Dry everything completely. Damp skin held under a back is more easily irritated and holds more build-up.
- Rinse well in the shower. Tip her head so water runs behind the ear and carries shampoo away.
- Earrings on last, off first. Lotion and hair products go on before her earrings, so less ends up behind them.
If the crust is on her lobe rather than the back, Why are my daughter's earrings crusty? covers that side of it, and the pillar on why her ears react to earrings explains when irritation is the metal rather than the dirt.
When should you replace the back?
Clean backs can be reused for a long time. Replace one when:
- It's lost its grip and slides off the post too easily
- The wings are bent or uneven, so it sits at an angle
- It's discolored or tarnished, which means the finish has worn
- It won't come clean however you wash it
A worn back is rougher, so it gets dirty faster and can rub. Backs are cheap to replace and worth replacing.
What we do
Earring backs are the most neglected part of most earrings. They're often generic, and frequently made by a different supplier from the earring itself. So a brand that says its earrings are tested may never have tested the back. I'd ask any brand one question: is the back 24 karat plating, or just a gold color on a brass base?
Ours are held to the same standard as the front. The S316L Surgical Steel core runs through the setting, the post and the butterfly back, and on our gold range the whole earring is then finished in pure 24 karat gold with Aunix™ 24K, our engineered gold finish, a gold-plating process. Independently tested by SGS, with the post and the back tested as well as the front, and nickel release not detected under EN 1811. Report BTO 341803/1.
Every pair has a double-notch post, so the butterfly sits at the right tension and comes off easily for cleaning. If her backs have seen better days, the Butterfly Backs in 24K Pure Gold come in packs of five. The earrings are on the 24K Pure Gold collection.
Questions parents ask next
Is the dirt behind her earring harmful? On its own, no. It's skin, oil and product residue. Left for weeks, it can irritate the skin behind the lobe, which is why a weekly clean is worth doing.
Can I soak earring backs to clean them? Yes. A few minutes in warm soapy water loosens the residue, then a soft toothbrush clears the curls. Rinse and dry well.
Should she take her earrings out at night? It's not necessary for clean, well-fitted studs. Taking the backs off for a weekly clean matters more than nightly removal.
Why is the back dirtier on one ear? Usually the side she sleeps on, or the side her hair falls over. Pressure and contact push more residue into the back.
Do gold backs stay cleaner than steel? The metal matters less than the finish. A smooth, polished back of either material rinses clean more easily than a worn one.
Related reading
- What is the white gunk on her earrings?
- Why are my daughter's earrings crusty?
- Why do her earring holes get crusty?
About the author. Matt Westmore is the founder of purepixxi. He came to children's jewelry from manufacturing and sourcing rather than marketing, which means he has walked the factory floors and knows what is actually inside a product rather than what a label says about it. purepixxi uses two materials only, names them exactly, and has them independently tested.
