For an overnight bag, you may need to drain every 4-8 hours. For a leg bag, you may need to drain every 3-4 hours.
Using a paper towel instead of a reusable towel or rag helps prevent the transmission of germs as you work with your bag. If you don’t have paper towels available, though, a clean cloth towel will work. Just be sure it hasn’t been used by others since it was last washed. You may also put on a sterile set of disposable medical gloves if you have access to them.
You can rinse the area either directly under a faucet or by wiping it down a few times with a wet towel or paper towel. You should aim to rinse the area around your catheter connection at least twice a day. You should also clean the area immediately after any time you’ve had to handle your catheter connection.
For an overnight bag, squeeze the plastic pieces on the drainage tube together gently until they come off the edge of the holder. Slowly slide the drainage tube out of the holder. Then, place the drainage tube over the toilet. [5] X Research source For a leg bag, point the drainage tube down into the toilet but do not let the tube touch the edges of the toilet.
Make sure all the urine from the catheter tube drains into the catheter bag as you hold it straight. This will make it less messy when you empty it.
You can then clip the drainage tube back into the holder and reuse the catheter, if it is reusable.
You should always rinse out the catheter bag before you reuse it. You should also rinse out the leg bag and let it dry if you are switching to a large catheter bag for the night. You should clean the leg bag every day if you use it daily and replace it with a new bag once a month.
If you cannot hang your bag up for the moment, wipe it down with a clean, dry towel or paper towel.
