How to Remove Warts at Home

Let me begin by saying I am not a doctor. I have no medical training, and there is no medical research behind my method. I’m simply a momma who took various recommendations, some from doctors and some from fellow mommas, on how to get rid of a wart. 

So one day, my dirt-loving, bath-hating four-year-old came home with a wart smack dab in the middle of his palm. I didn’t think much of it, as a kid I had one on the outer-part of my wrist. I didn’t remember treating my wart. To my knowledge we simply left it there until it went away, so I didn’t panic when I saw Leo’s dirty little dot. But after just a week or so, that viral little dot became a giant dirty lump. I mean, it had doubled in size, if not tripled, in just about a week.

So I did what any momma would do, especially a momma of more than just one babe – because well, by the second time we worry less and handle more. I searched Pinterest looking for at-home remedies to cure this thing. I consulted with my pediatrician, but even she said it could take multiple office visits to get rid of the sucker. So after a few recommendations from coworkers, Pinterest ideas, and our family pediatrician, I had my game plan.

Step 1

Freeze the wart with an over-the-counter freezing system. I used Dr. Scholl’s Freeze Away Wart Remover, a common household name that I trusted. You can grab this at any local drugstore or grocery chain for about 12 bucks. It’s super simple to use at home as it comes with everything you need in one little yellow box. Per the directions, you simply put an applicator tip on the freezing can. Then push the can and applicator into the activator, and apply the tip to the wart for about twenty seconds. Boom. Done.

After a few days you should notice the top of the wart start to open up, as the Freeze Away should remove at least the top layer or two. Dr. Scholl’s says to only use the system every two weeks on each wart, and to only freeze each one up to three times. So, over the course of fourteen days I froze Leo’s (huge) wart twice, just enough to where I could see inside the wart and all of it’s little layers.

I wish I took pictures of this process to give you a better idea, but one – it seemed a bit much for this mommy blog of mine, and two – I”m telling you, you’ll know what I mean by “open” when you see it. Beware, when the wart is open like this, it’s contagious! Never touch the applicator tip, and although the bump needs air to breathe and sort of dry out, keep it loosely covered as often as possible!

Step 2

Apply small pieces of duct-tape directly over the wart and adhere with a bandage or medical tape. Yes, duct-tape. This is one of those ridiculous-sounding, Old Wives’ Tale type of remedies, but it works! I had a few moms even tell me they used cheap dollar store duct-tape and it still did the job. Since Leo’s wart was starting to really irk me, I went for the good stuff at Home Depot. It still only cost me about 4 bucks to work some magic.

This step can be quite timely, but slowly the wart will grow little black spots inside. This is a sign that the virus is starting to die (or so I’ve heard). Fellow mommas and our pediatrician both said to give it roughly two weeks, longer if the wart is somewhat large, so it can be a bit tedious constantly applying duct-tape pieces and bandages. But in my household, we pick tedious and inexpensive over quick and costly! And, each day after school, when I could keep an eye on what he was touching, I would leave it open for an hour or so to air out and dry up.

Eventually it will start to shrink, and one day you’ll go to change out the duct-tape and that nasty little lump will pop right off with it. It’s important to make sure nothing gets left behind, including the tiny roots, as these little suckers will grow back instantly if anything remains. Also, it may leave a tiny little hole in the skin. Feel free to apply a dab of anti-bacterial ointment to the spot to protect it, and to avoid scarring if it’s in a more visible place!

And there ya have it, three items to purchase and zero doctor visits to get rid of a wart! I’m all about home remedies, let me know your best ones. Us moms have to stick together if we’re ever going to make life with littles a bit easier!