How to Remove Warts: Painless, Easy, and Cheap Home Remedies

Author:
SmartAndFun
Updated:
Aug 10, 2022 1:46 AM EDT

Several home remedies can be used for easy and cheap wart removal.
webhamster @ flickr.com

Inexpensive and Effective

There's no need to go to the dermatologist to get warts removed from your skin. Although that's the fastest way, it can be painful and traumatic, especially for children or phobics who are scared of even the smallest medical procedures.

If you'd rather not have the dermatologist remove your warts—whether it's because you don't have insurance, don't have transportation, are fearful of the freezing or laser process, can't find a free moment to get to an appointment, or would just like to save a few dollars—you can remove your warts yourself, at home. It's cheap, easy, and painless. It does take some time and patience while you wait for the wart to die and fall off, but these methods require only a few moments a day from you.

It seems that everyone has heard of the duct tape method for removing warts. Apparently, it works, but it's not the only method. In this article, I'll cover several others. Read on to learn how to remove warts with:

Topical Iodine
Nail Polish
Garlic
Castor Oil
Duct Tape
and More

Although these methods are cheap, easy, and painless, they are not instant or quick. They take time, usually several weeks. They are carried out in basically the same manner: put the removal substance directly on the wart, every day or several times a day, and wait for the wart to fall off.

Always consult a medical professional before attempting to remove a skin growth at home and have it properly identified.

How Do They Work?

The duct tape method is an aid to work simply by alerting your immune system to the fact that there is a wart on your skin. Once the reminder is there, your immune system will kick in and kill it.

I'm listing the iodine method first, simply because I have used it many times, and it has always worked for me. So, I have never needed to try the other methods in this article. Nevertheless, they have been recommended by friends and family, whose advice I am passing on to you.

Removal With Topical Iodine

I have used this method many times on myself, and a couple of times on my kids. I learned it many years ago from a coworker who grew up in a small, country Texas town.

When a wart first popped up on my hand, I got some Compound W from the drugstore and applied it as directed. My wart turned into an ugly, peeling mess, and eventually came off, but it grew right back.

Then my coworker told me her family always used iodine to get rid of warts. I went back to the drugstore and purchased a small, inexpensive bottle of "Topical Iodine Tincture." (Although no prescription is needed to purchase topical iodine tincture, most pharmacies keep it behind the prescription counter, so you'll have to ask for it.)

What to Do:

Small bottles of topical iodine tincture usually have a self-storing plastic dabber inside, attached to the inside of the lid. Several times a day, use the dabber to place a drop of iodine on your wart and let it sink in.
Warts are porous, so the iodine will sink in quickly. It does not burn or hurt in any way, but iodine has that brownish-red color, and it will stain warts, which makes them more noticeable. If you're going somewhere special, cover it with a BandAid. Otherwise, keep it uncovered because that makes it easier to dab the iodine on. Also, seeing your little brownish-red bump serves as a reminder to put iodine on it now and then throughout the day.
Eventually, the wart will fall off and never grow back. At least that's how it has always gone for me—every time. Sometimes it takes ten days, and sometimes it takes a couple of months. I am no doctor, but I think that iodine gets rid of warts permanently because it actually kills the human papillomavirus, whereas some other methods do not. I would love for someone knowledgeable on the virus to chime in on this theory in the comments section.

Using Nail Polish

To use this method, you may not even have to buy anything. All it requires is nail polish—preferably clear—and BandAids or medical tape.

Here's How:

Thoroughly but gently wash and dry your wart.
Cover it with clear nail polish. Allow the polish to dry.
Cover the wart with a BandAid or medical tape.
The next night, remove the BandAid and reapply another coat of nail polish right over the previous night's polish. Let it dry and apply a new BandAid.
Repeat this every night until the wart begins to separate from your skin. It may separate in pieces or layers, or it may fall off all at once. Be patient, as this process can take several weeks.

If any signs of infection or an adverse reaction develops please see a medical professional.

Castor Oil

For this home remedy, you can use straight castor oil, or mix it with a fragrant essential oil such as lavender oil or lemongrass oil. You can also make a paste of castor oil and baking soda.

Here's What to Do:

Apply a drop of castor oil, or castor oil mixed with essential oil, directly to your wart several times a day.
Allow the oil to soak into the wart for as long as possible, then clean up the excess oil with a tissue or Q-Tip.
If using castor oil/baking soda paste, apply the paste directly to the wart, covering it completely with paste. Cover it with medical tape or a BandAid to hold the paste in place. Repeat several times throughout the day.
Repeat every day for several days or weeks until the wart falls off.

Garlic

Some say online to take garlic pills to get rid of warts, but the method that people recommended to me is to apply garlic directly to your warts. Garlic is said to have virus-killing properties which will get rid of warts and prevent them from returning.

What to Do:

Using a knife or the back of a fork, crush a garlic clove, working it until it forms a paste.
At night before you go to bed, place a little glob of garlic paste directly on your wart, and cover it with a BandAid to hold it on. Sleep with the paste covering the wart.
If you're worried about the garlic leaking onto your sheets or pajamas, cover it; for example, place a sock over garlic-covered warts on your foot, or a loose glove over warts on your hand, or use a stretchy fabric bandage to cover warts on other places.
Repeat this procedure every night for several weeks, or until the wart falls off.

Duct Tape

This method has gotten lots of press over the last several years, I think mainly because it is rather funny and unusual that duct tape (of all things!) can get rid of warts. Although doctors are not sure exactly why it works, it has been proven effective again and again.

Some say a duct-tape-covered wart becomes starved for oxygen and dies, while others believe the duct tape simply alerts the body's immune system to the wart so that the body can kill it off.

What to Do:

Thoroughly wash and dry the body area with the wart.
Cover it securely with a piece of duct tape. Leave the tape in place for 6 days.
Remove the tape and soak the area in warm water for about 5 minutes.
Use a clean file or pumice to abrade the wart, gently scraping its surface. Dedicate this file or pumice to one person and use it only for this purpose, so that you do not spread the virus to other people or other areas of your body.
On the day that you remove the duct tape and soak the wart, leave the wart uncovered overnight.
Apply a clean piece of duct tape the next morning, and repeat the process until the wart is completely gone. The number of repetitions it takes to get rid of the wart varies from individual to individual and wart to wart.

Other Home Remedies to Remove Warts

There are quite a few home remedies for removing warts, and all involve putting some sort of substance on the wart until it falls off. My friends, family, and I can't vouch for these methods, but they are said to work:

Apple cider vinegar: Apply several drops a day directly to the wart.
Vinegar and baking powder: Make a paste with white vinegar and baking powder. Apply it to your wart several times throughout the day.
Tea tree oil: Apply several drops a day directly to the wart.
Flax seed oil: Apply several drops a day directly to the wart.
Onions: Use medical tape or a BandAid to hold a small slice of onion on your wart.
Potatoes: Use medical tape or a BandAid to hold a small slice of potato on your wart.
Fresh pineapple: Use medical tape or a BandAid to hold a small slice of pineapple on your wart.
Dandelion "milk": Apply the milky juice from a dandelion stem directly to the wart several times a day.
Lemon juice: Soak one side of a cotton ball in lemon juice, then attach it over your wart with a BandAid or medical tape. Change several times a day.
Banana peel: Use medical tape or a BandAid to hold a small slice of banana peel on your wart, with the inside of the peel touching it.

how-to-remove-warts-at-home-painless-easy-and-cheap-remedies-you-may-not-have-heard-of — ahemler on flickr.com

Tips for Staying Wart-Free

As mentioned before, warts are caused by a virus. This means they are contagious, and not just to other people but also to other parts of your body. Hygiene is important to stop warts from spreading. Take these steps to help avoid catching or spreading the human papillomavirus.

Wash your hands thoroughly with hot water and soap several times throughout the day.
Do not touch other people's warts. Wash your hands after interacting with someone who has warts, after visiting their home or office, and after touching your own warts.
Be aware of any cuts or other skin openings you may have, as they allow the virus to enter your body more easily.
If you clip, shave or cut your warts, clean the implement thoroughly with hot water and alcohol. Better yet, use a wart removal remedy and allow your warts to fall off, rather than infecting your grooming tools by using them on warts.
Keep your skin clean and dry as much as possible, as the human papillomavirus flourishes in a warm, moist environment.
Do not put your fingers in your mouth if you have warts on your fingers.
Wear shower sandals in school, fitness centers, community shower rooms, public pools and locker rooms. Wear them in hotel bathrooms as well.
Always use a clean, unused Q-Tip to dip into your solution. If you apply any of the home remedies to your warts using a Q-Tip, do not dip the Q-tip back into the wart-removal solution once it has touched a wart.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and does not substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, and/or dietary advice from a licensed health professional. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency.

Comments - I'd love to hear what works for you!

Nomsa on February 26, 2019:

Is this iodine the povidine iodine that also help for wound

No name on January 07, 2019:

You do realize within the first paragraph it says ways to use these methods to avoid the doctor, but then says right after to consult a doctor before doing said things. This is a contradiction.

Gravy girl on December 26, 2018:

What is the best strategy? The Freezing at the doctor's does not work that good.

Craig on March 16, 2018:

I'm using Apple cider vinigar on small bit of cotton wool covered with a band aid over night, for 7 days, it flatterns it and it goes black then it comes off like a scab over several more days. Works great!

Dennis on March 11, 2018:

I went to a doctor who had me use iodine on ring worm on my foot. Works! Told me to use it on warts too.

Anne on May 13, 2017:

Never tried iodine. I'll have to remember that one. All the other remedies are crap, and the warts come back. There's only one thing I have found that actually works and its called Wart Paste. Warts fell off in two weeks. You can find it here if the iodine doesn't work for you. http://trueloveskincare.com/wart-paste/?ap_id=4

SmartAndFun (author) from Texas on February 14, 2017:

I'm sorry, I don't know anything about genital warts. I suggest seeing a doctor for that very serious condition. Best wishes.

SmartAndFun (author) from Texas on February 14, 2017:

RandAll craig Pritchett, the rat method is the most hilarious one I've heard so far! Thanks for a very original and entertaining comment!

SmartAndFun (author) from Texas on February 14, 2017:

Surya, I have found that three to four weeks of applying iodine to the wart several times a day very effective at killing the "roots" of warts.

Jidah on February 02, 2017:

THE BEST WARTS REMOVER: Franch Oil NH*

U must try this! It worked in just 2 DAYS!! I am so grateful to give a try applying this oil on my warts and it just worked!! I just cant believe to see my CLEAN and SMOOTH hands which looked awful when i had the warts! Those suffering from warts, PLEASE GIVE A TRY OF THIS OIL! U will feel GRATEFUL FOREVER!

Jess on January 16, 2017:

What is the best way to kill a wart

RandAll craig Pritchett on December 30, 2016:

i have successfully used Castor oil and baking soda for tags. and any skin growths. tea tree for plantar warts. my dad said they used to rub a potato slice around the wart for removal. my 5 yro got a wart on the thumb and growing quite rapidly. we did not have any potatoes so i told her to take a penny and rub it in a circle around the wart for as long as it takes to say the lords prayer. it was gone in a week or two. my ex had a dark tag on her neck after childbirth. i tied a thread tightly around and knotted it trimining any excess. gone in two days, no scar no return. do it Friday night if you wish. my father in law uses vitamin e oil rubbing it in well on scars or any skin conditions. he did consider the oil necessesary and said it can be done with rubbing alone. cantharidin (spanish fly or any blister beetle) is a natural substance and works well. your physician can call it in. uncle buck will give you a subway token to go down and let a rat gnaw it off. be sure to vaccinate the rat and sterilize it's teeth with a solution ov polychlorinated biphenyls and methyl ethyl ketone with two parts napalm, one part agent orange mixed with zyklon B (not kosher for passover).

surya on November 24, 2016:

i have wart in my middle finger . The top surface became flat. But the root hasn't gone .How can i get rid from the root?

Tiffany on November 15, 2016:

I used dark blue nail polish for three straight weeks on the bottom of my foot and the wart has never returned.

miles on October 26, 2016:

Hi guys iam happy to see all these ideas,I hv a wart on my neck and its making me uncomfortable,iam going to try the nail polish idea,and some1 told me about super glue iam going to try that 2

Sydney on October 19, 2016:

I am using the duct tape and I may try the banana peel trick

Hiraa on September 18, 2016:

I have removed my mole through natural things but it get a white scar.....' how can it removed??? Waiting for replies

Bev on August 19, 2016:

Nice article, what about warts on the eyelids, what remedy do you have?

Jahanzaib on August 17, 2016:

Can you please tell me which method for wart removing is not painful and quick. I have a little wart on my neck. So please help.