1. Prior to the hefsek taharah, it is customary for a woman to clean herself internally, so that no residual blood should interfere with beginning her clean days. In contrast, during the seven clean days, we are trying to confirm that a woman has not resumed bleeding. Therefore, a practice clearly meant to remove blood, such as douching or deliberate internal washing, should be avoided (unless one has a specific ruling for a particular case).

Once, when daily bathing was not the norm, it was even recommended not to wash oneself at all during the clean days. Nowadays, people generally bathe or shower frequently, and a woman may bathe during the seven clean days as usual.

In cases where a woman is halachically permitted to wash internally, we recommend waiting at least a few minutes after internal washing before doing a bedikah, both so that it reflects what is really happening, and so as to allow the natural lubricants to return to prevent irritation from the bedikah.

Brown stains do not always invalidate the seven clean days, even when found on a bedikah cloth. Light brown, the color of coffee with milk or lighter with no reddish tint, is not a niddah color and does not invalidate a bedikah. A brown that is darker, or seems reddishe, should be examined by a halachic authority to determine whether it is okay. 

2. The problem with looking at toilet paper is connected to a debate about the halachic status of toilet paper, and to the problem of a stain found after urination, where there may have been a hargashah. (Please see our page on Toilet Paper for a more detailed explanation.) Some authorities recommend that a woman avoid looking at toilet paper to avoid getting into this halachic dilemma, and this would apply during the clean days as well.

We follow the approach that women who follow Ashkenazi halachic rulings should make it a practice to wait about fifteen seconds after urinating before wiping. After the fact, a woman can disregard a stain on toilet paper as long as she waited at least a few seconds before wiping. Women who follow Sephardi halachic rulings can ignore stains on toilet paper even if they did not wait. These halachot apply during the clean days as well as when a woman is tehorah.

This response was updated on 9 November, 2025.