the boogie man don't have nothin on me

March 23, 2006 5:16 PM

I get so many boogers that the boogie man is jealous of me. How do I get rid of boogers, it's embarassing because I have to pick my nose at least twice a day in fear that some hot chick is going to see a booger in my nose. This isn't only during the winter, I get boogers year round.

So what is causing these excess boogers, and what can I do to get rid of them? Also, if I can't get rid of them altogether, what techniques do you use to get rid of unwanted little boogers? Sorry if boogers gross you out...

posted by pwally to Health & Fitness (28 answers total)

Response by poster: I've reread my question and it looks like i've come across a little bit silly, but this is very serious. I need to get rid of my boogers.
posted by pwally at 5:17 PM on March 23, 2006

Well, you could try sinus irrigation.
posted by idiotfactory at 5:23 PM on March 23, 2006

Go somewhere private like a bathroom stall and clean house, so to speak. That's what I do.

As to what causes it, I don't know. Allergies?
posted by cropshy at 5:23 PM on March 23, 2006

IANAD, but have you gotten yourself checked out for allergies in the past couple of years? Allergies can come in a variety of forms, including those that last year round and can be developed later in life.

On preview: what cropshy said.
posted by jmhodges at 5:24 PM on March 23, 2006

I have a ton of boogers and recently had an allergy test that told me I am allergic to nothing (common) in my area. So, yeah, maybe not allergies.
posted by ch1x0r at 5:30 PM on March 23, 2006

Is your house/work area very dusty? Try an air filter at least at home. I'd be surprised if that didn't cut down on your problem.
posted by viachicago at 5:33 PM on March 23, 2006

Good luck to you, boogered one. For you and anyone who truly sufferes from allergies of any kind, please check out NAET. It's a therapy that has helped many. I used to suffer blocked sinuses and sinus drainage from allergies. After this treatment, I have been TOTALLY clear of all allergies.

Check it out at www.naet.com.
posted by lometogo at 5:42 PM on March 23, 2006

1) Irrigation, as idiotfactory mentioned.
2) Carry a handkerchief.
3) Refer to your blockage as "muccus", or even "mucus". It sounds dirtier than "boogers".
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:01 PM on March 23, 2006

Neti. Similar to Sinus Irrigation. My nose is so much cleaner now it's amazing.
posted by daver at 6:02 PM on March 23, 2006

(#2 is for blowing, not wiping or picking)
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:03 PM on March 23, 2006

Pick it Lick it roll it Flick it.
posted by gergtreble at 6:31 PM on March 23, 2006

How much milk do you drink? I know for a fact that milk increases my own snot production something astounding.
posted by flabdablet at 6:35 PM on March 23, 2006

When I've got bad allergies or a cold, I find that saline spray from the drugstore helps. Check the labels and try to get on that only has saline though -- some of them have preservatives or something that gives me insomnia.
posted by clarahamster at 6:38 PM on March 23, 2006

I suffer from excessive boogers as well. Lots of snot, too. I got an allergy test and everything was negative. So they diagnosed me with a disease with a long name that sounds something like "eosiniphyllic non-allergic rhinitis". I had a special (RX) nasal spray that I took for a while but subsequently ran out of. Antihistamines like Allegra and Claritin have given me some relief since, although they make me feel extremely dry and I'm not sure at this point if that's better than the boogers.

Go see an ear, nose, and throat specialist.
posted by PhatLobley at 6:59 PM on March 23, 2006

Another vote for nasal irrigation. Much love for the miraculous benefits in this thread.
posted by desuetude at 8:22 PM on March 23, 2006

My past similar issues were cured by sleeping with a humidifier at night. Apparently, letting the normal sinus drainage have the appropriate viscosity to drain properly has a big advantage. (This is particularly applicable if your environment is generally dry.)
posted by SpookyFish at 8:22 PM on March 23, 2006

It is how your body cleans and protects itself. just be careful,dont get caught.
posted by hortense at 8:57 PM on March 23, 2006

If you have a lot of nose hair, maybe try trimming it back so that boogers don't get caught up in it so easily?
posted by j at 9:14 PM on March 23, 2006

Please don't buy into the pseudo-sciences of homebrew nasal irrigation, neti pots or claims to eliminate allergies with "selective energy balancing" of NAET. Neti pots are infections waiting to happen, and wtf is selective energy balancing?

Mucus is natural. It prevents infections, an irrigating it makes you more susceptible to bacteria and virus and crap of all kinds. Blow your nose in the bathroom. If it's really an issue, go see an ENT doctor.
posted by frogan at 10:18 PM on March 23, 2006

eat them. seriously. you will have a leg up on everyone when bird flu starts goin around.
posted by Tryptophan-5ht at 10:48 PM on March 23, 2006

make sure you drink at least 2 litres of water a day, or ideally as much as it takes until your urine is close to clear coloured when you urinate.

seriously, that's the advice my doctor gave me for similar a similar sinus related issue and it seemed to do the trick.

plus it does sound like your system is pretty dehydrated.
posted by chrissyboy at 5:06 AM on March 24, 2006

Pollution can cause excessive mucus. I was raised 100 meters from a BIG steel factory. My nose was always blocked. Moved to a city with clean air (and very dry), and the problem stopped for the 5 years I stood there. Moved to another polluted city, problem is back.

Does this happen to you when you're spending some time in the country side?
posted by qvantamon at 6:17 AM on March 24, 2006

Kleenex (TM) brand facial tissues
posted by caddis at 6:52 AM on March 24, 2006

Is picking one's nose twice a day considered excessive? I'm in there twice an hour.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:54 AM on March 24, 2006

I'm on the same boat as viachicago. If your home or work place is very dusty, you're going to get a lot of boogers. I usually have to pick my nose once every couple of days, but when I went to visit Shanghai, where the air is extremely dirty, I had to clean out my nose at least twice a day.
posted by nakedsushi at 11:31 AM on March 24, 2006

MrMoonpie, were you nearby I'd give you a round of applause.

I might not shake your hand, but I'd certainly clap.
posted by NortonDC at 8:39 PM on March 24, 2006

Seconding flabdablet. Too much of any dairy products (yogurt, ice cream, whatever) sends my snot production through the roof.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 11:07 AM on March 25, 2006

Do you smoke? The more cigarettes I smoke the more snot I seem to produce.

I'll also agree with the less milk, more water and do it in the bathroom sentiments.
posted by 999 at 9:17 AM on March 26, 2006