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General product information for how to change a Foley bag, not medical advice. Follow the instructions from your own care team and the label of your product.
A Foley drainage bag is the collection bag attached to the end of an indwelling urinary catheter, and a bag change means replacing that bag with a new one. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s patient guide lists the items involved: a clean cloth or gauze, alcohol pads and the new bag. Federal infection-control guidance adds a point most how-to pages skip: each disconnection opens the closed drainage system, so the reason and timing of a change matter as much as the technique. This page covers the equipment and the guidance behind it. The exact technique for your situation comes from your clinician.
For background on the equipment, see what a urinary drainage bag is, the types of catheter bags (leg, night, belly and closed-system) and what a Foley catheter is.
What is involved in changing a Foley bag?
A bag change is a connection point task: the drainage bag joins the catheter at a connector, and changing the bag means separating and rejoining that connector. Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) lists these items for the task (checked 2026-11-04):
- A clean cloth (not one used for bathing) or a 4 x 4 piece of gauze
- Two alcohol pads
- The new drainage bag
- Soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- A toilet or other container to empty the used bag into
MSK also says the spout of the drainage bag should never touch the side of the toilet or any emptying container. The parts involved, such as the funnel-shaped connector at the end of the catheter, are described in parts of a catheter. A catheter strap is a separate item that holds the tubing against the leg; it is not part of the bag connection.
How often should a Foley bag be changed?
The CDC / HICPAC guideline for prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (2009) says that changing indwelling catheters or drainage bags at routine, fixed intervals is not recommended. It suggests changing them based on clinical indications such as infection, obstruction, or when the closed system is compromised (Category II). That guideline is written for healthcare facilities. Home routines differ between care teams and product labels, so your clinician’s instructions decide which schedule applies to you.
Why every disconnection matters
The CDC guideline recommends maintaining a closed drainage system after aseptic insertion of the catheter (Category IB). It also says that if there are breaks in aseptic technique, disconnection or leakage, the catheter and collecting system should be replaced using aseptic technique and sterile equipment (Category IB). In practice, each time a bag is disconnected, the catheter end and bag connector are exposed. This is why patient guides such as MSK’s call for alcohol pads on both connection ends. The CDC guideline also suggests considering catheter systems with preconnected, sealed catheter-tubing junctions (Category II), which is one reason closed-system bags are a distinct product type.
What can go wrong with a Foley bag?
- Leaking at the connection. MSK says the catheter should be tightly connected to the bag. Under the CDC guidance above, leakage is a break in the closed system.
- Kinked or twisted tubing. The CDC recommends keeping the catheter and collecting tube free from kinking (Category IB); MSK likewise mentions straightening kinks or twists in the tubing.
- Bag position. The CDC recommends keeping the collecting bag below the level of the bladder at all times and not resting it on the floor (Category IB).
- Touching the spout. The spout should not touch the toilet or any emptying container (MSK; the CDC gives equivalent wording for healthcare settings).
When is professional help needed?
Catheter problems, including any change in how the system drains or any concern about the catheter itself, are a matter for your healthcare provider or emergency services. A bag change page cannot assess symptoms. Insertion, removal and replacement of the catheter itself are clinical procedures and are not covered here.
FAQ
What does it mean to change a Foley bag?
It means replacing the drainage bag attached to an indwelling urinary catheter with a new one at the connector. MSK’s patient guide lists a clean cloth or gauze, two alcohol pads and the new bag as the items involved (checked 2026-11-04).
How often should a Foley bag be replaced?
The CDC guideline does not recommend fixed-interval changes and points instead to infection, obstruction or a compromised closed system. Your care team and the product label set the schedule that applies to you.
Do you need sterile supplies for a bag change?
MSK’s home guidance lists a clean cloth or gauze and alcohol pads. The CDC’s reference to sterile equipment applies when the catheter and collecting system are replaced after a break in the closed system, which is facility guidance.
Which bag types are there?
Leg, night, belly and closed-system bags are covered in types of catheter bags.
Supplies for catheter care are listed under catheters, urology and incontinence at LAC Health.
Sources
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Your Urinary (Foley) Catheter: How To Clean and Care for It, checked 2026-11-04.
- CDC / HICPAC, Guideline for Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (2009), checked 2026-11-04.
