What's a Booger?

A booger is a small clump of particles and a substance called mucus (MYOO-kus) in the nose. Mucus is the sticky, slimy stuff that's made inside the nose, airways, and even the digestive tract. A lot of kids have another name for nose mucus: snot. The nose and sinuses make about a quart (about 1 liter) of mucus every day.

Watch & Learn Together

Kids love our Chloe & Nurb videos about how the body works! Learn all about the nose and what it does.

Test Your Knowledge!

After watching, take this quiz to see how much you know about the nose.

What Does Mucus Do?

Mucus has a pretty important job — it keeps the lining of the nose moist and warms the air you breathe. Mucus also protects the lungs. When you breathe in air through your nose, it contains lots of tiny things, like dust, dirt, germs, and pollen. If these made it all the way to the lungs, the lungs could get irritated or infected, making it tough to breathe. Luckily, mucus helps trap this stuff, keeping it in the nose and out of the lungs.

How Do Boogers Form?

After this stuff gets stuck inside the nose, the mucus surrounds it and some of the tiny hairs inside the nose called cilia (SIL-ee-uh). These hairs help move the mucus and the trapped stuff toward the front of the nose or the back of the throat. When the mucus, dirt, and other debris get dry and clump together, it’s a booger.

Boogers can be squishy and slimy or tough and crumbly. Everybody gets them, so they're not a big deal. In fact, boogers are a sign that the nose is working the way it should.

What’s the Best Way to Get Rid of Boogers?

If you have to get rid of boogers, the best thing is to blow them out of your nose and into a tissue. Nose picking isn't a great idea because boogers contain lots of germs. Also, poking around in the nose can make it bleed.