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Urine sample

A single portion of urine for a urinalysis — the clean-catch midstream method keeps the sample honest.

Updated: August 29, 2026·MedProtect editorial team
Reference information — not a diagnosis or a prescription
In shortThe sample is collected with the clean-catch method: the first portion of urine goes into the toilet, the middle portion into a sterile cup until it is half full, and the rest into the toilet. The cup is closed tightly without touching the inside.

A urinalysis — the physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine — starts with a single sample. The standard way to collect it is the clean-catch method, which keeps skin bacteria and discharge out of the cup so that what the laboratory finds reflects the urine itself.

The method is the same idea for everyone: the first portion of urine flushes the urethra into the toilet, the middle portion is caught in the cup, and the stream finishes in the toilet. People with a penis clean the head of the penis with a sterile wipe first, pulling back the foreskin if uncircumcised; people with a vagina clean the area between the labia. The cup is filled about halfway, then closed.

Handling after collection matters as much as the collection. The lid is screwed on tightly, and the inside of the cup and lid is never touched. If the sample was collected at home, the cup goes into a plastic bag and into the refrigerator until it is taken to the laboratory or the provider's office.

A few everyday things change what urine looks like without any disease. Certain medicines change its color — chloroquine, iron supplements, levodopa, nitrofurantoin, phenazopyridine, phenothiazine, phenytoin, riboflavin, and triamterene among them — and some foods, such as beets and blackberries, can turn urine red. Normal urine color varies from almost colorless to dark yellow. Mentioning medicines before the test saves confusion afterwards; the provider may pause those that affect the result.

How the sample is collected

  1. Wash hands and open the sterile cup without touching its inside.
  2. Clean the genital area with the sterile wipe as instructed.
  3. Start urinating into the toilet, then stop the flow.
  4. Collect the middle portion into the cup until it is about half full.
  5. Finish urinating into the toilet.
  6. Screw the lid on tightly, label the cup if asked, and hand it over — or bag and refrigerate it until delivery if collecting at home.

What can spoil the sample

  • Catching the first portion instead of the middle one — the first portion washes skin flora into the cup.
  • Touching the inside of the cup or lid.
  • Collecting during a menstrual period without telling the provider — blood changes several readings.
  • Forgetting that beets, blackberries, and a list of medicines recolor urine, and worrying over a color the laboratory can explain.
  • Letting the sample sit warm for hours before delivery instead of refrigerating it.

Tests that use this sample

UrinalysisTest type

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Frequently asked questions

Why the middle portion?
The first portion of the stream washes out whatever sits at the urethral opening — skin bacteria and cells — into the toilet instead of into the cup. The midstream portion represents the bladder contents best.
Does urine color tell anything on its own?
Normal urine ranges from almost colorless to dark yellow, and beets, blackberries, and several medicines recolor it harmlessly. Color alone is not a diagnosis — the laboratory measures specific compounds instead.
How long can a sample wait before delivery?
As short a time as possible. If it was collected at home, the closed cup goes into a plastic bag and into the refrigerator until it is taken to the laboratory or the provider's office.

Sources

  1. Clean catch urine sample: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Accessed: August 29, 2026.
  2. Urinalysis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Accessed: August 29, 2026.