Clear Urine with Bubbles: 6 Main Causes & When to Worry.

Our content is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for medical advice by your doctor. Use for informational purposes only.

A Short Answer:

Clear urine with bubbles can result from benign conditions such as fast urine stream or detergents. Also, it occurs due to diseases such as albuminuria or UTI.

Quick insights:

Most cases of clear urine with bubbles are due to overhydration, fast urine stream, and toilet cleaning products.
If the bubbles are heavy and stay for longer periods (frothy urine), consider proteinuria.

Proteinuria that causes foamy urine can be transient or persistent.
Common causes of transient proteinuria include UTI, exercise, fever, acute illness, etc.
Common causes of persistent proteinuria are glomerulonephritis, diabetic nephropathy, heart failure, systemic lupus, and others.

[1] Normal finding (fast urine stream).

Your urine typically has few bubbles that form a single layer on the toilet water. It typically

Clear urine with bubbles experienced occasionally is considered normal. Urine bubbles typically occur normally due to the following:

Fast urine stream (when your bladder is full).

Urine that hits the toilet water directly.
Long distance of urine stream (peeing while standing).

Also, clear or transparent urine is not a cause of concern as long as it is occasional (not persistent). Clear urine can be due to excess water or fluid intake, caffeine (diuretic effect), or medications.

No need to worry about clear bubbly urine as long as:

The clear foamy urine is temporary (not persistent).
It is not associated with swollen legs, eyelids, or feet.

It is not associated with the frequent passage of large amounts of urine.
A normal urine bubble typically differs from a single layer that disappears after a few minutes. On the other hand, heavy foamy urine is typically persistent for days or weeks. The bubbles form multiple layers and don’t go away easily.

[2] Toilet Cleaning Products.

Excess bubbles with clear urine sometimes occur due to the chemical products used for toilet cleaning.

If you pee after a recent toilet cleaning, your urine may form excess bubbles due to soap or other detergents in the toilet water.

This effect is typically temporary and goes away if you urinate the next time after flushing.

[3] Transient proteinuria.

Proteinuria refers to the presence of protein molecules inside the urine (Protein molecules are large and typically not filtered through the kidney).

The presence of excess protein in urine typically means a kidney disease. However, it can result from other non-renal diseases.

Proteinuria leading to bubbly and clear urine is more common than you might think. Reports estimate that up to 33% of people may have proteinuria. However, most cases are benign and self-limiting (transient proteinuria).

Most cases of transient proteinuria resolve without significant kidney disease. Very short periods of transient proteins (as with fever or workouts) don’t lead to swollen legs, eyes, etc.

Common causes of transient proteinuria (reference):

Urinary tract infections.

Intense workouts/sports: the intensity is more important than the duration. Common examples include running, swimming, boxing, football, and rowing.
Orthostatic proteinuria (due to prolonged standing or upright position): urine appears normal in the morning but becomes foamy and clear at the end of the day.
Excess vaginal mucus that is mixed with urine leads to bubbles in urine.

Pregnancy.
Fever (high-grade).

As most cases are self-limiting, there is no need to worry. Or. They may cause foamy or bubbly urine with pale or clear, water-like color.

[4] Persistent proteinuria

This protein is often present for a long period and becomes progressive. Persistent proteinuria is either due to kidney diseases, such as glomerulonephritis, or other systemic diseases that affect the kidney, such as diabetes mellitus and lupus.

The proteinuria pee typically appears clear (pale yellow or colorless) with significant bubbles that look like foam.

Significant cases of proteinuria typically cause swellings in the foot, legs, or around the eye due to the loss of a significant amount of protein.

The most common causes of proteinuria include:

Persistent Proteinuria:
- Glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney glomeruli).
- Diabetes Mellitus.
- Connective tissue diseases such as Systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
- Heart failure.
- Vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation).
- Some malignancies, such as multiple myeloma.
- Severe Hypertension.
- Amyloidosis.

Symptoms suggestive of significant proteinuria:

In some cases of mild proteinuria, no symptoms exist except mild bubbly urine or pale pee color.

Swollen food (in the dorsum) and legs.
Swelling eyelids (particularly in the morning).
Peeing a lot (polyuria).

Foamy urine all the time (foamy or bubbly urine duration is important, and bubbles’ persistence may indicate proteinuria).
Other symptoms denoting the cause include systemic lupus (skin lesions, hair loss, mouth ulcers, etc.), heart failure, etc.

Tips for detecting proteinuria at home:

If you are still trying to figure out the cause of bubbles in urine and clear urine, Ask your doctor or arrange a visit to your GP or nephrologist.

Meanwhile, you can use some simple tests to detect proteinuria at home.

Disclaimer: these tests are not sensitive or specific for proteinuria. It may give you false negative or false positive results. So it is safer to work with your doctor.

Boiling method:

Take 5-10 ml in a glass test tube, and boil the upper part of the urine.
If cloudiness (coagulated protein) appears in the urine, it may be a sign of proteinuria.
You may also add some drops of acetic acid and reboil again.

If cloudiness persists, it is more likely to be a real protein.
Talk to your doctor, as these tests are not sensitive or specific.

Home albuminuria test strips:

Home test strips that detect proteinuria are available online. Order one and test for proteinuria if you have significant frothy or bubbly urine with clear (pale) color.

As your doctor or GP about the validity of using such methods, don’t jump to any conclusions based on the tests mentioned above.