Came home feeling embarrassed after my c section follow up appointment

I cleaned my C-section incision with water every day. Before touching it, I washed my hands with sanitizer and used fresh gauze to gently dab it dry. I was also applying the powder recommended by my doctor. I avoided scrubbing the area because I was scared of hurting the incision.

Today, during my follow-up appointment, my doctor checked the incision and said it was dirty. She cleaned it with gauze and spirit, and the gauze turned dark. She kept saying “yuck” several times and said she did not expect this from me. She even called another doctor to show what had happened.

I felt extremely embarrassed and came home crying. I ended up taking two showers that day because I felt so upset.

I want to understand how other people usually clean their C-section incision. Am I supposed to be scrubbing it, or is gentle cleaning enough?