Research suggests that the rate of HIV infection is increasing dramatically in African-American and Hispanic youths who live in low-income, urban areas. Nurses need information about these youths' negative experiences with condoms to intervene effectively in the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This article discusses negative experiences with using condoms that were reported by a subsample of condom users (n = 975) from a household probability sample of low-income, urban, African-American and Hispanic youths. Condom users were asked about 12 different negative experiences with condoms. Results from this household survey highlight a need for nurses to provide clients with specific directions about how to use condoms correctly and to encourage clients to practice putting on condoms.