Cleaning a Neti Pot

Using a neti pot to clean out your sinuses is a great way to prevent sickness. But, a neti pot can also be a way to cause or spread disease, if you do not take the proper precautions. This is especially true if more than one person within the household is using the neti pot.

Because you are inserting the tip of the neti pot into your nose, germs can be transmitted from your nose onto the tip of the pot. And if any of the neti pot solution flushes back from inside your nose into the pot itself, you run the risk of introducing bacteria into the pot.

Cleaning the pot is simple enough. You can use hot water and soap to wash the pot, being sure to either drain the water out of the spout, or submerging the pot altogether. As an alternative to soap, you can use a mix of one part white vinegar to two parts water. However, regardless of how you cleaned it, once you have washed it, and killed any of the germs in the pot, you want to take extra time to rinse the pot thoroughly. Soapy residue within the pot can taint the nasal rinse solution the next time you use it, and can cause irritation to the sinus lining. Rinse the pot out as completely as you can, then rinse it again with distilled water. This will prevent any residue from chlorinated water from being introduced into your next batch of neti pot solution.

Lastly, use a q-tip to swab some rubbing alcohol around the outside and inside of the tip of the spout. Do not do this just prior to use, but if you do it as you store the pot, it will help sterilize the pot tip. Then store the pot in a clean, dry place until ready to be used.