When making a solution for nasal rinse at home, there are several things that one should avoid in order to prevent causing damage to the nasal lining. While some people are completely comfortable using homemade nasal rinses there are good reasons why a commercially bought neti pot solution should be used.
The first thing to avoid is tap water. Depending on where you live, tap water can contain any number of contaminants. And even if there are no harmful bacteria, the pH could be out of balance. Additionally, most treated water has chlorine. Using distilled water is preferable, but can be expensive. At a minimum, be sure to boil tap water to kill any germs it may contain. Just be sure to let the water cool before using it in the nasal lavage.
Additionally, when mixing a neti pot solution at home, one should avoid using iodized salt. Most table salt has a small amount of iodine added to it. While this is perfectly healthy and in fact encourages health when eaten, is not good to have that in a nasal rinse. Pickling salt is often the preferred salt because it lacks not only the iodine, but other additives that are sometimes found in regular table salt, like anti-caking agents.
Lastly, some people like to add a little bit of baking soda to their neti pot solution. This adjusts the pH to more closely match that of the body, which causes less irritation to the nasal passages. Unlike baking, you cannot substitute baking powder for baking soda when creating a nasal rinse.
Because even the slightest mistake when mixing a nasal lavage can further irritate the sinus cavities, it is preferred to buy a pre-mixed neti pot solution, or a solution in powder form that is specifically designed with the right balance of salt and pH.
Karen - Neti Pot Solution information from http://netipotsolution.net