neti pot saline mixture

This is a little random, but I figured it might help a few people, especially during allergy season. Do you neti? (yes, I just made that a verb) If you don’t, I highly encourage you to try it. It’s a little freaky at first, but it’s a lifesaver if you suffer from allergies and/or sinus infections. My only beef with neti-ing is those little packets of the saline mixture that you buy…they’re so wasteful! I couldn’t find anywhere that sold the stuff in bulk, so I decided to make my own. I saved a little spice jar that was empty and started experimenting. Now this may not be the most sanitary thing in the world, but we’ve been using it every week for the past two+ years and haven’t noticed any differences in efficacy over those wasteful little packets.

It took some experimenting, but we settled on a ratio of 60 percent salt to 40 percent baking soda. We use sea salt with no additives (you definitely want non-iodized salt). I usually add  a scant 2/3 cups of sea salt and a heaping 1/3 cups of baking soda to a bowl, and then mix thoroughly. Then I use a funnel to dump it into my jar(s) of choice. When I’m ready to neti, I add a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of the saline mixture to the neti pot, add the eight or so ounces of water (I just fill to the line on our neti pot), and neti away.

I find that I only have to make this 2-3 times a year and that makes enough for both Grant and me to use it most weeks during the winter and spring.