"The Office" Neti Pot Episode

I’m a fan of nasal passage cleaning because I like the results. Unfortunately, doing it can be cumbersome when it comes to cleaning and sterilizing the equipment afterward.  After all, you are shoving something up your nose to irrigate it and that something has to be cleaned.   Don’t dig out Grandma’s good teapot,  Waterpik has several options that are easy and convenient.

The family of Waterpik SinuSense Products

Waterpik® has four new nasal irrigation options:

  • Waterpik® SinuSenseNeti Pot: A traditional gravity-fed water flow for truly gentle sinus cleansing. It’s safe for everyday use for ages 4 and up.
  • Waterpik® SinuSense Neti Bottle: This option adds the ease and flow control of a squeeze bottle while still offering a gentle clean.  Designed without a handle, it’s a gravity-fed water flow that you control. It’s also safe for everyday use for ages 4 and up.
  • Waterpik® SinuSense Squeeze Bottle: This is a bit more powerful as you control the flow by how hard you squeeze the bottle.  Like the others,  it’s safe for everyday use for ages 4 and up.
  • Waterpik® SinuSense Water Pulsator: This is the most powerful cleaner they make – a gentle pulsating stream massages and moisturizes the sinus passages. It’s battery-powered and does all the work with a squeeze of the trigger. It’s safe for everyday use for ages 6 and up.

Choosing which is best for you is a personal preference. I tried both the Neti Bottle and the Squeeze Bottle.  I preferred the Squeeze Bottle.  I found the Neti Bottle harder to use and found myself squeezing the bottle which resulted in me sucking down water.  The Squeeze Bottle just works better for me.

Image by danmachold via Flickr

No matter which one you choose here are some tips:

  • If you have long hair, pin it back. I can’t tell you how man times I’ve forgotten and gotten my hair wet.
  • Close your mouth (sounds simple, but when you’re leaning over a sink, head tilted 45-degrees to the left, your mouth just seems to naturally fly open – you will drink some salt water that way along with all the gunk you’re rinsing out of your nose – I know, I’ve done it).
  • Be sure to heat the water as directed. When it’s warm, you can barely tell its washing out your sinuses.  Too cold or too hot, and you’ll be more aware of it.  When it’s just warm, it’s actually pleasant.
  • Breathe – yep, even while you’re doing it.  Just relax and remember to breathe.
  • Don’t forget to gently blow your nose afterward – Waterpik recommends after each nostril.  I wait until all of the irrigation is done and it has a minute to drain.
  • Try doing it in the shower – you’re already wet and have access to warm water (although they recommend distilled or boiled water).  I do draw the line at shooting snot rockets afterward in the shower (actually recommended on their site).  I prefer to blow after showering.

The downside to any of these is they have to be cleaned and sterilized before your next use. Except for maybe a disposable option, you don’t really have a choice.  These must be washed in warm water and soap and then boiled on the stove or the microwave.  Simple, but annoying.  The packets are premeasured so that’s great and it’s non-burning.  You can use simple salt (NOT iodized) if you prefer.

If you’ve never tried a Neti Pot and you didn’t read about my previous experience, you may be wondering why you’d want to run water through your nose. It’s easy – to get rid of all the gunk the hair in your nose collects.  It’s especially great for kids and helps stop the removal by picking.  Kids as young as 4 can be taught to have their sinuses irrigated and it can help with allergies and relieving symptoms from colds.  I’m a believer in this natural healing remedy and always try it before resorting to drugs.

Do I recommend the Waterpik® SinuSense? Yes.  They’re inexpensive options that are easy to clean, have soft and pliable nozzles, and are plastic so they’re unbreakable so traveling with one or using it in the shower is safe.  I do recomend checking out the process even if these are the neti pots you end up with.  The process has been around for centuries and is tried and true.

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I received two products through MomSelect in order to test and write this review.  I was not compensated in any other way