Here's what you need to know about a Neti pot or any sinus rinse device. You must only use sterile DISTILLED water in a clean container. NEVER TAP WATER! Tap water has bacteria and other things that your stomach can handle, but your sinus which leads up to your brain is not designed for.
Some people use a NeilMed plastic squirt bottle, but how do you sterilize the thing properly? Also, with too much pressure it squirts too high up in your nose making it painful sometimes. Also, many people just rinse the bottle in the sink, and put it away. THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH! (Not for me, anyway, lol.)
I use a clean, dishwasher safe gravy boat, creamer or gravy separator (anything with a little spout that can be held easily in the hand that is dishwasher safe. I use it once and then put in the dishwasher. I only use distilled water. (I have my own countertop distiller).
My daughter does a sinus rinse every day, due to pollution in Los Angeles. She buys jugs of distilled specifically for this reason and swears by it.
Spray the Neilmed bottle and nasal aperture with 70% isopropyl and the. Sealing it in gallon ziplock with a clean paper towel to dry. Store in the ziplock. Isopropyl is a very effective anti microbial as long as the item you’re spraying is cleaned of debris first.
It is treated, but... remember the movie Erin Brockovich? Ground water was contaminated by industry and people were drinking and bathing in the municipal water that was mixed with the underground fresh water aquifers (recently contaminated) and the community was becoming sick and dying from the poisonous industrial chemicals. The city was treating the water, but the toxins were not being pulled out.
I grew up in a similar community, but we didn't have an Erin Brockovich, but an alert Catholic nun who reported a pattern of leukemia sickening her parochial students. That was our church and we lived blocks from it. Soon it came to our collective consciousness that suddenly nearly every household in our community had someone who was getting cancer. They called it 'a cancer cluster'. My healthy athletic mother got a huge terminal brain tumor. She had been the healthiest person I knew. Then they shut down 5 huge underground aquifers and named the area a Super Fund site.
I always drank the tap water and even the hose water when we played outside in the summer. I was extremely fit and athletic. Surprisingly, I got stage 3 breast cancer and am still alive because of healthy choices and massive supplement and herbal tincture ingestion, along with drinking only purified or distilled water since my 20's. I own two countertop water distillers and use that for all my cooking or drinking needs.
So, I do have a less trusting opinion about tap water. Also...
Re-read the statement about how stomach acid can handle many of these pathogens, but the upper sinus is not designed to do that. We are specifically talking about NOT using tap water for SINUS RINSES. Do you follow?
I have my own life experience with contaminated water that killed my mother a number of my friends and almost me. I learned my lesson.
But, by all means, use that tap water up into your sinuses unboiled and straight out of the bathroom sink. Don't spend a buck fifty for a bottle of distilled. It's your life. I'll choose differently, because I know better.
"Tap water is not sterile, meaning it might have germs in it. Waterborne germs can also grow in pipes, even when the public water system is working correctly, a small number of germs that naturally occur in the environment can still be present, and waterborne germs can grow in pipes.”
"Bacteria, Viruses, and Parasites in Drinking Water"
“Bacteria are everywhere in our environment, including surface waters and groundwater. Some of these bacteria can be harmful to human health. Drinking water with disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or parasites (collectively called pathogens) can make you sick.
It is not practical to test drinking water for every type of pathogen, but it is simple to test drinking water for coliform bacteria. The presence of coliform bacteria can indicate there may be harmful pathogens in the water.”
Two main groups of bacteria found in tap water are:
Coliform Bacteria. Coliform bacteria is a group of bacteria that is naturally found in soil, plants and the digestive tracts of people and animals. ...
Heterotrophic Bacteria. Heterotrophic bacteria are generally found in all water supplies.
Biochemist here. I made injectable-grade solutions. Tap water couldn't get anywhere near the labs because it was so contaminated with crap. Lots of filters, of several kinds were employed, then distillers. The end product is what we would use in the labs, drink, use in the coffee pots and tea kettles, even bottle up to take home, because we saw what came out of the city water.
Wow. Someone doesn't like hearing a differing opinion. You said the water was free of bacteria. That isn't true.
Here's another bit of info you won't like:
"Nasal irrigation devices — which include neti pots, bulb syringes, squeeze bottles, and battery-operated pulsed water devices — are usually safe and effective products when used and cleaned properly, says Eric A. Mann, M.D., Ph.D., a doctor at the FDA."
What does safe use mean? First, rinse only with distilled, sterile or previously boiled water.
Tap water isn’t safe for use as a nasal rinse because it’s not adequately filtered or treated.
Some tap water contains low levels of organisms — such as bacteria and protozoa, including amoebas — that may be safe to swallow because stomach acid kills them. But in your nose, these organisms can stay alive in nasal passages and cause potentially serious infections. They can even be fatal in some rare cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What Types of Water Are Safe to Use?
Distilled or sterile water, which you can buy in stores. The label will state “distilled” or “sterile.”
Boiled and cooled tap water — boiled for 3 to 5 minutes, then cooled until it is lukewarm. Previously boiled water can be stored in a clean, closed container for use within 24 hours.
Water passed through a filter designed to trap potentially infectious organisms. CDC has information on selecting these filters.
Here's what you need to know about a Neti pot or any sinus rinse device. You must only use sterile DISTILLED water in a clean container. NEVER TAP WATER! Tap water has bacteria and other things that your stomach can handle, but your sinus which leads up to your brain is not designed for.
Some people use a NeilMed plastic squirt bottle, but how do you sterilize the thing properly? Also, with too much pressure it squirts too high up in your nose making it painful sometimes. Also, many people just rinse the bottle in the sink, and put it away. THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH! (Not for me, anyway, lol.)
I use a clean, dishwasher safe gravy boat, creamer or gravy separator (anything with a little spout that can be held easily in the hand that is dishwasher safe. I use it once and then put in the dishwasher. I only use distilled water. (I have my own countertop distiller).
My daughter does a sinus rinse every day, due to pollution in Los Angeles. She buys jugs of distilled specifically for this reason and swears by it.
Spray the Neilmed bottle and nasal aperture with 70% isopropyl and the. Sealing it in gallon ziplock with a clean paper towel to dry. Store in the ziplock. Isopropyl is a very effective anti microbial as long as the item you’re spraying is cleaned of debris first.
It is treated, but... remember the movie Erin Brockovich? Ground water was contaminated by industry and people were drinking and bathing in the municipal water that was mixed with the underground fresh water aquifers (recently contaminated) and the community was becoming sick and dying from the poisonous industrial chemicals. The city was treating the water, but the toxins were not being pulled out.
I grew up in a similar community, but we didn't have an Erin Brockovich, but an alert Catholic nun who reported a pattern of leukemia sickening her parochial students. That was our church and we lived blocks from it. Soon it came to our collective consciousness that suddenly nearly every household in our community had someone who was getting cancer. They called it 'a cancer cluster'. My healthy athletic mother got a huge terminal brain tumor. She had been the healthiest person I knew. Then they shut down 5 huge underground aquifers and named the area a Super Fund site.
I always drank the tap water and even the hose water when we played outside in the summer. I was extremely fit and athletic. Surprisingly, I got stage 3 breast cancer and am still alive because of healthy choices and massive supplement and herbal tincture ingestion, along with drinking only purified or distilled water since my 20's. I own two countertop water distillers and use that for all my cooking or drinking needs.
So, I do have a less trusting opinion about tap water. Also...
Re-read the statement about how stomach acid can handle many of these pathogens, but the upper sinus is not designed to do that. We are specifically talking about NOT using tap water for SINUS RINSES. Do you follow?
I have my own life experience with contaminated water that killed my mother a number of my friends and almost me. I learned my lesson.
But, by all means, use that tap water up into your sinuses unboiled and straight out of the bathroom sink. Don't spend a buck fifty for a bottle of distilled. It's your life. I'll choose differently, because I know better.
I'd still prefer not to use Russian roulette if I were the type to do that.
The water itself may not be contaminated at the source, but it could be along the route to your spout. Including the spout itself.
Don't forget the fluoride in water too.
I live 8n a rural area and have a well. Our water is great.... the nearby city water? Not so much.
"Tap water is not sterile, meaning it might have germs in it. Waterborne germs can also grow in pipes, even when the public water system is working correctly, a small number of germs that naturally occur in the environment can still be present, and waterborne germs can grow in pipes.”
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/preventing-waterborne-germs-at-home.html
"Bacteria, Viruses, and Parasites in Drinking Water"
“Bacteria are everywhere in our environment, including surface waters and groundwater. Some of these bacteria can be harmful to human health. Drinking water with disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or parasites (collectively called pathogens) can make you sick.
It is not practical to test drinking water for every type of pathogen, but it is simple to test drinking water for coliform bacteria. The presence of coliform bacteria can indicate there may be harmful pathogens in the water.”
Two main groups of bacteria found in tap water are:
Source: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/contaminants/bacteria.html
Biochemist here. I made injectable-grade solutions. Tap water couldn't get anywhere near the labs because it was so contaminated with crap. Lots of filters, of several kinds were employed, then distillers. The end product is what we would use in the labs, drink, use in the coffee pots and tea kettles, even bottle up to take home, because we saw what came out of the city water.
Wow. Someone doesn't like hearing a differing opinion. You said the water was free of bacteria. That isn't true.
Here's another bit of info you won't like:
"Nasal irrigation devices — which include neti pots, bulb syringes, squeeze bottles, and battery-operated pulsed water devices — are usually safe and effective products when used and cleaned properly, says Eric A. Mann, M.D., Ph.D., a doctor at the FDA."
What does safe use mean? First, rinse only with distilled, sterile or previously boiled water.
Tap water isn’t safe for use as a nasal rinse because it’s not adequately filtered or treated.
Some tap water contains low levels of organisms — such as bacteria and protozoa, including amoebas — that may be safe to swallow because stomach acid kills them. But in your nose, these organisms can stay alive in nasal passages and cause potentially serious infections. They can even be fatal in some rare cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What Types of Water Are Safe to Use?
Distilled or sterile water, which you can buy in stores. The label will state “distilled” or “sterile.”
Boiled and cooled tap water — boiled for 3 to 5 minutes, then cooled until it is lukewarm. Previously boiled water can be stored in a clean, closed container for use within 24 hours.
Water passed through a filter designed to trap potentially infectious organisms. CDC has information on selecting these filters.
Source: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/rinsing-your-sinuses-neti-pots-