The First Thing to Do New with a New Bottle of Mouthwash

Have you been buying more mouthwash than usual lately? Maybe it’s just me, but wearing a mask for a good chunk of the day has made me considerably more aware of my breath. Even if your breath isn’t aggressively bad, there’s something about breathing your own breath in and out for hours at a time that will make you long for a swish of something minty. 

And honestly, mouthwash is good to have around for other things, too. For example, adding a tablespoon of mouthwash to your vase of cut flowers can help them last longer. And a splash in your laundry could help you banish smelly-gym-sock odors for good. There’s no shortage of reasons to grab a bottle of mouthwash the next time you’re at the grocery store (or loading up your virtual cart).

And when you do, there’s one thing that you should absolutely do first: Pour some down your kitchen drain.

Drains smell for the same reason your breath smells: food particles that promote bacterial growth. (Yum!) So, it follows that mouthwash, which kills bacteria in your mouth, would kill bacteria in your kitchen drain. And voila! So long, smelly sink. 

Now, you may argue that there are other ways to clean your drain and that it’s also probably a good idea to give that kitchen drain a deeper clean every once in a while. And you’d be right! Boiling water and running ice through the garbage disposal will also do the trick and, twice a year, experts say you should do a longer flush. 

But hot water and ice won’t give your sink that fresh mintiness. And we could also use a little fresh mintiness in our lives right now. 

Do you have any other smart bonus uses for mouthwash? Tell us about them in the comments below!