Sinus rinse
Rinsing the nose with salt water keeps the lining moist and flushes out mucus, crusts, old blood clots, pollens and inflammatory debris.
Good evidence supports rinsing in chronic sinusitis, in allergic rhinitis, and after nasal or sinus surgery. For many of my patients it is the single most useful thing they do, and it makes steroid sprays work better.
What to use
High-volume bottles work better than mists. A 240 mL squeeze bottle carries the solution through the whole nasal cavity, which a small spray cannot do. Other devices such as a neti pot are fine too. I generally suggest a squeeze bottle because it is cheap, easy to clean and easy to control. They are available from any pharmacy without a prescription.
Doing it safely
Two rules matter more than technique. Use the sachets that come with the kit, or the correct quantities of salt and baking soda, because plain water stings considerably. And never rinse with water straight from the tap: use distilled or previously boiled and cooled water, and clean the bottle after every use.
Rinse before you use a steroid spray, not after, and leave 10 to 15 minutes between the two. If you have had a nosebleed, wait a day before restarting.
What to expect
The first few rinses feel strange, and some solution may run out afterwards when you lean forward or bend down. That settles quickly. If rinsing is consistently painful, or nothing passes through at all, the nose may be too blocked for it to work, and that is worth reviewing.
Worth being seen if you have
- Rinsing that is consistently painful, or solution that will not pass through at all
- Clear watery fluid dripping from one nostril after rinsing, worse on leaning forward
- A new nosebleed each time you rinse
Patients under my care receive a detailed handout with the full step-by-step method, the exact mixture and cleaning instructions.
This page is general information and does not replace advice about your own case. Reviewed August 2026.