At the risk of sounding like your dentist, I have to reiterate that dental care is an important part of maintaining good hygiene. Brushing and flossing your teeth promote a healthy smile and help keep bad breath at bay — bad breath results from food particles left in the mouth after improperly cleaning your teeth.
If you did the breath test against the palm of your hand and realised it’s not as fresh-smelling as you’d like, these seven DIY at-home remedies can help.
Baking soda and water
A common household product, baking soda is in many kinds of toothpaste that are effective at getting rid of bad breath. Research shows that baking soda is a safe ingestible that can help kill bacteria that cause bad breath in the mouth.
Harness the power of baking soda in the form of a DIY natural mouthwash. Here’s how to make and use your own baking soda rinse:
1. Mix 1 cup of warm water with 2 teaspoons of baking soda.
2. Swish for 30 seconds.
3. Spit and repeat as needed.
Warm water and salt
Create a mixture of salt and warm water for another at-home, alcohol-free mouthwash. Gargling warm salt water helps eliminate odour-causing bacteria and mucus in the back of the throat.
Here’s how to make and use your own DIY saltwater rinse:
1. Mix 1 cup of warm water with half a teaspoon of salt.
2. Swish for 30 seconds.
3. Spit and repeat as needed.
You can make a larger batch, but add half a teaspoon of salt for every cup of water you use.
Apple cider vinegar
and water
Apple cider vinegar is an antibacterial great for combating bad breath.
Apple cider vinegar is an antibacterial with a host of benefits, and it even makes a good DIY mouthwash. Its taste is pungent, but it helps prevent the growth and spread of odour-causing bacteria and balance pH levels.
Take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar diluted with water before a meal to ward off bad breath from the start. Its acidity helps your body digest food and prevents bad breath from indigestion.
Lemon juice
On the topic of acidic foods, lemon and its antibacterial properties can help prevent the spread of bacteria that causes bad breath.
It also tastes pleasant when mixed with water and used as a wash.
Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice with a cup of warm water to make it a more neutral, natural mouthwash.
Cloves
Like apple cider vinegar, cloves have antibacterial properties that help combat odour-causing bacteria that lead to bad breath.
You can utilise cloves for bad breath in two ways. You can chew on whole cloves or make clove tea rinse. To make a rinse, follow these steps:
1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of ground cloves.
3. Let simmer for five minutes.
4. Rise, spit and repeat.
Cinnamon
Ever heard of the cinnamon gum Big Red? Cinnamon contains the essential oil cinnamic aldehyde, which can reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth by 50 per cent, making it a great flavour for gums and mints because it’s great for combating bad breath.
Crunchy veggies
Chew on a stalk of celery, a big red apple or carrots to help ease bad breath. Hard, crunchy vegetables act as makeshift toothbrushes and help rid your mouth of plaque and small, left-behind food bits that cause bad breath. —cnet.com