A Neti Pot May Be the Secret to Clearing Congested Sinuses

Every year for the past seven years, I’ve spent my northeast winters in a forever battle with my nasal passages. Colds are as reliable and unpleasant as tax season. Though I spend half of November through March with a tissue in my hand and my nose buried in a big cup of tea, I may have been forgoing one of the best treatments: a neti pot. No way could a water fountain for my nostrils possibly work at alleviating my misery. My only other assistance came in the form of chicken soup.

Turns out my suspicions about the effectiveness of the over-the-counter nose bidet were unfounded because the neti pot is a pretty good treatment if you’re stuffed up.

A neti pot is typically a plastic, ceramic, or porcelain container that flows a saline or saltwater solution through the nostrils and helps clear out allergens and mucus taking residence in the nose. Usually, it’s used to relieve nasal congestion and symptoms of sinus infections, colds, the flu, and seasonal or dust allergies. The water is funneled into one nostril and flows out of the other. Neti pots have been used for thousands of years as part of Ayurveda, a traditional health system with historical roots in India.

Nasal rinsing became somewhat more common in the West in the 19th century, but it wasn’t until 2007, when Mehmet Oz, MD, extolled the benefits of the neti pot on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” that the device entered mainstream conversations in the U.S. And conversations really took off: There was a 12,325 percent surge in Yahoo searches the day of the Oprah show, and sales of neti pots soared, according to Yahoo.

“I recommended it in many of my patients that I treat for certain nasal conditions, such as chronic sinusitis,” says Samuel Helman, MD, an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. “Nasal rinses have actually been demonstrated—when used in high volumes—to be very helpful in improving symptoms in patients” with upper respiratory infections and chronic sinusitis.

Research shows that smaller devices—such as nasal syringes that hold about 10 ml of saline—don’t work very well, but larger pots that hold 250 ml of saline (about as much as a glass of water) can improve symptoms such as a runny nose and postnasal drip.

The humble little pot that pours water through your nasal passages can apply to a wide variety of nasal problems. “Just about any condition that causes irritants and mucus to build up inside the nose will benefit from saltwater rinsing with a neti pot or similar device,” says Richard Orlandi, MD, a nasal and sinus specialist and professor of surgery at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. “These include allergies, nonallergic irritation of the nose, colds, and sinus inflammation and infections.”

And it doesn’t matter too much which specific brand of neti pot you buy, according to Anthony Del Signore, MD, the director of rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York. Some super-basic models cost as little as $10, while others, like the motorized Naväge, can cost upward of $100. “Some people find the Naväge a bit easier to use because it has two different ports, one that suctions and one that delivers the irrigant,” Del Signore says. “It pushes the irrigant and sucks it out at the same time.”

If you’re like me and dealing with a stuffy nose for months on end, you can feel safe using the neti pot pretty frequently. Side effects are typically minor and temporary (and can include a burning or stinging sensation). Be sure to read manufacturer instructions carefully, and see the section below, “Is It Okay to Use Tap Water in a Neti Pot?” to avoid more serious problems.

“I have some patients using it twice a day almost every day,” Helman says. Keep in mind, though, that it’s a treatment, not a cure. And while it might help clear the mucus and allergens in your nasal passages, it isn’t going to zap whatever allergy or infection that caused the problem in the first place. (And if it did, that would be front-page news, because as most of us know, there’s no cure for the common cold). If you suspect your issue is untreated allergies, it’s worth going to your primary care doctor, an ear, nose, and throat specialist, or an allergist to see if there’s a more targeted treatment for your situation, Helman says.

Photo: South Agency/Getty Images Photo: South Agency/Getty Images

Using a neti pot can help clear mucus and allergens from your nose.

Many people can use a neti pot safely, though there are a few situations in which folks should refrain and go another route for relieving their stuffed-up nose. If your nose is completely clogged on one or both sides, Orlandi says that a neti pot might not help and that you should talk to a doctor to find out the reason and an appropriate solution for the problem. And people who have weakened immune systems should talk with their doctor about the relative risks and benefits of neti pots, Orlandi says. That includes very young children. Helman, who treats pediatric patients, says that he sometimes discusses using neti pots for kids, but that “convincing them to use a neti pot can be very challenging, honestly.”

You should never use water straight from the tap in your neti pot. “It’s important to use either distilled water or tap water that has been previously boiled,” Orlandi says. You can buy distilled water at a pharmacy, but keep in mind that it’s not the same as regular bottled water. And if you’re using boiled water, be sure to cool it until it’s lukewarm or room temperature before funneling it into your nose.

“Tap water, and especially well water, has been implicated in very rare cases of aggressive—and even fatal—infections in the nose and sinuses,” Orlandi says. In 2011 two people in Louisiana reportedly died after using neti pots that had been filled with tap water containing a brain-eating amoeba.

Be sure to follow the instructions included with your neti pot to make sure you’re using and caring for it safely. You can also read what the Food & Drug Administration says about neti pot safety.

While some people feel immediate relief, for others it can take a couple of days of using it twice a day for symptoms to improve, Del Signore says. “When we’re treating allergic rhinitis or allergies, the relief is really seen after the consistent use of nasal rinses and sprays for several days to a week or so,” he says. And unlike nasal decongestants, which shouldn’t be used for longer than three days at a time, “patients can use the neti pot basically every day.” Assuming you’re not experiencing any nasal irritation, “you can’t overdo it,” he says.

According to Helman, some folks find that using a neti pot can cause ear discomfort, especially when using “hypertonic” saline, or saline with a high concentration of salt. It can also sometimes irritate a person’s eustachian tubes, which connect the ears to the back of the nose and throat.

But generally, “patients do quite well on the neti pot, and tolerate it just fine,” Helman says.

As of this writing, the snow in New York City has yet to fall; I’ve stayed healthy, miraculously, but only time will tell when I’ll need to set aside my misplaced doubt and hop on the nose bidet train. Still, I imagine that it will take some getting used to.

“For me, it feels kind of like it when you’re at a swimming pool and you jump into the water without clamping your nose,” Helman says. “I almost sometimes feel a little bit nostalgic.” Okay, fine. Summers spent jumping into the creek from a trembling tree branch elicit an almost painful longing for childhood. Though I don’t think the neti pot will be quite as much fun as letting out a whoop as I plummet 10 feet into the water below, at least it’ll clear out my sinuses in the process.

I believe shopping should be fun, safe, and sustainable, and I shape my coverage at Consumer Reports around how consumers of all ages can have better shopping experiences. I’ve worked in media for seven years, and my diverse time in the industry has taught me that quality service journalism is a critical resource. When I’m not working, I’m usually reading, cooking (or, more likely, eating), and hanging out with my dog, a Libra named Gordo.