As part of reducing the amount of plastic in my life I decided to give a homemade mouthwash a try. The shop bought one I was using is cinnamon and clove based. That was the kind of recipe I looked for on zero waste Facebook groups. Finding a mouthwash you like the taste of is important. Here is the recipe I am currently using.

Ingredients:

Yellow napkin with cup of water, spoon with cinnamon powder, 2 cloves and 1 cardamon pod
Ingredients for my mouthwash

– 1 cup of water
– 3 cm of ginger, sliced (an anti inflammatory)
– 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (preventing cavity causing bacteria)
– 1 whole cardamom pod or 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom (anti microbial)
– 2 cloves or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (reduces gum inflammations, freshens breath and kills bacteria)

Method;

Bring the water to a boil and add the spices. Simmer for 15 minutes and strain.

Saucepan with wooden spoon containing mouthwash ingredients
Simmering away
Jug with sieve on top
Strain into a jug

Storage;

You are meant to keep the resulting liquid in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks. However I find that it’s much more convenient to just keep in the bathroom cupboard, in a reused jar. I use a shot glass to dispense the amount I want. Or you could use an old mouthwash bottle. It has lasted two of us using once a day around 3 weeks. I do water it down by around half, as it’s quite strong. There do not seem to have been any ill effects.

Jar with mouthwash
I use an old food jar for storage

Check out my previous article on toothpaste if you are interested in this topic.

This post has been linked to “A Green & Rosie Life” #GoingGreenLinky