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ByAngela Ryan Lee, MD
Updated on August 15, 2024
Medically reviewed byJordana Haber Hazan, MD
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Does It Work?
How to Start
As a home remedy, gargling salt water for a sore throat may relieve symptoms. A salt water solution can help to promote healing, decrease mouth pathogens, and benefit dental and gum health.
A salt water rinse is easy to mix up at home but talk with your healthcare provider about the potential benefits, any risks in your specific health context, and how often you should gargle.
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Benefits
Most sore throats are caused by viral infections, which the body fights off with time. While a saltwater gargle won't necessarily cure your condition, it can:
- Help relieve symptoms of a sore throat
- Reduce the level of bacteria and viruses in your mouth
- Promote healing and recovery
Studies suggest that gargling saltwater may help people to recover faster from COVID-19 symptoms. Other studies find that gargling salt water offers protection during cold and flu season, but results are mixed on this potential benefit.
Taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications like Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Advil (ibuprofen) can help with sore throat symptoms, but gargling salt water is an entirely natural alternative that many people can do at home using simple ingredients.
Gargling salt water can help with other infections that cause sore throat, too, including:
- Allergies
- Sinus infections
- Strep throat
- Tonsillitis
- Salivary gland infections
Salt water rinses can also help with managing symptoms from other infections as well as noninfectious causes of sore mouth. These may include:
- Gingivitis
- Periodontitis
- Recovery from oral surgery
- Canker sores or mouth sores
- Oral thrush, caused by yeast infection in the mouth
Making and Using a Salt Water Gargle
The key to an effective salt water gargle is making sure there is enough salt in the water. Combine 1/2 teaspoon of salt with eight ounces (1 cup) of warm water. Stir so the salt dissolves in the water.
Salt water rinses can also be performed with a mixture of salt and water as above with 2 teaspoons of baking soda.
Perform the following steps for a salt water gargle:
- Take a a portion of the salt water solution in your mouth and bring it to the back of your mouth.
- Gargle the solution for 10-15 seconds
- Spit it out
- Repeat the steps with the remaining salt water
This can be done three times a day.
Caution With Salt Water Gargle
Some cautions to keep in mind when using a salt water gargle include:
- Don't gargle more than three to four times a week, as it can harm tooth enamel.
- Always make sure the salt water solution is not too hot before gargling.
- Do not swallow the solution. With the amount of salt to be effective against infection and inflammation, it's not something you want to drink.
- Do not perform this in children under 6 years of age or those who cannot follow the directions to gargle and spit the solution out.
- Do not perform with anyone with impaired swallowing function that may choke or aspirate on thin liquids.
Summary
Salt water gargling can help with throat infection symptoms. It also has benefits in treating other conditions like gum and periodontal disease and canker sores. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of warm water and gargle small amounts at a time, making sure to spit the solution out.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kamdem N.Effect of saline mouthwash on the oral flora.MADOHC. 2022;5(2). doi:10.32474/MADOHC.2022.05.000207
Huynh NC, Everts V, Leethanakul C, Pavasant P, Amp*rnaramveth RS.Rinsing with saline promotes human gingival fibroblast wound healing in vitro.PLoS One.2016;11(7):e0159843. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159843
Chalageri VH, Bhushan S, Saraswathi S, et al. Impact of steam inhalation, saline gargling, and povidone-iodine gargling on clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru, Karnataka: A randomized control trial.Indian J Community Med. 2022;47(2):207-212. doi:10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_804_21
Jefferson T, Dooley L, Ferroni E, et al. Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023;1(1):CD006207. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6
MedlinePlus. Tonsillitis.
MedlinePlus. Salivary gland infections.
Collins JR, Veras K, Hernández M, Hou W, Hong H, Romanos GE. Anti-inflammatory effect of salt water and chlorhexidine 0.12% mouthrinse after periodontal surgery: a randomized prospective clinical study.Clin Oral Investig. 2021;25(7):4349-4357. doi:10.1007/s00784-020-03748-w
MedlinePlus. Mouth sores.
MedlinePlus. Pharyngitis- sore throat.
Sutherland Dental. Benefits of saltwater rinse for oral health.
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By Angela Ryan Lee, MD
Dr. Lee is an Ohio-based board-certified physician specializing in cardiovascular diseases and internal medicine.
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