Hydrogen Peroxide and Sea Salt for Sinus Infections

Thirty years after a botched root canal (dentist punctured my sinus cavity with his root reamer) and a million sinus infections I finally found this website. I was skeptical (and worried) that this wouldn't work for me but I was wrong! I used a cup of distilled water, a packet of saline solution, and a capful of 3% HP solution. No irritation, and my stubborn left side is starting to loosen up. Hallelujah!!

For all who care, you can cut any percentage of food grade by '' dividing what you want into what you have ''.. cut with distilled water..

example: you have 35% and you want 3%..

3 div into 35 = 11-ish.. 1 part 35 %,, 11 parts water = strong 3%..

'' a part '' is whatever you want to use for the one .. just use the same for the 11 parts..

can also come in handy for cutting down Everclear 190 proof grain alcohol..

I've been a little worried as I've been losing quite a bit of weight and a lot of my strength, my friends say that I'm a "long-hauler" (to my knowledge I've never had COVID, I've been tested 3 times and I've always tested negative) and that I will recover, I really don't mind losing the weight but I never feel very good either, I just want to be whole again, do you have any kind of a timeline as to when to expect this to happen if at all? I have felt sick for about 6 months.

This also kills Covid in your nostrils and throat. I lost my taste and smell after 3 weeks and loosing 10 lbs due to lack of appetite I decided to use my neti pot. After 2 days of using my neti pot 3 times a day both days my taste and smell both started to return.

I got rid of my terrible sinus issue from Covid by purchasing a sea salt spray then adding a few drops of 2 per cent of Lugol's iodine. This cleared my problem up quickly. You will use it and your nose will drain, use a tissue to blow out excess.

This works and you can use it if you feel like you are coming down with cold, or virus.

I read about this as preventative for Covid. Was desperate as I was long hauler for 7 months from leftover Covid.

Works for me and it's cheap!

When using hp only in a nasal spray, it's more effective even when your sinuses is clogged from it, it works better. Big chunks of mucus comes out but yes it does burn sometimes

Sorry, Barry, I've only used food-grade 3% hydrogen peroxide which I got at the health food store. Perhaps someone else at Earth Clinic can comment on the 3% H.P. drugstore variety. In the meantime, if you read some of the other comments, people have had success just combining salt and hydrogen peroxide (probably from the drugstore) in a bowl of hot water and "steaming" their face with a towel over their head (careful not to burn your skin). Examples on this page are posts from Sarah from Hill Afb, Utah February 8, 2011 / Nicole from Dallas, Texas May 23, 2011 / Shannon from San Diego, CA February 8, 2007. Good luck!

Thanks. Is non-food grade okay to use?

It's 3% hydrogen peroxide.

For the peroxide and sea salt solution, is that 1/2 tsp of 10% Hydrogen Peroxide? The dilution ratio won't be right if I don't start with the right percentage. Thanks.

For the Hydrogen Peroxide and Sea Salt remedy, I would use only distilled water, other water additives would cause a burning sensation.

I am so grateful to have found these posts and my cure. Having used 3%HP for gurgling to disinfect my throat for several years, I don't know why it took me so long to think of looking up HP for my sinus infections which usually last about 3 weeks. When I get a cold which is like 2-3 times a year, the mucus is clear on the first day, then turns to thick and yellowish suffocating globs that drains for weeks. I tried using distilled water with the prepacked salt packets that I get from the drug stores but that only helps to briefly clear the sinus and the yellow mucous keeps coming back. The post nasal drip gives me a frog-in-my-throat feel and causes me to chock constantly. Antibiotics takes too long and who know what else it is doing to my body.

After getting a cold, this time in the middle of summer, I decided to give HP sinus rinse a try. Based on the everyone's input, here are some tips that help cleared up my sinus infection in about two days.

* Always have these supplies on hand so you don't have to run to the market when you feel a cold coming on.

(1) Unopened one gallon of distilled water which is only fresh for about one week after it's opened. (Do not use filtered drinking water, RO or tap water.)

(2) Premixed sinus (salt) packets (they come in 100 packet boxes) from the drug store near the neti pot section. (Do not use cooking salt.)

(3) 3% HP

(4) Baking Soda

(5) Clean disinfected dispenser: neti pot, sinus rinsing bubble or use your nostrils to suck up the liquid mixture from the edge of a cup's edge (a short cut that may require some skills).

* Don't vary too much from 1 teaspoon of 3% HP for 6 oz of distilled water or you risk an ineffective solution or getting your sinus burned. If you are afraid of getting burned, use 1/2 teaspoon of 3% HP and work your way up to 1 teaspoon. Don't be tempted to add more HP thinking it will be more effective. When I tried to add more HP, it stings badly and swelled up my sinus for a couple of hours. Add a pinch of baking soda if you have it in your kitchen and stir to dissolve the solids.

* Get in front of a sink, upon flooding your sinus tilt your forehead down towards the sink drain (watch out for the tap, lol), then turn you right ear towards the drain for a few seconds then your left ear. These positions enable the solution to flood different parts of your sinus. Lift your head and allow the solution to drain drain from your nostrils. Wipe what ever that comes out so you don't contaminate the area near your nostrils with tap water. If you want to blow your nose do not blow hard and do not block one nostril to blow out the other since too much pressure may cause the solution to seep into unintended tubes connected to your sinus. To rinse the area between the sinus and the throat, you should keep an upright position throughout the flooding and keep your mouth open. The draining will gravitate towards your throat so it can be redirect to your month to be spit out into the sink. Do not swallow the solution.

* You might want to do this rinse upon waking up, just before bedtime and optionally an additional rinse in between. You should see the mucus clear up within a day. I hope it works for you as well it did for me :-)

The post is part metric. For those wondering, 2ml is about 0.4 tsp.

Yes worked. Perfect. Thanks

You would want to be sure you are using 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide. I see most say mix that down to 1% with distilled water.

So you would have 2 parts distilled water and 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide. It is available on amazon-just type in "3% food grade hydrogen peroxide". It is important to not use strong hydrogen peroxide without diluting it with water. I saw some have made themselves sick or very sick by not knowing this. Very strong % hydrogen peroxide is rocket fuel- you wouldn't want to drink that.

Stan,

Turning your head nearly upside down sounds like waterboarding. Explain how you do that again.

I just used it and had almost all the same feelings; Chest, ears, sinuses, but not my throat. Anyway, although I had the same pain like symptoms that you had, it wasn't as bad as you explain it. It actually felt like I was being cleansed not killed.. Kind of like when you clean out a cut with peroxide...... Haha. By the feeling I got, I knew that the mixture hit my sinuses which is exactly what I wanted so Indodnt mind. Maybe you put too much peroxide in. I could tell you that I just free poured it so I definitely out more than I should have. Peroxide and Salt can not kill you. But I just did it so I am not sure how the ending "results" will be. Hopefully by tomorrow my sinuses will be in a little better shape, than all that pain will be worth it.

HI Everyone!

I have gone thru 3 operations for nasal polyps and the procedure was with laser so there was no pain at all. The last one I had was 3 years ago and they have started coming back in full force! The home remedies are working and I can feel the change but you need to be very careful with the amount you use. I tried applying the hydrogen peroxide directly with a dropper and it stung like crazy which should have told me it was too much. I started experiencing real stuffiness as a result and just laid off for a day. The same with tree tea oil which is very effective in small amounts in a netti pot or using a q tip and working it in for a few seconds on each side. I put 2 drops once on each side of my nose and it was like a major blow out. I got teary eyed, and so congested I could not go to bed for a few hours. The q tip and a few drops (2 or 3) in a netti pot with a few drops of eucalyptus oil and a few drops of grape seed extract are very good. I like the tips on just a capful of HP and a pinch of sea salt. I'm going to try using that. If you are getting strong stinging sensations that is your body telling you to lighten up and it could have the reverse effect on inflamming your nasal cavities.

There are some wonderful homeopathic products for bacteria, fungus, virus and inflammation that really work. Another neti pot solution is colloidal silver drops with a few drops of HP. Very warm water is excellent or even hotter that your nasal passages can take without burning are good to use in the netti in comparison to a cooler or just light warm. All the best! Len

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I was getting desperate. I tried the Hydrogen Peroxide and Sea Salt remedy and it worked great the first attempt. I used 1 part HP 4 parts boiled water in a sinus rinse bottle with one packet of salt. It cleared everything out and I could breathe freely. I was on cloud nine! It stung like a bad word though. Soon after I began to have symptoms again but this time my nasal passages were pretty clogged. I tried again and this time without as much luck. The sinuses clogged due to swelling after my first attempt. When I did the rinse this time, some of the fluid went down my throat and into my stomach. If anyone has ever ingested HP they will know how I felt. I used 3% HP concentration and diluted it so it wasn't necessarily harmful to my health but it caused a lot of gas and pressure. All very concerning when you can't breathe from your nose. Either way if you want to try this method I highly recommend sticking with very small amounts of HP and slowly work your way up as you feel comfortable. If you have clogged sinuses please use lower concentrations of HP and rinse more frequently. The suggestion on this site was half a teaspoon with 8 oz of water. I wouldn't start with any more than that.

I've been using hypertonic saline rinse for sinus problems for 40 years (it's very dry and dusty in Phoenix), never heard of adding H2O2 until now. I'll try it!

For application, the easiest method is a rubber ear bulb: fill it and insert in one nostril and lightly pinch both nostrils closed, and squeeze until you feel it in your throat. Lean over and blow gently, then repeat with the other nostril. Turn your head almost upside down to drain the bottom sinuses. Repeat 1 to 2 more times per day maximum.

I have a reaction to chloramines so I never use tap water, only spring water. Distilled water *may* work (there's evidence that distillation doesn't remove all chloramines), but RO won't remove chloramines from tap water.

My hypertonic saline is nearly identical to the original post: 1tsp sea salt to 8oz/250ml water. I add 1/4tsp of baking soda as a buffering agent. You can cut the baking soda in half if it bothers you.

I've tried all kinds of treatments and had three operations to cure my Sinus problems.Nothing made it better - some made it worse. I can tell you now that this worked for me. Four days using a squeeze bottle and I can breathe again after years of suffering.Can't believe how good it feels.Thank You.

Read what Dr Weil had to say about congestion, eat all the horseradish or hot mustard you can tolerate. Helped me shake the chest gunk. I alternate colloidal silver with the h2o2 and sea salt. Big fan of both. Blessings all jk.

Can I ask, do you put your tongue on the roof of your mouth when you do this (?) or just squirt it up each nostril and it naturally goes down the throat?

I don't want to end up choking on the solution or it getting into my lungs. Thanks!

I was thrilled when a friend suggested this, as I'd been using a neti pot for a sinus infections for three days which it did nothing but cause a painful post-nasal drip down the right side of my throat. My Father, who had been pre-med but grown up on a poor farm, always has us gargle with salt and HP when anything was coming on and it usually did the trick ~ but that was 40 years ago! Nevertheless, the combination wasn't foreign to me so I gave it a try (your ratios). Quite an eye-watering fizz but wow, not even the pain caused by just the salt (about 1/4 tsp) in the net pot. I was grateful to the chiropractor, though, as you didn't give any sense of how often to rinse ~ although he didn't give ratios, and I want to know: 3 capfuls (instead of 1/2 tsp) of HP in how much water, with how much salt? This ~ is ~ the ticket, though, and as someone who had almost constant sinus infections as a kid, yes: we all know that when the gross stuff starts coming out (and this finally caused that) wellness has begun. (I've been stuck in the house and my kitchen is being redone so had no access to my water filter. I boiled tap water for 20 minutes ~ as we used to to be able to drink it in the early '70's when living in Indonesia. But not a minute less...) Many thanks!

Yes, I use just 3% hydrogen peroxide. 1/2 teaspoon off it in 6 ounces distilled water in the netti pot.

Can I use 3% of Hydrogen Peroxide instead of Food Grade which is 35%?

Food grade hydrogen peroxide should not be used straight. It is very strong and dangerous at 35% strength. It must be diluted to 3% (11 parts water plus 1 part 35% hydrogen peroxide.) Then it still needs a lot of dilution again even before using in the sinuses.

~Mama to Many~

drlynn1, are you using food grade? I can't even touch a drop to my skin it turns white and BURNS and stings for 1/2 hour or so. Would love to try as I have chronic sinusitis, but food grade? Is there a way to make it not burn?

As a chiropractor, we generally preach letting the body heal itself. I have to admit that getting adjusted has reduced my sinus infections to once every couple years instead of three times a year.

I started with a cold last week. (Worse thing ever for a chiro because we have to lean over people.) I even took two days off. I broke down and started anti-biotics 4 days in, which I hate to admit. It got better, but still a lot of sinus pressure. For some reason I thought about HP in a neti pot. Your site was very helpful.

Three capfuls of hydrogen peroxide and saline powder is what I used. I was SHOCKED at what came out. Quite a bit of (this will be gross) very thick rusty colored mucus...more than I ever thought possible. No matter of blowing my nose could get this stuff out. I'll repeat three times a day until completely resolved.

I feel GREAT! Thank you so much. I'll pass this along to my patients.

Don't use tap water, boiled or otherwise, up your nose. Only use distilled water.

WARNING!

Make sure you boil the tap water. It has bacteria in it and can be dangerous since the nasal cavity is so close to the brain.

If you make this mixture too strong, it will irritate your nasal passages and make them swell up you might feel congested. I always half the recipe and see if that feels okay then I add a little more next time. But less is more in some cases!

Peroxide Sinus Rinse:

Does it burn? If yes, you are using too strong a mixture. I use 1/2 teaspoon of salt - 1 teaspoon of 3 percent peroxide in 8 oz. water. WORKS GREAT. With only a very mild sensation, not a burn at all.

HI U ROBB, , , , , , , , , my man, I challenge you to back up your post about the South and bacteria being fatal here. Since I live here and will be 79 in a few months, I want to know where you get your facts.

==========ORH============

Wow, when I first read about using peroxide for sinus infections I laughed. Having been operated on 4 times, the Caldwell Luc is an uncomfortable procedure and your face swells like a balloon.

So, I still get sinus infections but at least I can breathe out my nostrils! That is what the operations did.

So, yesterday, after going thru another 110 days for antibiotics which is the MD's answer, I followed the "saline filtered water - with 3:1 water to 3% peroxide.

My head began clearing within an hour and this am, I could breathe and actually smell again, somewhat!!! I am going to continue for 4 days and see if it continues.

Remember it is key to use filtered water, or boiled water. There is some bacteria - especially in the South, that has been fatal, when inhaled.

Great site and articles!!!! Thanks much, Robb

My medical doctor could not figure out why my sinus infection was not going away. Finally he figured it was biofilms. He put me on chelating agent with atomizer 3x a day then I would wait 15 minutes then use a capful of 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide with pinch or two of sea salt in my neti pot filled with distilled water then I would tip my head down towards the ground while on my knees and just hold it for 10 minutes. This cleared my sinus infection straight away.

Thanks. This really works. But being that it is allergy season I am using it twice a day, sometimes with just the salt in a netti pot. Not sure how often I can use the hydrogen peroxide in it but will read all of these posts to see if anyone knows.

Outstanding. Works when prepared and used according to the instructions. Too much salt or hydrogen peroxide and you're going to irritate your nasal passages.

- M

I recently tried your hydrogen peroxide and sea salt in a nasal pot for a sinus infection that had just started. It was amazing! I admit it did sting for about 10 minutes after the rinse, but felt immediately better. I did it 3 times the first day, 2 times the 2nd day and 1 time the third day. Cured!

I use the hydrogen peroxide netti pot irrigation remedy for my sinus infections and it works great. I alternate with salt water to wash away any remaining hydrogen peroxide. I'm going to add the ACV as a supplement as well. My sinus infections won't go away with antibiotics but this does the trick. a few words of caution. It doesn't take much hydrogen peroxide. I use a small amount from a dropper and that is powerful enough once mixed in with a netti pot. Be careful over doing it because I think you can end up irritating the sinuses rather than healing them. Also you want to use filtered water as some parasites live in tap water and while tap water is safe to drink, these parasites can get into your body via the nasal passage. There are cases of this and those parasites are dangerous, even if rare.

Hi Nicole, Doing this are you completely out of Sinus problem now. Bec I am going do this ..

I tried this because I have a severe post nasal drip and throughout the day 1 of my nostrils closes up. I put 2 tsp into 8 oz cup and at first it was okay, then all of a sudden lots and lots of mucus started pouring out of my nose thick/whitish/slimy then both my nosdrils clogged up. Before I did this I could breathe through at least 1 of my nosdrils, but now both are clogged with more and more mucus coming out. I won't be doing this again. Hopefully my sinuses will clear up. I can't believe that I did this, after weeks and weeks of trouble, I finally managed to open my sinuses with just a neti pot & solutions that comes with the neti pot, now I'm back to square one. Don't do it! It seems to have irritated my nose and more antihistamines got activated causing the nose to swell. VERY UPSET. :(((

I read these remedies and was excited to try to Purified water, hydro peroxide, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, baking soda which I used through my neti bot. It was a terrible experience. My jaw hurt so bad I could not close it, could not talk, I was in terrible pain, It took me to the floor. I called the dentist trying to talk with mouth open he said it was the sinus infection. I had sinus surgery for deviated septum years ago and this has helped a lot to lessen these infections and migraines, but this one's lasted a month, finally tried Sudafed and that's helping. Maybe my infection was just so bad it placed me in undue torture. I am scared to try this remedy again. Skip from Vancouver WA. 7-13-2012

This remedy is awesome...... I was tired of my sinuses been blocked and causing my stomach to undergo pressure when breathing so I went on the internet seeking home remedy for this situation and I saw this one which was stunning so I tried it and in a few seconds I was relief of my stuffiness.

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

A little burn is hardly the phrase I would use to describe the insane burning and pain when you use the baking soda, H202 and salt! So be prepared, with that said, I used it a few minutes ago and after a hot bath to soothe the pain in my head and facial cavities, I am breathing much better. Maybe no pain, no gain applies here.

Hydrogen peroxide and sea salt in a neti pot - A big YEA for me!!

This remedy is fantastic and gave me immediate relief! Thank you to all who posted their sinus infection remedies. After trying out a bunch of remedies without much luck, this one cured my sinus infection very quickly. I also took grapefruit seed extract as well and I think that helped as well.

A neti pot (or the plastic kind you find in the pharmacy, which is what I used) filled with:
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide (3%)
and warm water

cured my sinus infection in a few hours. I did this twice a day and continue to do it at least once a day for my remaining sinus congestion.

I am grateful I didn't have to resort to antibiotics!!!

I see people writing about a sinus infection "for 6 months" or "the past year".. Whereas I hav had sinus pressure/problems for over ~20~ years. I tried the antibiotics that dry out the nasal passages, I hav been prescribed the daily "allergy" pill(s), I regularly put a cold soda/can from the fridge each morning to alleviate the swelling and headache I hav for several hours after I wake up.. I even drink copius amounts of (any) drink filled to the top with ice as the coldness would also help my constantly-swollen throat, because of the drip-that-never-ends. It has been years and years and I hav even had procedures done, and noticed a gradual improvement (which took months to notice) but was minimal and didn't last. I had resigned myself to just having to put up with this, until I happened upon this site.

I didn't try the ACV remedy. I tried the H202, baking soda and salt irrigation. I lighten my hair sometimes so used a smaller, pointy-tipped bottle from that. I also did not mix the h202 in a 50/50 ration, but instead used:

one cap-ful of h202

2 pinches of baking soda

1 pinch salt

in about 4-6 oz. of warm tap water. I hav a worse hedache after doing this, hence I only hav done it once/day, in the AM. I get no "flooding" but do hav a drip still at the back of my throat, but it is different now, and the biggest thing is that I can breathe! For the first time in decades I can inhale and exhale almost completely, through my nose. I hav only done this "irrigation" for about 4 days now, but again, I notice more of difference than ANY of the things I hav tried for over 2 decades. The H202 "burns" a little, and I don't get "blood". My right nostril was clear after the second day, and I am continuing until my left nostril (the worst one) is clear. I plan on doing this in intervals whenever I feel a "flare up". I am sure this is the answer for my problem and I am SO GRATEFUL for this site.

~MOMMY, Palm Beach County, FLORIDA

I'm currently pregnant so I'm really limited in what I can take medication wise for any colds, allergies or infections. I recently tried the Peroxide, Salt, and saline wash method. So far it's the only thing that's really done much at all to help with my sinus pressure and pain. I am also drinking Apple Cider Vinegar at each meal. I feel that between the two it is really helping and there's nothing in either of these things that will adversely affect my baby. I love home remedies!

Very encouraging results! What were the specific amounts of sea salt and hydrogen peroxide added to bowl? Was the H2O2 a 3% solution; was it food grade? I'm looking forward to trying this steam therapy.

I have been miserable with a sinus infection for about 8 days and found relief when I tried the Hydrogen Peroxide and Sea Salt steam. I hadn't been able to breathe through my nostrils and I had enough so I google home rememdies for sinus infections and came across this amazing website! I boiled a small pot of water and poured the water into a nice size bowl. I added 2 tbs of sea salt and hydrogen peroxide. I used a towel to cover my head to make sure none of the steam escaped. The first minute of holding my head in the steam I felt movement. My nose started dripping and my left nostril opened. I could breathe! I couldn't handle the steam for more than 10 minutes. I tried the steam again later in the day and my right nostril opened. I was able to breathe! Love love love love love this website!