I am going to cut right to the chase. I am disappointed in how many adults don’t have their mouth care regimen down. It has to be one of the most cut-and-dry routines there is. We have been learning how to take care of our mouths since we were kids. Not much has changed in the routine (with the exception of braces care, but I am hoping that stage is over or non-existent for most of us). You brush your teeth, you scrape your tongue, you rinse your mouth, and you floss your teeth.

I will say that one step can get a little tricky and that’s the mouthwash step. It’s tricky because there are so many mouthwashes on the market and it just seems like they all kind of do the same thing. Lucky for you, I have been on the search for the perfect mouthwash. I have tried a fair amount of them so that you don’t have to potentially go through the agonizing stinging and dry mouth.

1. The classic “clean and super minty” feel without the sting

A lot of us grew up using Listerine Cool Mint and most likely remember it burning the inside of our mouths, leaving our breath icier than the brickest of New York winters. If you like that wild icy feel and extremely minty breath, opt for the alcohol-free Listerine Total Care Zero. It has all the good parts of Listerine without the parts that make you wince in pain.

2. Whitening

Hydrogen peroxide. Yes, the stuff in that cheap brown bottle from the drug store. Your go-to $7 whitening mouthwash’s key ingredient comes in a 32oz bottle and costs less than $2. Make a 1:1 mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water and you’ve got yourself a powerful whitening mouthwash. It won’t be as minty and refreshing as a mouthwash, but your mouth will feel clean and you’ll see faster results than you would have with a traditional whitening mouthwash.

3. The “after a dental cleaning” kind of clean

Sometimes you don’t want super icy breath. You just want the essence of mintiness and an overall clean mouth. You want that feeling of cleanliness that you feel after you walk out from a dental cleaning. Well, TheraBreath has got you covered. It claims to give you fresh breath for 24 hours, but in my experience, it doesn’t for more than a few hours. That being said, this is my go-to mouthwash. It freshens my breath, it doesn’t dry my mouth out, and it leaves me feeling so clean. The only downside is that the bottle is pretty small in comparison to most mouthwashes and I go through the bottle pretty quickly.

I know we are all still in quarantine mode and not particularly focused on socializing right now but please, for the love of all good things, take care of your mouth. Don’t do it for other people. just do it for you.