How to Clean Your Nose for Mold: A Gentle and Effective Natural Sinus Rinse

It’s no secret that it is officially flu season. Every year since my family’s mold exposure, when winter hits, I get a case of the upper respiratory, sinus-centered junk that goes around like wildfire. It has gradually abated over the years and now when I get sick, it’s rather mild, but since my immune system took that major hit with the mold, I still seem to always succumb. But, rather than hibernate all winter, and avoid places like my children’s school, or the gym to minimize my viral exposure, I have continued to use a basic “sinus protocol” that I learned about when I was battling my mold-related acute sinusitis.

(Note: While everyone who is exposed to toxic mold can react differently, and display a unique array of symptoms, my body reacted with chronic nasal congestion, sinus inflammation and infections, headaches, and the general malaise that comes with it all. My poor lips were so dry and cracked from always having to breathe out of my mouth, that it hurt to smile. I went from one dose of antibiotics and steroid treatments to the next. It wasn’t until I eliminated the mold from my home and addressed the fungal aspect of my sinus issues that I finally got better. Moreover, HERE is a link to an article on the Sinusitis Wellness website about the undeniable link between sinusitis and mold.)

Now, I realize that my blog is called, “How to Clean for Mold,” and that this post doesn’t seem like I am keeping with that topic. I am, though. Stick with me here, and I’ll show you what I mean. This step (rinsing your nasal passages) is cleaning for mold. It is just targeted at the specific spores that enter through your nose and trigger an inflammatory response and thus an immune system response.

When you regularly clean your sinuses specifically for mold with anti-fungal ingredients, you are rinsing away both the source (mold) of your sinus irritation and potentially many of the viral elements as well. First, the products that I use, no mystery here, are all MicroBalance products—which means to me that they are safe to use in my nose and in/on my body. (HERE is the link to more information about the MicroBalance products for the body and nose and more specifics on their use.  I also want to add that many of the products that I will go on to discuss and show you

how to use, like the CitriDrops Dietary Supplement and the CitriDrops Nose Spray also deliver, due to their ingredients, antimicrobial and antiviral attributes too. (Literature demonstrates that citrus seed extracts, namely grapefruit seed, are antimicrobial and even help combat common health issues like Candida and athlete’s foot. Click HERE to learn more.) Thus, no matter what the cause of your sinus congestion, using these products will help you get better.

So…here is what I do when I start to get sinus flare-ups. As you will see, cleaning out your nose is never glamorous, so I guess I’m going to have to throw all mystery and grace out the window, but I’m willing to do it, if it can help people get well.

How To Clean Your Nose For Mold:

Products & Ingredients:

• Nasopure or Neil Med Sinus Wash Kit with bottle and pre-mixed packets of Sodium Chloride and Sodium Bicarbonate Mixture. (DO NOT use regular salt to try to make your own solution. Salt can contain additives that throw off your ability to achieve the proper salinity of the solution. Using too much or too little can cause the mixture to burn the fragile interior of your nose, further irritating it. If you must mix your own, use ½ to 1 teaspoon of pure sodium bicarbonate, depending upon how large your bottle is. My advice is to always start with ½ teaspoon to see how your nose tolerates the salinity before adding more. The sodium bicarbonate must also be completely dissolved into the water before use. Additionally, HERE is a great article on using sodium bicarbonate for colds and flu prevention and treatment.)
• Lukewarm, distilled, purified or previously boiled water. (NEVER use tap water. Tap water can contain microbes, minerals, and other additives that will cause it to burn your nasal passages. You also do not want to introduce any other possible contaminates to an already irritated sinus. I cannot emphasize this enough. Using tap water will cause this process to be painful and to burn. Don’t make that mistake.)
• CitriDrops Dietary Supplement
• CitriDrops Nasal Spray

Here I have assembled my NeilMed bottle and pre-mixed saline packet, my purified, room temperature water, and my CitriDrops. Now, I’m ready to clean my nose.

A close-up look at the pre-mixed sinus rinse packets by NeilMed–Nasopure also makes the pre-mixed packets. They are specially formulated, so that the solution is pH balanced and does not burn your nasal passages.

Directions:

Collect all of your products and ingredients and head to the bathroom. This is not an activity that you want to try to do anywhere else. The best place that I’ve found to clean my nose is actually in the shower, once it gets all nice and steamy. The steam helps to loosen the mucus and to open your sinus, so you are able to achieve a more thorough irrigation. For this post, I’m just sticking to using the sink, though.

Once you are by the sink, open your NeilMed or Nasopure bottle and set the top to the side. Pour your distilled or purified water into the bottle up to the fill line. Open a pre-mixed saline packet and pour it into the bottle.

Now, add 2-3 drops of the CitriDrops Dietary Supplement to the bottle. Replace and screw on the cap, place your finger over the hole on the end, and shake the bottle to fully mix your nose wash.

Screw the cap back on, cover the opening with your finger, and shake vigorously. This will mix the saline solution and the CitriDrops evenly.

Lean over your sink. Insert the tip of the spout part of the bottle into one nostril. Gently squeeze the bottle and allow the solution to flow up into that nostril and out of the other one. I recommend telling yourself to breathe normally the whole time. You want your mouth slightly open, so that the solution can wash into the back of your throat as well—it’s all connected after all. Now, switch sides, and do the other nostril the same way. Don’t ever force the solution into the nose, or seal the nostril that you are squirting with the bottle’s tip. This process should always be comfortable and gentle. It is intended to offer relief. If it is painful or you are forcing air into your ears, STOP! This is not correct and will not help you. It can make you worse, in fact. When you are finished irrigating both sides, gently blow your nose into a tissue, until all of the excess solution is gone.

Additionally, if you want to pack an extra “punch” to your routine, you can also incorporate the CitriDrops Nasal Spray, by spraying each nostril, alternating with each spray, 3 times. I only use the nasal spray in addition to the sinus wash when I am getting sick.

The spray can also be used alone when you are unable to irrigate your sinuses, due to not having your tools or to the fact that you don’t have access to a place to do it. I always recommend the wash over the spray, though, if you have a choice, because the sinus rinse with the CitriDrops Dietary Supplement added is the more effective of the two. If using the CitriDrops Nasal Spray, allow the medicine to absorb into your nose. Try not to blow your nose again for at least 15 minutes to allow the product to work. If you find that the spray irritates your nose, just don’t use it.

In terms of frequency, I do this process every morning when I am well, and increase it to 3 times a day when I am sick or feeling like I am getting sick. I also advise using this technique when you feel you have been somewhere where you were exposed to mold, or were around someone who was sick. Mold, dust, microbes, colds and flu enter through the nose, so irrigating your sinus with ingredients that reduce acidity in the body and that kill fungus, bacteria and viruses can keep those invaders from entering your body and making you sick. If you aren’t extremely sensitive to mold, like I am, you would only really need to do this when you are getting sick, are sick or have had an exposure.

I hope that you will try and have success with this sinus protocol. It may seem like a pain in the neck, but if you prepare yourself a little squirt bottle of the solution each morning before getting in the shower, and just irrigate then as part of your normal routine, you will see a marked difference in the onset, duration, intensity and length of your sinus issues. This sinus rinse is so efficacious in mold allergy management and is significantly cheaper, less miserable, and time consuming than going right to the doctor and getting prescriptions for antibiotics. And, since none of the products contain pharmaceuticals, there are really no risks or side effects, so you have nothing to lose.

Please let me know if you try it. I would also love to know if there are any other products that you suggest for irrigating your sinuses.