Neti Pot Table Salt

Caution - Check the label's fine print

But is it really the ideal choice for your nasal irrigation experience? Before you put that table salt into your neti pot, you'll want to check the label, and not just the big, bold print.

Remember, just because it's non-iodized salt doesn't mean it's neti-pot friendly. Let's review the positives and negatives about neti pot table salt, with a careful eye on what to watch for.

Advantages: Cheap, easy to get, usually finely ground.
Disadvantages: Must read the label carefully. Watch for additives, don't buy iodized by mistake, and be on the lookout for anti-caking agents.

Non-Iodized Table Salt is super easy to find. Just go down the baking aisle of your local grocery store, and there it is, nestled between the sugar and flour, or at least in that general neck of the woods.

When it rains it pours. This trademarked little saying is a nice way of advertising that Morton's salt won't clump up when the humidity gets too high. This is great for sprinkling the salt on your french fries, but not so great for nasal irrigation. Why? Because that "anti-caking" magic probably comes from well, anti-caking agents like calcium silicate. And here's the million-dollar neti pot question. Do you really want to put that stuff in your nasal cavities? If not, you might want to skip the neti pot table salt. Photo Credit: www.neti-netti-pot.com. Ok to use with attribution.

And the price is right too, cheap enough to make Scrooge smile. In fact, you can buy 26 ounces (737 g.) of non-iodized table salt for under a dollar, often for less than the price of a candy bar.

See the 26-ounce container of Mortons Salt, pictured to the left? It contains 491 quarter-teaspoon "servings" of salt, meaning you could irrigate your sinuses 491 times for one low, low price -- literally less than a penny per pop.

But wait...there's more. And sadly, it's not all good.

If you read the label carefully, you'll see that this container doesn't contain 100% salt, which means it's not 100% pure, technically speaking. Yup, on the ingredient list it says, "Contains 1% or less of calcium silicate (an anticaking agent)." Hmmm...

Suddenly, this affordable option isn't looking quite as neti-friendly. Salt in our nasal passages is natural. Anti-caking agents? Not so much. Did you know that anti-caking agents don't even dissolve in water? This might explain why they help keep the salt from clumping -- and more importantly for neti pot fans, why they're not necessarily the nicest thing to nestle in your nasal cavities.

In summary, if you can find neti pot table salt without iodine AND without anti-caking agents, it's probably a fine choice for your nasal irrigation experience. Otherwise, you may want to leave this type of salt for your french fries.