# Nasal spray

# Ingredients

* 1 cup of **distilled** water
* 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (or any other pure salt without anti-caking agents)
* 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon of erythritol
* 1/4 teaspoon of xylitol **or** an additional 1/4 teaspoon of erythritol
* 4 drops of grapefruit seed extract
* **Optional:** a dash of bromelain powder

# Notes

* Use of this nasal spray should be **in addition** to other precautions, **not** a substitute.  Think of this as the new brushing your teeth or the new washing your hands.
* If you have pets, please skip the xylitol and use the additional erythritol instead.  Xylitol is harmful to dogs and cats.
* To obtain spray bottles, just buy a few bottles of cheap and generic nasal spray.  Target's "Up & Up" (1.5 ounces) is the cheapest product I found.  Cheaper is better, because you will dump the original saline solution.
* The grapefruit seed extract is a preservative.
* The erythritol and xylitol are sugar alcohols which **might** impede viruses from attaching to cells.
* Anti-caking agents in ordinary table salt may irritate the nasal passages.  That's why sea salt is better.
* The optional bromelain powder is the only ingredient that you'll have to buy online.  Bromelain is the enzyme in pineapple.  It **might** fight inflammation and break down viral spike proteins.
* The other ingredients are widely available.  Grapefruit seed extract, erythritol, and xylitol are available at Whole Foods and Vitamin Shoppe.

# How to make the spray

1. If the nasal spray bottles are new, remove the wrapper.
2. Remove the outer cap and then the nozzle.  Pour the contents down the drain.
3. If you've already used the nasal spray bottles, please wash the bottles, nozzles, and caps with water and dish soap.
4. Make the new nasal spray solution by mixing the ingredients into the distilled water.
5. Pour the new nasal spray solution into one of the bottles, but stop before it's completely full.  Put the nozzle and then the cap back onto the bottle.
6. Repeat the above step for the other bottles until there's no additional nasal spray solution left.

# How to practice using the spray

1. If you're not sure how to use the spray, take a bottle of the nasal spray outside to practice.
2. Hold the nasal spray bottle upright or nearly upright.  Give it a quick squeeze to spray out a fine mist.
3. Hold the nasal spray bottle upright or nearly upright.  Give it a longer squeeze to spray out a stream instead of a mist.

# How to use the spray

1. Hold the nasal spray upright and insert it into one of your nostrils.  Tilt your head slightly so that the nozzle is aimed slightly towards the outside of your nose.  Give the bottle a quick squeeze.
2. Repeat the above step but tilt your head slightly so that the nozzle is aimed straight up your nose.  Give the bottle a quick squeeze.
3. Repeat the above steps for your other nostril.