22 Wacky Uses for Listerine®

1. Disinfect wounds. Pouring Listerine antiseptic over a laceration or abrasion disinfects the cuts and scrapes. Listerine is an astringent.
2. Cure acne. Wash your face with warm water and soap, rinse, then saturate a cotton ball with Listerine and use the antiseptic mouthwash to cleanse your pores, then dab the Listerine on blemishes. Leave the Listerine on your face for ten minutes or until you can no longer feel the tingling sensation. Then rinse your face with warm water to open the pores, followed by cold water to close your pores again. Just be sure to use original flavor Listerine, not Cool-Mint (which contains sugar).
3. Fertilize a lawn. Jerry Baker, author of The Impatient Gardener, suggests mixing one cup Listerine, one cup Epsom salts, one cup liquid soap, and one cup ammonia in a one-quart jar, filling the rest of the jar with beer. Spray this on up to 2,500 square feet of lawn with a hose-attached sprayer in May and again in late June.
4. Fight athlete’s foot. Washing your lesions with Listerine will sting and burn like the dickens, but the antiseptic will also kill the bacteria and stop your feet from smelling.
5. Soothe bee or wasp stings. Dabbing Listerine on bee or wasp stings relieves the pain instantly. The antiseptic kills the proteins in the bee venom and disinfects the sting.
6. Use as a deodorant. Listerine helps kill the bacteria that cause perspiration odor. Dab it under your arms.
7. Eliminate mildew odors. Wipe with full-strength Listerine.
8. Soothe canker sores. Rinse your mouth with this strong antiseptic mouthwash to kill the bacteria that irritate the canker sore and speed healing.
9. Clean computer screens. Use Listerine on a soft, clean cloth as a cleaner for glass computer monitor screens. The antiseptic cuts through residue.
10. Clean a car windshield. Listerine on a soft, clean cloth works wonders cleaning the inside of a car’s windshield.
11. Clean water deposits from the bathroom sink and tub. Sponge with Listerine.
12. Kill bird mites. Mix one part Listerine to one part water in a spray bottle. Spray your bird for mites, making sure not to get any in the bird’s eyes. Spray the entire cage to disinfect it.
13. Clean tile. Fill a trigger-spray bottle with Listerine to clean the tile walls and floor in the shower.
14. Relieve toothache pain. Swishing a mouthful of Listerine around the cavity, lost filling, or broken tooth relieves a toothache temporarily. Listerine is an analgesic, instantly relieving the pain of an exposed nerve for a considerable length of time.
15. Eliminate odors in a humidifier. Mix one tablespoon of Listerine antiseptic mouthwash per gallon of water when filling the humidifier. Listerine kills the germs that cause smelly humidifiers.
16. Disinfect a washing machine at a laundromat. To avoid getting germs from another family, wipe off the surface of the machine with Listerine and add one-half cup Listerine to the wash cycle to disinfect the machine.
17. Cure toenail fungus. Soak your toes in Listerine four times daily for a couple of weeks. Listerine is an antiseptic that kills foot fungus.
18. Prevent hives from itching. Use a cotton ball to apply this antiseptic astringent to your hives to stop the itching.
19. Kill lice. Wet the hair and scalp with Listerine, cover with a shower cap, and wait two hours. The thyme oil in the Listerine kills lice and prevents re-infestation.
20. Clean and disinfect a toilet. Pour one-quarter cup Listerine into the toilet, let sit for thirty minutes, then brush and flush. The antiseptic mouthwash disinfects germs and the alcohol content cleans the toilet.
21. Prevent dandruff. Wash your hair with your regular shampoo, then rinse with Listerine. The label on the back of the Listerine bottle used to advertise that this antiseptic mouthwash also cures dandruff when applied to hair.
22. Neutralize skunk odor. Applying Listerine full-strength to the affected areas removes the smell of skunk spray on humans and dogs. Avoid getting Listerine in eyes or ears. Then wash with soap and water, and rinse. The antiseptic in Listerine neutralizes the skunk odor.