I've Tried Hundreds of Grooming Products. This Mouthwash Nukes Bad Breath

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Bad breath can kill a good vibe. It might ruin a first date, a business meeting, or even cause a fight between two long-standing partners. I'd argue it sucks just as much to be told “your breath is awful” as it is to be the one who has to smell it. But then imagine all the times that nobody told you about your offending breath? Uff. Hopefully the bad breath didn’t leave a lasting bad impression.

I think one symptom of being a grooming editor and writer (and thus, a pro product tester) is that I’m hyper-aware of my breath—or let’s call it what it is: hyper-paranoid. To me, bad breath is something extremely avoidable, but only with a plan in place. I’m practically a professional coffee drinker, too, and I love to drown my food in garlic. It’s all a recipe for rankness, but I’m careful to counter it with an overactive oral care regimen (and bummed if I don’t succeed in a given day). And one mouthwash has proven critical.

If there’s a single product I like to have on my bathroom sink ledge more than any other, it’s SmartMouth mouthwash . Seriously, when it comes mouthwash for bad breath, other mouthwash products wish they could be this one. This is the product that keeps my breath the freshest—and just as importantly—for the longest. Whereas with many other mouthwashes, I’m doing a switcheroo every few hours, just so I don’t torture my partner, or the UPS guy, or the grocery clerk. But with SmartMouth, it’s really just a morning rinse after that first cup of coffee, and an evening rinse before bed.

What Is the Best Mouthwash for Bad Breath?

SmartMouth Original Mouthwash 32-Ounce Bottle

SmartMouth Original Mouthwash 16-Ounce Bottle (2-Pack)

Above all, I’m always looking for alcohol-free rinses, to keep my mouth from drying out. That’s the real aim, see: You want to keep a moist environment in there; your saliva helps break down and get rid of food particles and the bacteria that feast on them. In a dry mouth, those bacteria proliferate, and their waste creates that foul odor. So remember, first and foremost, you want an alcohol-free rinse.

SmartMouth takes it a step further—or two steps further, rather. The bottle has two chambers, with separate solutions that marry together when you pour (so be sure to pour with the belly of the bottle facing down, not on its side, to get an even distribution). One half of the liquid is charged with zinc ions, which bond to the germs in your mouth and prevent their feasting. The other half eliminates sulfur, nuking the preexisting odor. That morning rinse gets you through the day, and that bedtime rinse gets you through the night to mitigate bad morning breath. (Your significant other will thank you for that.)

SmartMouth Clinical Activated Breath Rinse 16-Ounce Bottle

There are a few remixes on the classic formula, too: If you are prone to bleeding gums, you may want clinical-grade SmartMouth Clinical Activated Breath Rinse solution to fight plaque buildup. If you commonly experience mouth sores, SmartMouth has a menthol-packed option, SmartMouth Activated Dual-Solution Mouth Sore Rinse Mouthwash , to reduce agony. Do you have diagnosable dry mouth? Grab SmartMouth Dry Mouth Activated Breath Rinse (that one’s a doubly hydrating recipe).

I should add that it’s still imperative to practice a thorough oral care routine, day and night. Mouthwash is otherwise just a Band-Aid over a much bigger issue if you are otherwise accumulating plaque buildup and leaving food bits in there. So, floss each night, brush at least twice daily (with the best electric toothbrush and best toothpaste money can buy). I find that a good xylitol gum can help midday, and sleeping with a humidifier in an otherwise dry room can mitigate overnight mouth dryness. Pleasant morning and nighttime kissing will be assured.

Related: Best Electric Toothbrush Picks of 2024, Tested and Reviewed