if Listerine kills 99% of germs in the mouth?

Question

why cant we just spit it back in the bottle after gargling with it

LOL HAHAHAHA

Answer 1

Ok, so the two smarty pants above tried to burst your bubble....I say go for it but call the Listerine Co. first and tell them you want to be paid for your brilliance. You may have a money making idea going for you.....let the rest of us know what they tell you! lol

Answer 2

Because once the listerine is in your mouth, the saliva and other fluid will mix, dilute and contaminated the listerine. and when the listerine active ingredient kill the bacteria it is figuratively USED UP.
So if you spit back enought USED listerine into the bottle, the resulting listerine will be diluted and contaminated and thus loses its strength. Beside the saliva also contains lots of enzyme that will further breakdown or render the listerine active ingredient ineffective. Other contamination could also oxidized or break down the Listerine active ingredient.

Saliva also comprised of lots of Long chain polysaccharide that is very hard to break and can harbor bacteria in it eventhough the saliva is spit back into the Listerine bottle. And before you know it your Listerine bottle will be a cesspool filled with contaminat and ineffective isterine.

Answer 3

Spitting your mouthwash back into the bottle seems a bit crude to begin with and you may lose the minty flavour as it mixes with your saliva, but let's try and look at it from a biological view. Okay, your Listerine kills 99% of bacteria in your mouth, leaving 1% to survive. By spitting the 99% dead pathogens (bacteria and bacteria RNA and DNA) into your mouth wash and then using it to wash your mouth with again, the 1% bacteria that survives may be better able to mutate from the dead bacteria that you are sticking back into your mouth and then mouthwash may become less effective- like many antibiotics have become due to people not finishing their prescriptions.
I almost forgot- in chemistry there is a saying: "the solution to pollution is dilution". In this case, the Listerine could be considered like pollution and each time you spit it back into the bottle, the conscentraction and potency of the Listerine becomes less effective and more suseptable to bacteria because it is getting deluted by you spit (saliva).

Answer 4

Why not? You'd never have to buy it again, plus no one else will want to borrow your Listerine.

Answer 5

No one said not to. Let us know how it goes!

Answer 6

You probably could, but that's just gross!!!

Answer 7

because it kills the germ in ur mouth then u spit the germs out duh!!...