[jtbayly]

I wish articles like this would clarify whether tap water with salt is still considered "tap water." Tap water that is boiled is no longer considered tap water.

I've read multiple articles like this and always wondered. I know at least one intelligent woman who assumes tap water meant just plain tap water. I'm not so sure.

[cassianoleal]

If you read the article you're trying to criticise, you'll find this right at the end:

> For nasal rinsing, the CDC recommends using boiled, sterile, or distilled water. "If tap water is used, it should be boiled for a minimum of 1 minute, or 3 minutes in elevations >1,980 meters, and cooled before use," the researchers write.

[jtbayly]

I’m well aware of what it says. I read it.

The point is that nobody uses tap water in their nose. They always do something to the tap water that changes it so dramatically that nobody would consider it tap water anymore. They use salt water, not tap water.

As such, these instructions don’t address them in their minds.

[SamBam]

I'm unclear on your point. The small amount of salt that's added to nettipot water isn't enough to kill bacteria, so what does it matter if tap water with salt is or isn't called tap water?

[jtbayly]

Well then why in the world doesn’t any article about this actually say that?