I am really fussy when it comes to oral hygiene, using an electric toothbrush, floss and a mouthwash as part of my morning and evening routine. Recently, I decided to give Listerine freshmint mouthwash a try as it was on offer.

Listerine freshmint mouthwash comes in a clear plastic, screw top bottle. The pale green liquid is visible and looks quite pleasant. The claims on the bottle are that using this mouthwash will reduce plaque by up to 56% more than brushing alone. It is also claimed that Listerine will kill bacteria lurking between teeth and help to give you fresh breath. All sounds good so far!

The first problem I had with this product was opening the screw top! It is really tricky to do. However once the top had been removed I was hit with the strong and rather unpleasant smell of the antiseptic liquid! It is recommended that you use 20ml of Listerine and swirl it around your mouth for 30 seconds before spitting it out. The taste of this mouthwash is extremely strong and I really struggled to keep it in my mouth for a few seconds. It actually caused an unpleasant burning sensation.

Once I had recovered, my mouth did feel clean and fresh. It is recommended that you use this mouthwash twice a day. However once was more than enough for me! Listerine mouthwash is also available in a milder coolmint version and this would have been a better buy as far as I am concerned!

Listerine mouthwash is widely available and will cost you £3.30 for a 500ml bottle from Tesco. I will be sticking with my Colgate mouthwash in future!