My mouthwash of choice is Dentyl PH, but after receiving some money-off vouchers for Listerine products I decided to give them a try. As I tend to go for whitening toothpastes I chose the Listerine Antibacterial Stay White mouthwash.

The mouthwash is a pale bluey green colour, the bottle suggests you take 4 x teaspoons and gargle it round your mouth. I do it the way I usually take mouthwash and measure out around 3/4 of a capful, pouring it straight into my mouth from the cap - much easier even though I have to then rinse the cap before replacing it.

It tastes - oh.my.god. It tastes foul. It has an intense minty flavour which actually feels like it's burning my tongue, the mouthwash tastes extremely acidic and unpleasant which isn't good for someone like me who doesn't particularly like strong flavours. It does freshen my breath, it'd be unfair to say it doesn't, but I find the whole Listerine experience to not be very nice at all. After I've spat out the mouthwash I'm stuck with the burning sensation in my mouth, and I can't put up with that when equally effective mouthwashes taste so much nicer.

Afterwards my mouth feels fresh and clean, but again I rinse immediately after brushing so all mouthwashes have this effect. I wouldn't say my teeth look or feel any better than when I'm using other brands, in particular an excellent Colgate mouthwash actually leaves my teeth feeling cleaner even than after I've brushed - which definitely can't be said for this Listerine.

I'm not sure about the 'Stay White' claims either, I'm at a loss as to how a mouthwash can keep your teeth looking white - unless there's bleach in it which I doubt, however much it tastes like it! My dentist told me that it's the abrasive action of the baking soda that makes whitening toothpastes work, there's nowt abrasive in this clear liquid so I think this might be Listerine playing on peoples fears about off-white teeth.

I can't use it anyway; the flavour is much too harsh and although it feels freshening I'd rather go for another (less severe) brand which actually tastes nicer. Even Mark finds it very strong, and this is the bloke who will use harsher-than-harsh 59p mouthwash from Tesco because 'they all do the same thing'. Because the kids have good brushing routines they don't particularly need mouthwash, but if they want a bottle for any reason I'll buy them a milder version as there's no way this would be suitable for children. The burning on my tongue verges on painful so it definitely wouldn't be good to use it on the more sensitive mouths of kids, I suppose at fifteen Charlotte would be ok - but then again she's no fan of pain so I doubt she'll want to try it anytime soon.

Listerine make all the requisite tartar and plaque claims, but I honestly think it's negligible if you're brushing properly anyway. I was told by a dentist that mouthwashes are mainly for a freshening action and shouldn't be treated as something which will help the condition of your teeth, apparently there are people who are so taken in by mouthwash claims that they forego their brushing because they are so convinced about the powers of their mouthwash. I use mine as a cosmetic (ie. breath freshening qualities) product, although not this one again as I just can't stand the taste or sensation it produces.

£3.49 (500ml bottle) from Boots.