The Sinugator, a cordless nasal cleansing device, offers an inexpensive improvement over the classic Neti Pot and may help you win the war on sinusitis or alleviate the symptoms of allergies and colds. The Sinugator sells for about $24 compared to a Neti Pot which will fetch a price of $12-$18.

What are the advantages of the Sinugator that make spending the extra money a good investment? The Sinugator uses a gentle pulsating action to flush saline solution through your nasal passages which results in better cleansing than the gravity flow of a Neti Pot.

As a longtime sufferer of allergies and sinusitis, I graduated from a Neti Pot to electronic nasal irrigation many years ago. I have used the SinuPulse Elite and have experienced lessened sinus and allergy problems. This device sells for about $80 and comes with a one-year warranty.

Recently, my five-year-old SinuPulse died. I ordered another one. While I was waiting for my new SinuPulse to arrive, I saw the Sinugator featured on the Dr. Oz Show.

The device had many of the same features as the SinuPulse but was more portable, smaller, cordless and less expensive. I thought, “Why not get one of these as a back up and for travel?”

Now, I own both a Sinugator and SinuPulse. I do nasal irrigation in the a.m. and p.m. and find myself switching back and forth between the two devices. The SinuPulse has a bigger reservoir for saline solution and only has to be filled once to cleanse both nasal passages. You fill the Sinugator reservoir twice but the results are the same---less congestion, less sinus pressure, cleaner nostrils.

Here’s how the Sinugator works

The Sinugator has two pieces: a plastic reservoir to hold one cup of saline solution, and a battery-operated pump with a nozzle that attaches to it. You press the device’s blue switch and saline solution is pushed up a flexible tube through the nozzle, into one nostril and out the other, to rinse your nose and nasal passages.

You warm up about two cups of distilled or previously-boiled water to a lukewarm temperature in the microwave for about one minute. Stir in and dissolve ½-1 tsp. of non-iodized salt and about ¼ tsp. of baking soda. Or you can add a pre-mixed saline packet (the device comes with 30 packets).

Fill the plastic reservoir with half of your saline solution. The rest is just like using a Neti Pot or the SinuPulse. You lean forward over a sink, insert the tip of the nozzle in one nostril and press the device’s button to deliver the pulsating wash. Switch nostrils and rinse with the rest of the solution. Gently blow your nose after using.

I am a happy with both of my devices. The pluses of owning a Sinugator are:

•Simple to use.
•Takes one minute or less.
•More effective than a Neti Pot.
•Inexpensive compared to a SinuPulse.
•Small and packable for travel.
•Comes with a 120-day money back guarantee.

The negatives are:

•The batteries will have to be replaced.
•It’s a bit noisy.