6 Postnasal Drip Home Remedies That Will Finally Clear Your Nose

Mucus made by your nose and sinuses does a lot to keep you healthy and comfortable. It keeps your nasal passages moist, and this helps you breathe — especially when the air is dry. Mucus also works as a shield to protect you from irritants and to trap and clear out bacteria and viruses. Once its job is done, mucus runs down the back of your throat and you swallow it without even noticing. 

But there can be too much of a good thing. If your nose and sinuses make too much mucus, you can develop postnasal drip. When this happens, you’ll suddenly be very aware of the extra mucus draining down your throat. Some people may also notice a stuffy or runny nose if they have so much mucus that the excess is also dripping forward and not just backward. Other postnasal drip symptoms include cough and a sore or scratchy throat.

If you’re tired of dealing with postnasal drip symptoms, we’ve got you covered with six home remedies that can help you feel better fast.

What are the most effective home remedies for postnasal drip?

Home remedies can help ease postnasal drip. And the good news is that these home remedies are effective, affordable, and easy to use. You probably already have most of these treatments in your home right now. Most importantly, they work no matter what’s causing your postnasal drip.

There’s one drawback: Home remedies won’t cure your postnasal drip. To do that, you’ll need to pinpoint why you have postnasal drip. You need to treat that cause in order to get rid of your postnasal drip and keep it from coming back. Causes of postnasal drip include:

• Colds

• Sinus infections

• Allergies

• Medications

• Gastroesophageal reflex disease (GERD)

• Medical conditions that affect your nose or upper airway

While you work on finding your cause and long-term solution, home remedies can keep you comfortable. Below, you can find six home remedies to try.

1. Run a humidifier

Humidifiers are machines that add extra moisture to the air. Extra moisture thins out your mucus, making it easier to clear from your nose and throat. This can ease some postnasal drip symptoms like stuffiness and the feeling that you need to constantly clear your throat. Moisturized air is easier to breathe in, so it can also soothe a sore or scratchy throat from postnasal drip.

There are many different types of humidifiers, and you can find one at your local pharmacy or online. There’s no one “best” brand of humidifier, so you can use whichever one fits your budget and is easiest for you to store and keep clean. 

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

• Medications for postnasal drip: Lots of things can lead to postnasal drip, and the best treatment will depend on the cause. Learn about medications for postnasal drip. 

• Do saltwater gargles work? Yes, studies show that gargling with salt water can help lessen pain and inflammation from a sore throat. Here’s how to try it out.

• How to use a neti pot: Doing a saline rinse with a neti pot can help thin out mucus and decrease inflammation. Learn how it works.

If you don’t have a humidifier, you can also try steam. Simply run the hot water in your shower and sit on the edge of the tub or toilet, and breathe in the steam for 10 minutes. You can also leave bowls of water out on shelves and surfaces. The water will evaporate and add moisture to the air in your home. This happens very slowly so the effect isn’t as fast as a humidifier or steam. But, over time, it can help. 

2. Drink warm fluids

Warm fluids like hot tea or soup can help ease most postnasal drip symptoms. Since they’re warm, they create steam that you breathe in while you’re drinking them. Like a humidifier, this helps thin out your mucus and soothe your irritated throat and nose. There’s some data that drinking warm fluids helps people with nasal congestion feel like they can breathe easier. 

Fluids also keep you hydrated, and this hydration gets passed along to your mucus. Hydrated mucus is easier to clear. Plus, staying hydrated helps your immune system work at its best so that you can fight off viruses or bacteria that may be causing your postnasal drip. As a bonus, chicken soup provides good nutrition and may also offer vitamins that can boost your immune system.

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3. Take some honey

Honey is one of nature’s best remedies. Honey has antibacterial properties and also eases cough and sore throat symptoms. If you have postnasal drip from a viral infection, a spoonful of honey may even help you feel better faster.

You can swallow a teaspoon of honey when you feel your throat is particularly scratchy or your cough is acting up. You can also combine two postnasal drip home remedies by stirring a spoonful of honey into some hot tea. 

You can’t overdose on honey. But, if you have diabetes or are trying to limit your sugar intake, keep in mind that honey is naturally high in sugar. So you may need to be careful about how much you use. And, remember, never give honey to infants younger than age 1.

4. Change your sleep position

You may have noticed that postnasal drip seems to get worse at night. It may even be keeping you awake at night. When you lie down, your mucus might slide into your upper airway before you have a chance to swallow it while you sleep. This can make you gag or cough and interrupt your sleep. 

Changing your sleep position might make it easier for you to sleep. Try sleeping propped up. You start by just adding extra pillows. Make sure to elevate your head, neck, and upper chest. If this isn’t enough, you may need to put blocks beneath the head of your bed so you’re sleeping at a slant. If you have an adjustable bed or a reclining chair, those can work too. 

When you’re elevated, you gain the benefit of gravity, like you have during the day. This will help the mucus drain and keep your upper airway clear.

5. Use nasal saline rinses

A nasal saline rinse will push mucus out of the back of your nasal passages and hydrate it, too, making it easier to clear. That mucus will build up again eventually. But, until that happens, you’ll feel much more comfortable. 

You can buy saline rinses at a pharmacy. You can also make your own saline solution at home and use it to flush your nose using a neti pot.

If you’re making your own saline solution, always use distilled, sterile, or boiled water. Don’t use plain tap water. Using plain tap water can lead to severe — and sometimes deadly — infections. 

There’s no limit to how often you can use a saline rinse. You can use them as often as you need to stay comfortable. It's a good idea to use one right before going to sleep to clear out any extra mucus that may drip down your throat during the night.

6. Gargle with salt water

A saltwater gargle is a simple, low-cost, and fast-acting home remedy to help ease inflammation, mucus buildup, and sore throat from postnasal drainage. 

You can easily make a saltwater solution at home: 

• In general, experts recommend making a simple solution with about ½ tsp of salt and 8 oz of warm water. 

• Then, all you need to do is swish around a mouthful of the solution for about 15 seconds, or as long as you can. This lets the saline solution coat your mouth and throat. 

• Spit it out and then repeat as needed to help ease postnasal drip symptoms.  

Are there other treatments for postnasal drip symptoms?

There are other treatment options for postnasal drip symptoms if home remedies aren’t enough to keep you comfortable. You can find many of these over the counter (OTC) at your local pharmacy. There are also prescription options that can ease symptoms. 

But, like home remedies, none of these options can cure postnasal drip. You’ll still need to treat the cause of your symptoms to get full relief. But these other options can keep you comfortable in the meantime.

Some OTC options for postnasal drip are listed below. 

Antihistamines

Antihistamines like cetirizine (Zyrtec) or loratadine (Claritin) can help if allergies are causing your postnasal drip symptoms. These medications can lessen swelling and congestion in your nasal passages and ease postnasal drip and cough.

Decongestants

Decongestants like oxymetazoline (Afrin nasal spray) can relieve a stuffy nose by temporarily shrinking the blood vessels in your nose. But make sure you don’t use it for longer than a few days. Doing so can cause rebound congestion, a condition where your nose remains stuffy even after you’re feeling better. 

Steroid nasal sprays

OTC steroid nasal sprays like budesonide (Rhinocort Allergy) and fluticasone propionate (Flonase) reduce inflammation and drainage from your sinuses. But these work best if certain medical conditions are causing your postnasal drip. So, if you aren’t sure what’s causing your postnasal drip, make sure to talk with your healthcare team before trying it.

Reflux medications

GERD — also known as acid reflux or “heartburn” — can cause postnasal drip as well. There are OTC medications that can help treat GERD. These medications can help relieve heartburn symptoms and lessen postnasal drip symptoms too. But these medications only help if your postnasal drip is from acid reflux. If you’re not sure what’s causing your postnasal drip, make sure to talk with your healthcare team before trying OTC GERD medications. 

When to see a doctor for postnasal drip

It’s normal to have postnasal drip if you have a viral illness, like a cold or the flu. But your symptoms should slowly get better and go away completely over 1 to 2 weeks. You don’t need to seek care if your symptoms are from a viral illness and are getting better on their own.

But you should seek care for postnasal drip if you have:

• Symptoms that never go away

• Symptoms that last longer than 2 weeks

• Symptoms that go away and come back frequently

• Concerning symptoms like fever, facial pain or swelling, or dental pain

• Thick or green mucus

• Symptoms that cause trouble breathing, sleeping, or eating

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Written by:

Brian Clista, MD

Dr. Clista is a board-certified pediatrician who works in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He previously served as a National Health Service Corporation Scholar in the inner city of Pittsburgh for 11 years.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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