Washing out mouth with soap

Washing out mouth with soap is a form of physical punishment that consists in placing soap, or a similar cleansing agent, inside a person's mouth so that the person will taste it, inducing what most people consider an unpleasant experience. One method uses a bar of soap which is placed in a person's mouth; the person can then be forced to hold it for a period of time and/or swallow it.

Washing out mouth with soap is most often used as a response to profanity, lying, biting,tobacco use, or verbal disrespect. It functions both as a symbolic "cleansing" following the infraction, as well as acting as a deterrent due to the foul aftertaste. It is commonly used as child discipline or school discipline, and is more frequently employed by mothers than fathers.

Liquid soap, dishwashing liquid, or certain other liquid or solid cleansers may be used; in the case of liquids the person may be forced to swallow or to swish the liquid in his or her mouth for a period of time. The used product may also be brushed onto a person's teeth and/or oral soft tissues using a toothbrush.

This punishment still has advocates today, even though its use has diminished considerably in recent years in favour of discipline methods that are not considered violent or humiliating. Additionally, soaps and detergents can have potentially harmful results, including vomiting, diarrhea, irritation of the lining of the mouth and digestive tract, and in rare instances, pulmonary aspiration.

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