# Did your mother ever wash your mouth out with soap? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421 "2003-09-09T00:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/21 "2003-09-09T08:25:36Z")
No, but i have a very vivid memory of a neighborhood friend’s mom grabbing the Dawn off the kitchen counter and threatening little Richie with it if he ever said [sub]diarrhea[/sub] again in front of company (me). ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/22 "2003-09-09T10:54:50Z")
I was given the soap mouth for blaspheming (using “Jesus Christ” in a disrespectful way) when I was 10. It was a bar of Dial, if I recall correctly. It was jammed in there and swabed around until I had a mouth full of lather, then I was made to sit for several minutes to contemplate my behavior before I was allowed to rinse it all out. The sad thing is that I didn’t think that the taste of the soap was so awful, I just didn’t like the forcible mouth-lathering part of it. I may have used some salty language in my life, but I did learn a lesson and I’ve never misused the name of Christ again. ---
**Author:** ![cadolphin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@cadolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cadolphin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/23 "2003-09-09T10:59:29Z")
Not my mom, but my Dad did. Once, when I was 4 or 5. I think the word was damn. He used Zest. I’m 46 and still can’t stand the smell of zest. It worked on my “potty mouth” for a long time. Didn’t swear again until I was in my mid 20s. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/24 "2003-09-09T12:54:09Z")
Ick. My parents never did anything physical to me. Then again, I refused to swear until I grew up, I was odd like that. But it sounds like this is quite an effective thing to do… > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by StGermain I will say to this day I don’t cuss._ A lesson that stuck for thousands of years! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/25 "2003-09-09T13:04:13Z")
No although she threatened to. I would never do it to my son. He’s 4 and his favorite word is ass. ---
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/26 "2003-09-09T13:16:10Z")
I may have gotten a squirt of liquid soap once or twice. Must not have made an impression. Then again I was the kid who ate a decorative bar bar of soap shaped like an apple once. Didn’t stop after the first bite either. Ate the whole damn thing. Though I recall getting the reets something fierce afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/27 "2003-09-09T14:07:55Z")
yes and I am scarred for life. To this day I can NOT take a shower with “Dial” The smell reminds me of the disgusting taste. I put soap in my kids mouths a couple of times but I used liquid dish soap. But then I felt bad so I began using pepper. One time my son cussed and I said that’s it you are getting pepper in your mouth when we get home. When we got home in jumped up at the bar and said “can I get salt this time too?” (Sure its funny now but it wasnt’ then) ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/28 "2003-09-09T14:27:13Z")
Never happened to me, but my best friend did it to her stepson once. He got a smart mouth with her after being warned several times and she made him sit on the toilet with the bar of soap stuck in his mouth for five minutes or so. He listens to her now when she warns him. She’s a meanmom, haha. Nah, she’s awesome, I just thought that was mean. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/29 "2003-09-09T15:01:28Z")
My mom also used the toothbrush method to more fully dispense the nastiness. It came from me and one of my cousins getting my little brother to say “Shhhhhh” Then we’d follow up with “IT!”. It worked until I was in high school. Now that I learned how to cuss, though, no amount of soap is going to stop me. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/30 "2003-09-09T15:05:23Z")
I do this. Yes, I know, I’m a horrible, horrible person. But it rarely comes to my monsters getting their mouths washed out. Usually the threat of soap is enough to get them to behave ("I’lldoitrightnowmomipromiseipromisepleasenosoap!). It’s illegal in California to spank your child. Can you believe that? ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/31 "2003-09-09T15:40:15Z")
Yes, my mom did it to me. Ivory soap. You know, the bar that floats? And yes, I once washed my son’s mouth out with soap. And no, I didn’t jam a bar of soap in his mouth - made him use his toothbrush. And a very small bit of soap - maybe one swipe across the bar. That was years ago. Have never had to since. ---
**Author:** ![mmm.forbidden\_doughnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e68b1a/32.png) [@mmm.forbidden\_doughnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmm.forbidden_doughnut)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/32 "2003-09-09T16:34:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homebrew \* > \*\*My mom also used the toothbrush method to more fully dispense the nastiness. > > \*\* This was my mom’s M.O., too. Dawn dishwashing liquid on your toothbrush never, never, never, never _ever_ washes out. I’d taste it on there for months. I feel a gag coming on right now… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/33 "2003-09-09T16:47:18Z")
Ours was not a washing-out-your-mouth-with-soap household. Ours was a spoonful-of-black-pepper sort of place. I’d have taken the soap voluntarily. I oscillate between cursing like a sailor and talking just like somebody’s maiden aunt. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/34 "2003-09-09T18:25:17Z")
Yep - Ivory. And she did it in front of my best friend which pissed me off more than anything. I’m pretty sure that was the night I threw her glasses in the garbage, way down at the bottom so she’d never find them. I was a rotten kid I guess. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/35 "2003-09-09T18:45:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Maureen \* > \*\* It’s illegal in California to spank your child. Can you believe that? \*\* You’re right, I can’t believe it. In fact, I’m going to have to ask for a cite. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/36 "2003-09-09T18:58:41Z")
My mum used to use caustic soda. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![MaggietheCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@MaggietheCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaggietheCat)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/37 "2003-09-09T19:03:56Z")
My mom tried once, when I was about 6 or 7. She used liquid dish soap. I discovered I could gargle bubbles and laughed my ass off. She never tried it again. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/38 "2003-09-09T19:09:21Z")
Yup, a few times. The first and most shocking one was for calling my brother ( **And that’s the bottom line** , for those keeping score at home) a “butt.” The others were for more general – or at least less memorable – sass. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/39 "2003-09-09T19:09:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homebrew \* > \*\*You’re right, I can’t believe it. In fact, I’m going to have to ask for a cite. \*\* Of course you are. Try URL=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html]here. Not sure of the exact statute, however; both my kinder attended child abuse prevention workshops. Both came home with packets requiring my signature which advised that spanking a child falls under abuse laws in this state (yes, there was a statute listed, can’t recall it off the top of my head). It was called up by my son, once and only once. I was going to spank him for hitting his sister. He said “you can’t!! it’s abuse! I can call 911!” I told him if he did, to make sure an ambulance came with. Because, by God, if I was going to jail for abuse, it was going to be deserved. He hasn’t threatened me with that since. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421/40 "2003-09-09T19:35:24Z")
Crap. Shall we try that again? [here](http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-mother-ever-wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap/200421.md?page=3)