Explained: Why toothpaste makes orange juice taste like battery acid
Why is it that brushing your teeth before drinking OJ can turn your morning dose of vitamin C into a dose of disgusto? The answer might surprise you.
Some things go together really well in the morning. The snooze button and a warm comforter. Coffee and doughnuts. Bacon and eggs. Snow outside and a really warm comforter.
Other things? Not so much.
One of the classic morning mismatches has got to be toothpaste and orange juice. Who among us hasn't come down to the kitchen with a minty fresh mouth and reached for our daily dose of vitamin C only to find that it tastes akin to battery acid?
You might think it's a simple case of your toothpaste tasting sweet and the orange juice tasting more citrusy. But, as our friends over at the American Chemical Society point out in their ongoing "Reactions" YouTube series, things aren't that simple.
You're actually experiencing a two-pronged attack on your taste buds that results from a chemical, sodium lauryl sulfate, found in everything from toilet cleaning products to yes, your toothpaste.
To find out more about this dastardly taste-bud-warping chemical, pour yourself a glass of OJ (only if you haven't brushed yet) and check out the video above.