<P> 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, ingestion of soaps and detergents can have potentially serious health consequences, and persons utilizing this form of punishment may face legal sanctions . </P> <P> Washing out mouth with soap is essentially defined by the introduction of soap, or a soap - like cleansing agent, into the oral cavity . Methods commonly used for this purpose include placing a bar of soap in a person's mouth and forcing them to hold it there, chew it, and / or swallow it; forcing a person to drink liquid soap or another liquid cleanser or to swish such liquids in their mouth; and using a toothbrush to brush the used cleaning product onto a person's teeth and oral tissues . </P> <P> Washing out mouth with soap is meant to be unpleasant, but is usually not intended to cause death or serious harm . Nonetheless, many people employ the aforementioned techniques with extremely limited knowledge regarding the safety of ingesting their chosen cleansing agents . Agents likely to cause serious harm if swallowed include many automatic dishwasher detergents and laundry detergents . Even ordinary bar soaps and liquid hand soaps may cause harmful effects including vomiting, diarrhea, irritation of the lining of the mouth and digestive tract, and in rare instances, pulmonary aspiration . This is especially true if these products are ingested in large quantities . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> "</Td> <Td> A friend of mine was horrified one day by hearing her little boy make use of a very bad word (...) Turning to the maid she said, "Jane, you may take Master Dick up stairs and wash his mouth out with soap and water . It is too soiled for him to sit at the table with us ..." </Td> <Td>" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3">--Good Housekeeping, 1889 </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Is it bad to put soap in your mouth