Listerine was originally sold as a floor cleaner and surgical antiseptic

History Fact: When Dr. Joseph Lawrence formulated Listerine in 1879, it was marketed to surgeons as a general antiseptic, then later sold to dentists, then promoted as a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea. Mouthwash was almost an afterthought.

It was only in the 1920s, when the company popularized the term 'halitosis,' that Listerine repositioned itself as a breath product and sales exploded dramatically.