I swish around the Miracle-Mineral-Supplement and citric acid after I put all the drops in my glass, then let it sit for the allotted time. I use the timer on my kitchen stove - you can buy 3 minute timers, but they are not always calibrated properly! Actually, it is not critical if you go a little over 3 minutes - Jim Humble writes that it takes 3 minutes for the reaction to occur, then you have a couple of minutes' leeway, as long as it doesn't go much past 4 1/2 - 5 minutes (someone correct me please, if I'm remembering wrong :)