How to Clean Toothbrushes

For the sake of your oral hygiene, it's important to keep your toothbrush clean. Many people deep clean toothbrushes with disinfectants, but this is actually unnecessary. You only need to rinse your toothbrush before and after using it. If you do use a disinfectant, only select one approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Make sure to store your toothbrush properly in order to keep it clean.

1. Rinse your toothbrush with tap water before and after brushing your teeth.

This will help get rid of any toothpaste residue and rinse out any bacteria. It's not necessary to use cleaner on your toothbrush each time you use it. Simply turn the tap water on and run your brush under the water for a few seconds. Make sure to get any old toothpaste residue out of your brush before brushing your teeth again.

You can use warm or cold tap water to rinse your toothbrush. Warm water may soften your toothbrush bristles and make them feel smoother when you brush.

2. Wipe down the toothbrush's handle once a month.

Sometimes, the handle of a toothbrush gets clogged with gunk. If you want, you can clean your toothbrush's handle about once a month. You can create a mixture of one parts bleach with ten parts water or even a chlorhexidine mouthwash can do the job. Use a clean cloth to wipe down your toothbrush's handle.[1]

Some people advocate disinfecting your whole toothbrush in a bleach/water solution. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevent advises against soaking a full toothbrush in disinfectant, as this can actually damage the toothbrush. Stick to cleaning the handle over the whole brush.

3. Limit use of disinfectants.

It is okay to occasionally clean gunk off the toothbrush's handle, but regular use of disinfectants can be damaging and you may develop allergies on your skin or mucosa if the substance is too concentrated It is not necessary to store a toothbrush in a disinfectant solution. For regular cleaning, tap water is sufficient to safely clean a toothbrush.

4. Select toothbrush cleaners approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

If you want to use disinfectant solution for any reason, make sure to choose a disinfectant approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An FDA approved solution should be generally safe for use. When using a disinfectant on the brush itself, opt for an FDA approved solution over something made at home.[2]

For the most part, however, it's unnecessary to disinfect toothbrush bristles. If your brush becomes contaminated, it's safer to buy a new toothbrush than it is to try to disinfect an old one.