Allowing a toothbrush to dry between uses is effective for killing most bacteria that may be on them, however, some strains of bacteria can continue to thrive even in dry conditions. Preventing this build-up of bacteria is an important reason to clean your toothbrush regularly, similar to a dish cloth or sponge. If you’re sick, you may want to clean the toothbrush daily or even twice daily until the illness subsides to avoid re-infecting yourself. Having a member of the family who refuses to keep the toilet lid down while flushing is another great reason to regularly clean your toothbrush (as keeping the lid up allows the fecal matter to spray up into the air and onto surrounding surfaces, like toothbrushes sitting on the sink counter, yuck!). Use one of the methods below to reduce or remove the bacteria on your toothbrush.  

Cleaning the Toothbrush with Peroxide

You Will Need:

 

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Water
• A cup

 

Steps to Clean the Toothbrush:

  1. Put the toothbrush in the cup with the brush head facing down. 2. Fill the cup with enough hydrogen peroxide to fully cover the brush head. 3. Allow the peroxide to fizz until finished. 4. When the peroxide has finished fizzing, the bacteria has been killed and the toothbrush can be removed from the cup.  

Cleaning the Toothbrush with a Denture Tablet

You Will Need:

 

• A denture tablet
• Water
• A cup

 

Steps to Clean the Toothbrush:

  1. Place the toothbrush in the cup with the brush head facing down. 2. Fill the cup with water. 3. Drop a denture tablet into the cup. 4. Allow the denture tablet to fully fizz. 5. When the tablet has finished fizzing, the toothbrush is clean and can be removed from the cup.  

Cleaning the Toothbrush with UV Light

  There are toothbrush holders made now that have a UV light inside and will kill the bacteria on your toothbrush as soon as you store it away in the holder. Doing this can drastically reduce the need to clean your toothbrush, though we do still recommend the occasional cleaning with one of the cleaning solutions mentioned above as well to fizz away debris between that can gather between the bristles (even if that debris is bacteria-free). These devices can be found online or occasionally in some supermarkets.  

Additional Tips

 

• Store your toothbrush in an upright position to allow the moisture to drip down from the brush head so that it has the best chance of fully drying out between cleanings, which will kill many types of bacteria.
• The American Dental Association recommends replacing a toothbrush every 3-4 months as this is the usual amount of time for the bristles to become worn and therefore less effective.
• Clean your used toothbrush, then keep it with your cleaning supplies for tasks like scrubbing grout lines.
• Many toothbrushes can be recycled! Colgate brand toothbrushes can be turned in to the Terracycle program, and other types of toothbrushes may be eligible for recycling through the Preserve program at Whole Foods in the U.S. according to Recycle Nation.  Nylon toothbrush bristles can be pulled out of any type of brush for recycling at an appropriate facility.
• For your next toothbrush, consider buying a bamboo handle brush that can be composted. There are many varieties of this brush available in major supermarkets now (Thank you Colgate!).