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Home » Natural Remedies » How to Clean a Toothbrush Naturally

How to Clean a Toothbrush Naturally

Published April 28, 2013 Last Updated April 2, 2019 By Lori Ryman 44 Comments

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How to Clean a Toothbrush NaturallyHow to Clean a Toothbrush Naturally

Did you know that toothbrushes harbor hundreds of thousands of bacteria just after one use? That’s not including all of the bacteria your toothbrush picks up from being kept in your bathroom either!

Most of us keep our toothbrushes sitting on the bathroom counter, which is actually the worst place to store them. When the toilet is flushed, unsanitary airborne particles make their way on to your toothbrush.

Why You Should Clean a Toothbrush Naturally

Some recommend dipping the toothbrush in mouthwash to kill the bacteria, but why should we use harmful chemicals when simple natural ingredients are even more effective!

All you need is one ingredient from your kitchen!

Where You Should Store Your Toothbrush

To prevent having your toothbrush gather anymore unnecessary bacteria, just keep your toothbrush stored in another room.

Ever since I was a young kid I always kept my toothbrush on top of my bedroom bureau as I never liked leaving my toothbrush in the bathroom next to everyone else’s. Mostly for the fear of someone accidentally using mine, sure everyone thought I was crazy, but actually, it saved me from being exposed to all of the airborne bacteria!

If you do keep your toothbrush stored in the bathroom, make sure to at least always close the toilet lid when flushing and cover your toothbrush.

How to Clean Your Toothbrush Naturally

What You Need:

-White Vinegar

Or

-Colloidal Silver

-Glass Cup or Jar

How To Do It:

1. Pour several tablespoons of white vinegar into a glass jar and dip your toothbrush in. Let the toothbrush sit in the mixture for at least 15 to 30 minutes.

White vinegar is commonly used as a natural cleaner, it will kill the bacteria and microbes on your toothbrush.

2. Make a mixture of ½ colloidal silver and ½ water. Dip your toothbrush in mixture and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes.

Colloidal silver has antibacterial, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties and is very effective in removing the harmful bacteria from your toothbrush

Sources: http://www.naturalnews.com/031020_toothbrushes_contamination.html

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Filed Under: Natural Remedies Tagged With: How to clean your toothbrush naturally

About Lori Ryman

Lori Ryman, BS, MS, has been dedicated to researching natural alternatives for the past 15 years. Lori has a background in research methods, health, and nutrition. She started with an Interest in natural alternatives to improve her own health and she continues to share natural DIY projects, recipes and natural alternatives with millions of viewers on treasuredtips.com.

Lori’s research for posts is based on peer reviewed evidenced-based research. Lori is a published author in a peer reviewed research journal. Her work has been covered by MSN, The Huffington Post, wikiHow, The New York Times, and many more.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nick Geller

    January 14, 2019 at 4:03 am

    nice post , yeah its so obvious thing which we usually dont do,

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    March 18, 2016 at 6:40 am

    I always pop mine in the microwave for 40 seconds……surprised no one mentioned that it’s a germ killer because of the high temperature

    Reply
    • Lori

      April 3, 2016 at 6:59 pm

      Interesting!

      Reply
  3. Jamie

    June 3, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    Actually, Mythbusters proved that keeping your toothbrush in the kitchen is no more cleaner than the bathroom. So it doesn’t matter WHERE you store it, the airborne stuff is everywhere. And not really that dangerous for your mouth, either. BUT since the mouth is full of bacteria, I would clean it and this is a great idea 🙂

    Reply
    • Lori

      June 11, 2014 at 7:13 pm

      Interesting about the kitchen! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    • Michelle

      July 28, 2014 at 8:15 am

      I saw that episode of mythbusters. They even put the toothbrush in a plastic zipbag and put that in another room and it still had those bad germs on it.

      Reply
  4. Kelly

    May 21, 2014 at 4:22 am

    Hi Lori,
    I am trying to enter your giveaway; but I’m having some issues. Would you please email me?
    Thx

    Reply
    • Lori

      June 11, 2014 at 6:34 pm

      Hi Kelly, sorry you’re having trouble entering. You can send me an email directly at: lori(dot)healthextremist(at)yahoo(dot)com

      Reply
  5. Healthy and Happy

    January 25, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    Thanks so much! I really appreciate this information.

    Reply
    • Lori, Health Extremist

      February 9, 2014 at 10:32 pm

      Glad it was helpful.

      Reply
  6. Robbie

    January 17, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    I bought 2 clear, glass salt shakers which I keep the tooth brush heads in. I wash them regularly.
    I put denture cleanser tablets in each one and let it soak. I then wash them in the silverware section of the dish washer.

    I keep a spray bottle of alcohol in each bathroom and one in the kitchen. I use different color tops to designate which bottle goes in which room. It seems to work great.

    I also keep a spray bottle of peroxide in the house. Spay it on the shower stall and around faucets and listen to it work. Let it work for a while, then wipe it off with the alcohol.

    The denture tablets work well to get the coffee stains out of glass cups. I keep the tablets handy for these things. They also work well on vases where you can’t get to the bottom of the vase. I then wash all these things in hot, soapy.

    Reply
    • Lori, Health Extremist

      February 9, 2014 at 10:07 pm

      Thanks for sharing, peroxide is another great cleaner.

      Reply
  7. connie

    November 7, 2013 at 10:47 pm

    Hi ,your have mentioned vinegar and colloidal silver to clean the tooth brush
    how about bicarbonate soda

    Reply
    • Lori, Health Extremist

      November 11, 2013 at 11:15 pm

      I have read that some use baking soda, but I’m not sure if it would be as effective at removing bacteria.

      Reply
      • sofia

        October 6, 2015 at 9:05 am

        Does it have to be white vineger?
        And what about alcohol, doesn’t that work?
        Great post!

        Reply
        • Lori

          October 15, 2015 at 8:33 pm

          You can also use apple cider vinegar. I haven’t tried alcohol before.

          Reply
  8. Jennifer @ Sweet Plantains

    September 11, 2013 at 4:16 pm

    You’ve scared me straight! I’ve always been bad about cleaning my toothbrush, but after you saying that thing about the toilet flushing…blech! Totally whipping out the vinegar today.

    Reply
  9. Lisa

    July 29, 2013 at 3:12 pm

    what about toothbrush heads to battery operated kind?

    Reply
    • Lori, Health Extremist

      August 14, 2013 at 5:48 pm

      You should be able to dip them in the solution as well. We have one of those and the toothbrush head is detachable and we just let it sit in the solution.

      Reply
  10. Anonymous

    July 28, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    bacteria wont exist with colloidal silver present so I do believe it would be safe to use that version a couple times before changing it, not sure about the vinegar

    Reply
    • Informed1

      September 15, 2013 at 11:15 pm

      I recommend using care with the Colloidal Silver. True it will kill bacteria, but Colloidal Silver will also accumulate in the human body and can’t be flushed out of your system. There are stories of people literally turning their skin a scary shade of blue from the consumption of Colloidal Silver. Granted those people were actually drinking the stuff in the thought that it would keep them healthy. I suppose if you rinsed the brush well you would probably get the majority of it off the brush, but why take such a chance at dooming yourself to looking like a circus side show act.

      Reply
      • Katinhat

        December 7, 2013 at 11:26 pm

        A person would need to drink a liter or more every day for years for Colloidal Silver to cause Argyria (blue/grey skin). Used as recommended Colloidal Silver is completely safe and effective. Get informed Ms. Informed1.

        Reply
        • Linda

          July 8, 2015 at 11:54 am

          Colloidal Silver is dangerous to ingest and shouldn’t be used on your toothbrush: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/colloidal-silver/faq-20058061

          Reply
  11. natasia

    June 21, 2013 at 11:39 am

    there is no need to use any anything other than boiling water.

    Reply
    • April Martin

      September 23, 2015 at 2:07 pm

      Ok thats what im doing now out some hydrogen peroxide in the pot

      Reply
  12. Kathy

    June 16, 2013 at 10:05 pm

    I put ours in the dishwasher when I run it. Maybe I’ll just do vinegar instead, sounds quicker.

    Reply
    • Tracy

      September 16, 2013 at 1:19 pm

      I do too…
      I’m a dentist and they taught us in dental school to use the dishwasher.
      The hot water is very effective at killing the bacteria.

      Reply
  13. Phil

    May 2, 2013 at 5:47 am

    Can you leave the toothbrushes sitting in the vinegar water between brushings, or do you need to limit it to 30 minutes?

    Reply
    • Lori, Health Extremist

      May 6, 2013 at 11:39 pm

      I usually keep mine in for 15 to 30 minutes, but if you’re going to keep in, make sure to change the mixture every day.

      Reply
      • Karen

        May 8, 2013 at 7:26 pm

        If you leave it in there for only the recommended 15-30mins, is the mixture safe to use several times or should you still change it daily?

        Reply
        • Lori, Health Extremist

          May 8, 2013 at 11:29 pm

          I change mine in between to remove any bacteria remaining in the mixture

          Reply
          • April Martin

            September 23, 2015 at 2:03 pm

            What about boiling you’re tooth brush in water with hydrogen peroxide

            Reply
            • Lori

              September 24, 2015 at 2:54 pm

              That sounds like another great option!

              Reply
  14. Kendahl @ Our Nourishing Roots

    May 1, 2013 at 7:43 pm

    So simple and effective! Glad to know this 🙂

    Reply
  15. Maria

    April 30, 2013 at 7:47 pm

    Hi!

    Interesting post… but won’t peroxide do the same?

    Reply
    • Linda

      May 3, 2013 at 1:19 pm

      I do peroxide or listerine especially when someone has an illness. We have those really expensive electronic toothbrushes and cannot afford to swap out a brush head very often.

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        May 5, 2013 at 2:12 pm

        Peroxide and Listerine defeat the purpose of trying to clean your toothbrush naturally. Sure, they work, if you don’t mind swapping bacteria for chemicals.

        Reply
        • Anonymous

          May 9, 2013 at 12:55 am

          Peroxide is just h2o2 not a chemical

          Reply
          • Anonymous

            June 16, 2013 at 10:10 pm

            it is, but you can purchase ‘Food Grade Peroxide’ which is safer… their point is about using natural items that cause no harm 😉

            Reply
            • Informed1

              September 15, 2013 at 11:08 pm

              Bah … Hydrogen peroxide is packaged and sold as an antiseptic liquid that can be actively used to treat open wounds or as a mouth wash. Don’t be fooled into thinking some over priced “Food Grade” version is any better for you than the straight $1 a bottle stuff sold in the drug store. Certainly no more “harmful” than white vinegar.

              Reply
              • TNT12

                December 4, 2013 at 1:36 pm

                There is a difference between food grade peroxide and the commercial peroxide sold in stores. Typically, food grade peroxide is sold at a higher percentage…. usually 35%, which means it must be diluted to the percentage typically found in stores… 3%. You would never want to put 35% peroxide directly on your skin or in your mouth.

                Also commercial grade peroxides often contain stabilizing chemicals that aren’t good for us to ingest.

                Reply
                • Pam4626

                  October 17, 2014 at 11:56 am

                  You are spot on 🙂

                  Reply
                • Donna

                  September 23, 2016 at 12:26 pm

                  Hey we buy that food grade, but as far as gargling w/hydrogen peroxide water to stave off a sickness, I’d been using the milder. Could you suggest a ratio of the food grade, n water to gargle with. Frankly, I’m a little scared of it because it is incredibly strong, but need something effective. I have bad lungs, and need to stay away from germs.

                  Thanks

                  Reply
    • Lori, Health Extremist

      May 6, 2013 at 11:26 pm

      Hi Maria, that’s another great option.

      Reply

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