How to Clean an Electric Toothbrush

Electric toothbrushes are a great way to ensure that you are getting your entire mouth and teeth completely clean. An electric toothbrush can often get a better cleaning on teeth than a normal manual toothbrush. Just like any other dental product, an electric toothbrush needs to be cleaned on a regular basis to help prevent the spread of germs. Here is a detailed guide on how to clean an electric toothbrush.

After every time you brush with an electric toothbrush you need to make sure that you don't just let it run under the water and then think it is clean. After every brushing be sure to thoroughly rinse it off under the water, using your fingers to get the water in between all the bristles on the brush.

At least once a month, you should do a deeper clean on your electric toothbrush. This can be done after you have a cold or flu as well to make sure that you kill all the germs off your toothbrush. Fill up a cup with water and then add a two tablespoons of bleach or hydrogen peroxide to the water. Mix the solution together, but be sure to not get it on your clothes or on anything else in your bathroom that it may stain.

Be sure that your electric toothbrush is off and place it upside down in the cleaning solution. If you want you can take the head off of the toothbrush as you are not to place anything besides the head in the solution as the cleaning solution may damage other parts of the toothbrush if submerged in it. Allow the toothbrush to soak for at least 5 minutes. This will kill off the bacteria and germs that may be living on the toothbrush bristles.

Remove the toothbrush from the bleach or hydrogen peroxide and rinse it thoroughly under the faucet in clean water. Use your fingers to get the water down into all of the spaces. Be sure that you rinse off all the cleaning solution unless you want to be brushing your teeth with bleach. Allow your toothbrush to dry completely on a towel before placing it back in it's charger.

Some electric toothbrush companies now sell machines that are made to clean and sanitize electric toothbrushes. These machines are not cheap, but they may be able to save you some time and energy when it comes to cleaning your electric toothbrush.

If you find that other parts of your electric toothbrush need to be cleaned, other than just the head part, you can take a wet washcloth and clean out the different places. If you want to really get into the crevices of the brush, try using a normal manual toothbrush to clean the areas on your electric toothbrush that you can't get clean. This may sound weird, but it actually works quite well.