1. Anywhere closer than six feet from your toilet.
2. In a toothbrush holder, where it can touch another person’s brush.
3. Inside of a toothbrush head cover, or in an airtight container or cabinet.
4. Next to your sink
(Read on – but only if you have a strong stomach)
Your toothbrush looks innocent enough sitting on your bathroom sink. But before you put it in your mouth, consider this: the average toothbrush can contain 10 million bacteria or more—including E. coli and Staph, according to a study at the University of Manchester in England. Yuck.
“In an un-brushed mouth, there can be as many germs as on a dirty bathroom floor,” says Ann Wei, DDS, a prosthodontist based in San Francisco. Your toothbrush is a little bacterial magnet, attracting the little buggers from several sources.
If you store your toothbrush on, or next to, the bathroom
sink, it can get contaminated from the splashing caused by washing your hands –
meaning whatever you are washing off your hands is getting splashed onto your
brush as well.
And if you really want to gag, think about what happens when you flush with the toilet lid open. Charles Gerba, Ph.D., Professor, Microbiology & Environmental Sciences, University of Arizona College of Public Health, points out that bacteria and viruses falling from toilet spray “remain airborne long enough to settle on surfaces throughout the bathroom.”
Watch this video for terrifying proof.
- If you store your toothbrush in a head cover, or in an airtight cabinet, the toothbrush can’t dry out between brushing, and that encourages mold growth growth. (Remember bacteria tend to grow in dark, warm, moist places.)
- If you store all the family toothbrushes together in one container, the bacteria can spread from one brush to another, if the heads are touching. That’s an especially bad circumstance if one person is sick.
- Along the same lines, it’s even possible for germs to be transmitted from one brush to another by sharing toothpaste!
BRUSH CLEANING SUGGESTIONS:
- Rinsing your toothbrush in tap water or even washing with antibacterial soap. Make sure to rinse well so you don’t get residual soapy taste.
- “I occasionally put mine through the dishwasher,” says Dr. Jones, a spokesperson for the American Dental Association. If you are going to put your electric toothbrush through the dishwasher, make sure you only put in the bristle end, not that electric charger.
- Sonicare makes a toothbrush that comes with an ultraviolet sanitizer attached to the charging stand!
- You can soak your brush in hydrogen peroxide, or in mouthwash containing an antibacterial agent.
- AND REMEMBER: CLOSE THE LID!
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