How to Take Care of Your Electric Toothbrush

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With all the fad diets and workout plans out there, staying fit and healthy has become more and more popular over the years. But it’s also important to focus on specific daily grooming activities to keep yourself on that health-conscious track. Brushing your teeth is just one of those important tasks. And whether you’re into using a manual or electric toothbrush, there is one important thing that we tend to overlook: how to take care of your electric toothbrush.

Although we may make sure to correctly brush our teeth, gums, and tongue twice a day, making sure that our toothbrush is just as clean as our pearly whites are just as important. Cleaning your electric toothbrush might not seem like something you’d have to do. However, you wouldn’t want to put something that’s been covered in old toothpaste and other grit into your mouth. Electric toothbrush maintenance will not only help you avoid anything gross from going into your mouth, but it will also allow you to clean your teeth properly.

In this article, you’ll learn how to take care of your electric toothbrush and how to extend the life of your handheld device.

Habitual Light Cleaning Is Key

Why is electric toothbrush maintenance important? Knowing how to take care of your electric toothbrush will not only ensure that you will be able to clean your teeth properly, but it will also help you avoid having to get a replacement. Just like any other machine or device, it can break down over time. And even though you may not have that one electric toothbrush in your life forever, there’s a strong possibility for you to use the same one over the course of a few years. But how do you make sure that’s a reality? You’ll need to keep your handheld toothbrush clean.

Now we’re not saying you’ll need to do a thorough scrub-down. However, it is important you rise off any leftover toothpaste remnants, filmy substances or anything else that could eventually break down the mechanisms in the electric toothbrush. While it might seem monotonous, keeping up this type of electric toothbrush maintenance will make it last longer and work to its fullest potential.

Keep Your Handle Dry

Sure, an electric toothbrush will eventually dry off after you put it in its holder. However, if you don’t regularly wipe it down, you will eventually see toothpaste film and white crusty bits on the handle. Even though that might look harmless, it can be harmful to your electric toothbrush as time goes on. If you’re willing to know how to take care of your electric toothbrush, then it would be good to get into the habit of wiping off the handle with a wet towel after brushing your teeth. Then, once you have wiped off the leftover toothpaste, you should wipe the same areas with a soft, dry towel to make sure it’s clean and dry.

And after watching the video above, you’ll learn that electric toothbrush maintenance isn’t limited to the outside of the device. But you need to also pay attention to the inside of the handle as well. Although not all electric toothbrushes will allow you to get into the inside of it, some do. And if you have a model that will let you see the inside of the electric toothbrush, you should make sure to keep that dry and clean as well.

As shown in the video above, you can turn the toothbrush upside down to let the water drain out of the handle. Always be sure to wipe the wet edges once all the water is out. If there are still moisture patches inside the handle, don’t worry. Just take a chopstick or toothpick or some other long and thin object. Wrap it with a small piece of paper towel or napkin. Then you can carefully sweep through the inside of the handle.

Finally, you must never submerge your handle in water. Stick to quickly rinsing the outer handle with water. Then stick to wiping the inside of it with a damp cloth or paper towel.

Don’t Forget About the Nooks and Crannies

Now that we are starting to get into the nooks and crannies of the electric toothbrush handle, let’s hop into that topic. You don’t need to do this after each toothbrushing session, but it would be a good idea to get into a habit of deep-cleaning your electric toothbrush once every week or so. If you want to know how to take care of your electronic toothbrush, then this is one of the best practices to adopt. Aside from the toothbrush handle, you need to make sure to keep the other parts of the toothbrush free of toothpaste bits and moisture.

If you take off the brush head after oral care, then you should make sure to rinse off and dry off the brush. Especially make sure that the metal bit that spins and moves the brush back and forth is also wiped down. Dirt and sometimes mold can gather in different crevices or between parts, so focusing on those areas when cleaning your electric toothbrush are ideal.

Invest in a Sanitizer

While you’re good about cleaning your electric toothbrush, there are still some particles and bacteria that are hard to avoid with just cleaning the brush itself. And those culprits usually come from the air, or even worse, your toilet. Yes, that’s a gross thought. But we’re not talking about the one time your electric toothbrush fell into the toilet. Instead, we’re thinking of the many times the toilet seat is left open, which lets any bacterial particles float in the air and over to your toothbrush. So how do you take care of your electric toothbrush when that can sometimes seem unavoidable? First, you can keep your electric toothbrush as far away from the toilet area as possible. The other thing you can do is get yourself a handy UV sanitizer.

This will easily increase the price tag on an electric toothbrush kit. And if you already have the electric toothbrush and need a sanitizer, it will cost you a few more bucks. But if your toothbrush is in a bathroom that’s pretty popular, then it would be good to make that investment.

So how do they work? You can put the toothbrush or, more likely, the brush head into the UV sanitizer for 10 minutes. And in that time, any bacteria on the brush will be killed. It’s also a good clean place to keep your powered toothbrush heads. So if you’re not a big fan of germs, this might be something to add into your (online) shopping cart.

Replace Overused Brush Heads

While it might feel a little excessive, the American Dental Association does strongly recommend to replace your electric toothbrush head every three to four months. One we know how to brush teeth correctly and consider the fact that a typical electric toothbrush head performs 30,000 to 40,000 strokes a minute, the bristles are more likely to bend over and wear out more easily. So if your bristles are no longer standing up straight, then it might be time to change the brush head.

Keep Your Battery Charged

This step might immediately come to mind when cleaning an electric toothbrush. However, if you’re looking for another step in how to take care of your electric toothbrush, then pay attention.

First of all, you will want to make sure to remove the battery, if that’s possible when cleaning out your electric toothbrush. And when you’re not using it, you will want to make sure it’s continuously charged. You should also make sure that no dirt or moisture accumulates on the battery, too.

When You’re on the Road

Most of this post has focused on how to take care of your electric toothbrush when you’re at home. But what happens when you’re traveling? First, it would be good to make sure you can charge your electric toothbrush without the large charging dock or station. There are a number of models that you can charge with a USB cord or even with power from our mobile phone. You’ll also want to invest in either a good traveling case or even a mini cover for the brush head. By doing these little things, you’ll know how to take care of your electric toothbrush while you’re traveling around the world.

It’s Okay to Be Selfish

No matter how much you love a significant other, child or any other loved one, if you want to keep things clean and sanitized, don’t share your toothbrush. Although that might seem simple enough, there have been many incidents where people are in a bind. They just need to do a quick brush session and borrow someone’s toothbrush. But let’s be honest. Everyone has their own biodome of bacteria and microbes in their mouths, so sharing a toothbrush just isn’t an ideal situation. So in this case, it’s totally fine and much safer to be a little selfish and not share your electric toothbrush.

An electric toothbrush, as with your manual one, may keep your teeth and mouth clean. But it still needs its own electric toothbrush maintenance. So look through these tips carefully, and if you follow them, you’ll not only be able to be safe from any extra germs, but you’ll also hold onto your cleaning device longer than others. If you are looking for an electric toothbrush, check out our list of favorite electric toothbrushes so you do not have to share it with anyone!