sonic tooth brush sanitiser - waste of money or not?

silvercar

Time to replace my sonicare for the 3rd time (!) and I noticed that they now sell sanitisers (about £30) to keep your toothbrush germ free. Is this necessary or another money spinner?

I keep the toothbrush head covered with the little plastic cover when not in use and switch it on for a few seconds after use to shake off excess water, is that sufficient?

Having lived all my life without a toothbrush sanitiser I wonder if its necessary. But then a sonic toothbrush has only been in my life for the last 6 years, so maybe improvements are necessary.

Are electric/ sonic brushes more likely to harbour germs than manual brushes?

Penny_Watcher

silvercar wrote: »

Are electric/ sonic brushes more likely to harbour germs than manual brushes?

Dunno (sorry not helpful).

I soak the head of my electric toothbrush into a cap full of strong Listerine (kept for that purpose) every other day. Seems to work for me.

shandypants5

If you have lived the past 6 years without getting, poisoned or infected gums, then YES its a waste of money.


If on the otherhand you are constantly ill and have halitosis that can be detected 5 feet away......

freejunkie

I dont know about sanitizers but for years Ive always soaked my toothbrushes in a STEREDENT overnight.
Really does the trick for me.
Hth

tirednewdad

Probably a waste of money- no evidence or studies available either way.

*Vikki*

Never heard of such things, never had one in my house.

red

i think that if you keep your brush in as a dry a state as you do then the bacteria growth will be kept to a minimum. that said, i think the uv sanitisers do work. however, they are probably not necessary if you change the brush head regularly. i suspect a cheaper alternative would be to either run boiling water over the head.

Toothsmith

Gadget.

They do disinfect your toothbrush - but there are cheaper ways to do that if you have that sort of OCD!

DON'T run boiling water over the head though - it will melt the bristles of a decent brush. Or at least severely cut down it's lifespan.

silvercar

Thanks all that's £30 saved:)

So what is the easiest way to keep your toothbrush clean?

You know those little caps that come with the brush that only just fit over the bristles? Is it best to keep the toothbrush covered all the time not in use? Or is it best to let it air dry?

Pruflo

In my 37 odd years on this planet it never occured to me to disinfect my toothbrush - what will they come up with next ???

Toothsmith

Air dry really. Replace regularly.