How to clean an electric toothbrush

We spoke to Dr Ben Atkins, a dentist in Manchester who is also a trustee of the Oral Health Foundation, the charity dedicated to raising awareness of good oral health.

“It’s important to clean your toothbrush as that prevents debris from sticking and being reintroduced to your mouth,” he told us. “And it’s important to change your electric brush heads once they start to fray or every three months to prevent bristles from damaging your gums.” 

You should always give your toothbrush a good rinse under hot water – the hotter the better – after each use, cleaning off any toothpaste and food particles. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a hard toothpaste crust that’s trickier to remove. 

Some brush manufacturers, such as Bruush, suggest an additional clean every week or two by soaking the brush heads in either antibacterial mouthwash or a mild hydrogen peroxide solution for up to 5 minutes. Give the brush head a good rinse afterwards to make sure all the cleaning solution has been removed. 

The majority of electric toothbrush manufacturers recommend that you replace your brush heads every three months, or earlier if they’re showing signs of fraying or losing bristles. 

By “body” here we mean the bit of the electric toothbrush that the whole brush head section attaches to.

For this bit of your toothbrush all you need to do is give it the occasional wipe with a clean damp cloth. It’s okay to use mild detergent to remove any stubborn marks. 

Store your toothbrush vertically with the brush head at the top, and place it as far away from the toilet as possible: toilets put bacteria into the air every time you flush. 

Run the hot tap and when it’s good and hot, give your toothbrush’s brush head a good rinse. If there’s some hardened toothpaste on the stem, hot water will soften that and make it easy to rub off. Shake off any excess water. 

You’ll often find that the bit where the brush head attaches to the rest of the body is a magnet for toothpaste: that little gap between the two sections is where toothpaste likes to harden. The combination of hot water and an old, ordinary toothbrush makes light work of that little problem.

A good rinse in hot water both inside and outside the brush head should do the trick for a daily clean, but if you want to do a deep clean you can soak the brush head in a cleaning solution for 3-5 minutes before rinsing it off.

Some manufacturers recommend using either antibacterial mouthwash or a hydrogen peroxide solution, but we’ve seen denture cleaning solution recommended too. 

The charger dock shouldn’t get very dirty, so in most cases you’ll be able to give it a quick spray and wipe it with a damp cloth or paper towel.

If there’s a toothpaste crust on it you can run it under the hot tap to soften the toothpaste and pick it off, but make sure you unplug it from the wall first and keep the plug well clear of any water.