You use a toothbrush to care for your teeth and oral health, but how do you care for your toothbrush? Do you even give it a second thought or do you assume it is a self-maintaining, self-cleaning apparatus. It's not and it will get icky and yucky if you let it. It's not that hard to care for a toothbrush and yet most of us tend to make the same mistakes. Are you doing right by your toothbrush?
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Here are five disgusting toothbrush mistakes you are probably making:
1. You are storing your toothbrush too close to your toilet. You know where this is going, right? When you flush disgusting tid bits that were once in your toilet become airborne and can fly up to six feet away. If your toothbrush is within that realm, it is going to get covered in nastiness from your toilet.
2. You are storing it inside of a closed container. This is a big no-no. I know those containers are useful when you travel, but they become a breeding ground for bacteria. If you store your toothbrush inside one of those containers to keep it "clean" what you are really doing is helping it grow bacteria and microorganisms.
3. You don't clean your toothbrush. Do you assume that because toothpaste helps you clean your teeth it must be cleaning your toothbrush too? If you do, you are wrong. You need to clean your toothbrush yourself. You can do so with lukewarm water and a little soap. Do NOT put it in the microwave to supposedly disinfect it. You do not want to be microwaving a plastic toothbrush. It's not good.
4. You don't rinse it thoroughly after each use. Every time you finish using it, you should be rinsing your toothbrush under tap water, then storing it upright where it can air dry.
5. You don't replace it often enough. You probably know that you are supposed to replace your toothbrush every three or four months, but do you actually remember to do it? Buy yourself a new toothbrush with the start of every new season, i.e. summer, fall, winter and spring. Also, replace your toothbrush after you've been sick.
Excuse me, I need to go buy myself a new toothbrush.
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