The Dirty Truth About Your Toothbrush: What’s on your Toothbrush Just Might Surprise You

Do You Know What's on Your Toothbrush? Staphylococci, pseudomonads, coliforms, yeasts, intestinal bacteria and — yes — even fecal germs may be on your toothbrush?

After you have finished eating your breakfast, you walk into the bathroom, take your toothbrush and squeeze on a decent layer of bacteria for cleaning. Wait…bacteria? While you may not intentionally add bacteria, your toothbrush is still loaded with it. And that’s what you are using to “clean” your teeth. Appropriate care and toothbrush storage are essential to achieving personal oral hygiene and optimally effective plaque removal.

Can Bacteria from your Toilet Reach your Toothbrush?

The quick answer is ‘yes.’ Enteric bacteria, which mostly occur in the intestines, can transfer to toothbrushes and therefore into your mouth. This may occur due to microscopic droplets released from the toilet during flushing or through inadequate hand-washing. In fact, toothbrushes may be infected with bacteria right out of the box, as they are not required to be packaged in a sterile manner.

Your toothbrush is gross. More than expected it's covered in bacteria, blood, and saliva. And unless you're among the few civilized people who placed the toilet seat down before they flush, it's also covered in poo. The reason? The sudden rush of water swirling around the toilet bowl moves up a towering vortex of microscopic poop particles. This vapor then spreads throughout your entire bathroom and ultimately settles on every surface, including the bristles of your uncovered toothbrush. This phenomenon, known as "toilet plume," spreads infectious aerosols throughout your bathroom, including the likely fatal bacterium Clostridium difficile, or C. diff.

What is the Proper Way to Clean Your Toothbrush to Help Remove Germs?

You should thoroughly rinse toothbrushes with clean tap water after brushing to remove any residual toothpaste and debris. In addition, soaking toothbrushes in an antibacterial mouth rinse has been shown to reduce the level of bacteria that grow on toothbrushes.

How should you Store your Toothbrush to Avoid Germ and Bacteria Buildup?

You should not store your toothbrush in a sealed container or routinely cover your toothbrush, as a damp environment is more favorable to the growth of microorganisms. Also, storing toothbrushes in an upright position and enabling them to air dry until the subsequent use is recommended, if possible. If more than one brush is stored in an area, keeping the toothbrushes separate can help in preventing cross-contamination.”

Don’t Brush Where you Flush!

The main concern of keeping your toothbrush on the bathroom washbasin is the vicinity of a toilet. Every time a toilet is flushed, a spray of bacteria is released into the air. You obviously do not want those toilet scraps anywhere near your openly store toothbrush. Store your toothbrush as far away as possible from the toilet seat in the bathroom. If possible, encourage shutting the toilet seat before flushing, reducing toilet spray releasing into the air. 

You can choose a magnetic sealing Toilet loaded with several benefits. Magnetic sealing fills the gaps, and with the tight sealing, you don't have to worry about the What's on Your Toothbrush and the disgusting particles that have been moving “Freely” in your bathroom & landing on your toothbrush!