After our last post you may be wondering how do you safely store your toothbrush. Here are some tips you may want to practice. 

1) Make sure to rinse your toothbrush well after brushing your teeth. Before putting your toothbrush away give it a good rinse with tap water, making sure not to leave any toothpaste or debris in the brush

2) Put your toothbrush upright, in a cup or a holder, this will allow the water to drain away from the head of the brush. You want the toothbrush to air dry thoroughly. So make sure it has access to good air circulation, and is not suffocating in a small drawer or cabinet when not in use 

3) Keep your toothbrush away from other people’s toothbrushes. Even if you are all family members do not let your toothbrush touch another toothbrush. Bacteria on one brush can cross-contaminate another. 

4) Avoid keeping your toothbrush too close to the toilet and sink. In tip two we tell you to keep your toothbrush out in the open for it to air dry thoroughly. However you want to make sure it is not too close to the sink. You do not want it to get splashed with dirty or soapy water when family members are washing their hands. Likewise, keep the brush at least four feet away from the toilet. (Remember our prior post about this on 6/29/15) If you have a small bathroom that dose not let you keep this distance store your toothbrush in a different room away from your bathroom 

5) Sanitize or Not. Although you can buy toothbrush sanitizers (usually a small counter-top device), there is no evidence that these make a difference to your health. They can, however, provide you with a safe zone for storing your brush. Also, there has been no study that shows soaking your brush in an antibacterial mouth rinse makes a difference.