by Peter Johns

Created on: April 05, 2007   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Your toothbrush could be making you and your family very very sick. Is it a germ bomb?!

Let's think for a second, if the mouth contains millions of germs and you stick a toothbrush in your mouth then you can safely assume that millions of germs are now sitting on your toothbrush. Sure toothpaste kills germs - but millions of germs are definitely going to survive toothpaste. Many will die, but just as many or more will probably live.

What does this mean? The next time you put your toothbrush in your mouth you will be inflicting biological warfare on your body. Why? Because you aren't just dealing with the germs you left on the toothbrush last night, you're also dealing with their offspring, offspring's offspring and so on. It is said that germs can multiply up to 30 times over night!

Consider also the environment germs enjoy - room temperature and moisture...that's your bathroom, and your toothbrush is very damp after brushing too. Have you ever smelled your toothbrush (the idea probably makes you gag, right? So why on earth would you put that in your mouth! Bad smell = germs.)

The germs that survive are obviously the stronger germs so you'll be dealing with a whole colony of strong germs (or super germs) the next time you put that toothbrush in your mouth.

What I started doing was to put my toothbrush in rubbing alcohol. My toothbrush soaks in alcohol 24/7. That's what dentists do with their instruments. When I want to brush I simply rinse with hot water till the alcohol smell is gone, apply toothpaste and then I brush. After that I rinse it off and put it back into the alcohol to soak. It couldn't be simpler. You should immerse it deep enough into the alcohol so that whatever part of the brush goes into your mouth is also being immersed in alcohol. If you soak just an inch of your brush in alcohol but are putting the toothbrush 2 or 3 inches deep into your mouth then you're still going to get germs. And by the way, my toothbrush hasn't smelled bad since I started soaking it.

I change or refresh the alcohol every 3 or 4 days or when it starts looking foggy. Using a cup to hold the alcohol works but you'd be better off using something smaller and narrower because then you'll need less alcohol and that'll save you money. What I got was a toothpick holder. I emptied out the toothpicks, taped the container to my toothbrush holder (so it wouldn't fall over) and used that to soak my toothbrush. It doesn't take much alcohol to fill it up.

I have only been sick once in 2 years (got bronchitis last week after an incredibly stressful Christmas vacation with endless exhausting traveling. I love my family, but if it hadn't been for that trip I'd still be healthy. I think the plane trip
did it.) Once in 2 years though is still a pretty incredible feat especially considering that I used to get sick every 2 or 3 weeks! My wife also soaks her toothbrush in alcohol and hasn't been sick at all.

Good luck!

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