Germ Busters

Well, we're almost all healthy here again! Last night I was doing something that makes TOTAL sense, but most people don't think of...disinfecting our toothbrushes. My cousin used to be a dental hygienist and she said that when you're family's sick, you should disinfect your toothbrushes regularly to prevent reinfecting yourself. How does she suggest doing it? Denture cleaning tablets. You just fill a cup with hot water, add the fizzy tab and soak your toothbrush. I LOVE this idea because it's much more economical (and greener) than constantly replacing toothbrushes AND in our house, toothbrushes are always in such close contact that the likelihood of spreading germs that way is high. So I decided to share it with you. But then I though, "I don't really know what's IN those denture cleaning tablets" and I was pretty sure that there was probably a greener, more natural way to clean your dentures. So I Googled it. And here's a shocker....they suggest lemon juice to whiten the dentures (doesn't really apply to the disinfecting toothbrush thing) and then baking soda and vinegar. VINEGAR again! Is there anything that vinegar CAN'T clean? 1C hot water to 1 tsp vinegar will disinfect your toothbrushes if left to soak 1/2 hr or overnight. Just be sure to rinse well so you're not brushing your teeth with vinegar (yuck!)

**Just to be clear, I'm talking about doing this daily when my family is sick. The general rule (according to the ADA) is that you should still replace your toothbrush every 3-6 months. I'm not saying that you should use denture cleaner and keep the same toothbrush for a year!