Ok, this is gross.............it's embarrassing to even admit..........but, this morning, I found black mold on my toothbrush. The mold is in spots where the bristles connect to the plastic. I've never had this happen to me before. We've lived in this house for years, and there has been no change in the dehumidifier, bathroom exhaust fan, etc. I checked my husband's toothbrush, which shares a cup with mine, and his looked perfectly fine. It's even the same brand as mine. And I'm guessing, by the looks of it, mine is a much newer brush than his.
I googled the problem and I don't do any of the things mentioned as possible causes for this disgusting dilemma. My toothbrush is far away from the toilet, it is left to air dry, I actually change my brush once a month and not the every three months that's recommended. I don't share my toothbrush with anyone.
I feel betrayed by my $2.99 toothbrush. I am the model of good dental hygiene. I visit my dentist twice a year. I floss everyday. And believe it or not, I've never had a cavity in my life! Rather than have a lingering taste of bleach on my brush, I've opted to just throw the damned thing away and use the cheap ass brush provided to me at my last dental appointment. It has my dentist's name and phone number on it. If my mold issue returns, I'll be giving Dr. B a call.
I googled the problem and I don't do any of the things mentioned as possible causes for this disgusting dilemma. My toothbrush is far away from the toilet, it is left to air dry, I actually change my brush once a month and not the every three months that's recommended. I don't share my toothbrush with anyone.
I feel betrayed by my $2.99 toothbrush. I am the model of good dental hygiene. I visit my dentist twice a year. I floss everyday. And believe it or not, I've never had a cavity in my life! Rather than have a lingering taste of bleach on my brush, I've opted to just throw the damned thing away and use the cheap ass brush provided to me at my last dental appointment. It has my dentist's name and phone number on it. If my mold issue returns, I'll be giving Dr. B a call.
Ick.
ReplyDeleteI hate my toothbrush holder. Mrs. Edge bought some decorative thing, but every week I have to rinse it out because the droplets collect in the bottom. Ugh.
Every few weeks you might want to run your toothbrush through a dishwasher cycle. I do that with mine, and the dish sponges and scrubbers, etc. The heat plus a bit of bleach in the detergent will sterilize them nicely.
I've always wondered about the dishwasher thing Tom. The idea of putting my toothbrush in a machine with a plate that's had raw chicken on it tends to concern me. Maybe I'm just overly phobic!
ReplyDeleteYikes!
ReplyDelete... not only gross but dang, that's kinda SCARY -- good thing you caught it!
(sorry it's taken me a lil while to follow-up your visit to me. ;) )
Blech! I get kind of grossed out by toothbrushes, and am very particular about where mine is left, so this would freak me out. I was juat at my sister's for the past week, and had to use the toothpaste my young nieces use, and, knowing how gross those two ccan be even for particular little girls, I got skeeved everytime I had to put the tube up to my bristles!
ReplyDeleteMaybe rinsing your brush with hydrogen peroxide might help. I would feel better about that than using bleach and the dishwasher.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sympathy and advice, everyone. Husband actually thinks my problem is that I brush my teeth too much, so that the toothbrush never has a chance to dry. Oh, the trials of being uber clean.
ReplyDeleteUmm... you're gonna eat off of that plate with the raw chicken later, aren't you? And drink from the glasses that were on the rack above it and all that?
ReplyDeleteI'm a frequent brusher, so I understand wanting to have a clean brush. But the dishwasher is pretty good for cleaning - a closed environment with heat and bleach.
Think of it this way - you use that same brush every day - why wouldn't you wash it once in a while?
OK - YOU GOT ME THERE, TOM!
ReplyDelete