Should a toothbrush be cleaned every time you use it

[SophieCook]

My husband doesn't think it's necessary to wash your toothbrush every time you use it, leading to a collection of sludge (ie saliva and toothpaste) in the bottom of the glass the toothbrushes are kept in. It does my head in. So much so that I now insist on my toothbrush and our 4 yo sons toothbrush being kept in a different place because I don't want our toothbrushes being stored in my husband's drool.

I've given up asking him to wash his own toothbrush, all I want now is that he washes our son's toothbrush before he puts it away and he doesn't keep our son's toothbrush in his drool-filled toothbrush glass. AIBU?

Presumably you stash tooth brushes head up? So drool in the bottom of the container isn't really an issue.

Washing it or rinsing it? I rinse my toothbrush after using it and I assume that’s normal. Is that what you mean?

How often does the toothpaste glass get cleaned? And surely its excess water and not drool?

Everytime. I rinse it under the water every single time.

that is disgusting

Yuck, I think it is disgusting! There must be so many germs accumulating there, and even handle down, I wouldn't want to hold my toothbrush if the handle had old drool on it 🤢

To be honest @SophieCook I wouldn't want to even kiss my husband knowing that his teeth and mouth never got a proper clean...

This!

I rinse my toothbrush, therefore it’s wet. There is sometimes a collection of water in the cup; which is managed by washing the cup.

I don’t “wash” my toothbrush; which would imply using soap/scrubbing it. I rinse it.

YANBU My DH is the same and there is no way I would put my toothbrush anywhere near his pot of vile gobslime.
I keep my clean dry toothbrush well away.

Just the concept of a drooly toothbrush mug is disgusting. Mine gets laid down on the shelf neatly and cleanly after a good rinse.

Yes, I mean rinse. Its definitely not just water in the bottom of the glass, it's a different consistency and water would evaporate. And although the toothbrushes are stored head up, handle down in the glass, I still don't want to hold the handle of a brush that has slime all over it.

Spit would evaporate too. Evaporation rates are pretty low in bathrooms since the air is generally pretty humid anyway, and there are so many water sources. Plus it’s presumably having fresh water added after each tooth brushing session so twice a day?

My toothbrush is completely coated in foam after I use it and there is no way I could possibly not rinse it. Fortunately my family all rinse too but we definitely get a puddle!

Does it look like water? Or does it have a cloudy, sticky look about it?

I see water quite regularly, so I'm pretty good at telling the difference between water and slime. Call it my super power - granted it's a wierd one, but don't knock a super power!!😅

I rinse before and after, our of more habit as rinsing only gets thr toothpaste off or makes it wet to start not to do with germs, which probably come more from un lidded toilets being flushed

But I would not ask an adult to wash their own it's up to them

And rinse to me is with water wash to me means using soap of some sort I never do that

Ours is cloudy to be honest. Not sticky. Definitely not clear. All toothbrushes definitely rinsed. Is your cup perfectly clean and dry?!

It needs a good rinse every time, I usually also gently brush bristles with a clean finger to help shift the debris.
Essentially you're washing out the plaque, food, bacteria etc from your teeth, it sticks to your teeth, hence brushing it off, but if you leave it then can stick to the tooth brush so you're then brushing your teeth with food debris, bacteria etc .... which has been festering and bacteria multiplying.
Wash it before and after use .. every time

I'm fairly easy ozy on the old hygiene but that is absolutely grim, it takes 2 secs to rinse a toothbrush, he's brushing his teeth with weeks worth of his own dries saliva 😨🤢

Yes, rinse each time.
Now and again, I leave it to soak in anti-bac mouthwash and rinse well in really hot water.

Rinse under tap, squeeze dry on hand towel.

Every time.
You brush your teeth then you rinse the toothbrush under the tap, use your fingers to ruffle the bristles a little. That way you don't get any gunk build up.

Since I read that decay /gum disease etc increases the risk of dementia in the elderly I have been much more careful about cleaning brush and handle.
DH sits his permanently in the charger which is grotty. So I bought a separate charger for me.

Isn’t it more about health generally rather than a direct correlation between plaque and dementia? As in, someone with poor oral health is more likely to have poor health generally, which makes dementia more likely?

I always rinse it after brushing and give it a few shakes to stop any water dripping into the holder. My ex used to do what OP's husband does, clean his teeth and put the brush back in the holder without rinsing, complete with toothpaste, saliva and bits of food 😫

I think a couple of people on this thread just cannot possibly imagine what you're describing OP because it's disgusting and normal adults don't leave their toothbrushes in such a state, they rinse them under the tap and flick the bristles. AKA washing their toothbrush. YANBU.

Sorry OP, your husband's toothbrush practices are absolutely fucking minging.

I agree that it is normal to rinse the brush after every use but why is the toothpaste and saliva ending up on the handle which goes in the cup, I would think that is just the water from rinsing it. Toothbrush holders often end up gross and need to be washed out. If the handle is dirty wash that before using the brush.