Bathroom, Cleaning, DIY Cleaning

How to Clean Retainers

retainer buildup

For those of you who have kids with retainers or if you have one, this post is for you. If not, check out the before and after picture anyways, ’tis a great transformation. After the orthodontist removed the braces and handed you the retainer, do any of you remember getting instructions on how to keep your retainer clean? At that point if he did explain it, there was an OBSESSION with how slimy and smooth teeth felt and I can’t remember. Well we have some super gross retainers and some how I stumbled onto a simple way to get rid of the white build up and clean my retainers.

How to Remove White Buildup and Clean Retainers

removing white retainer buildup
The white buildup is tater and calcium leftover from the mouth.

Step One: Place retainers in case or cup, I used the plastic case.
Fill case with vinegar just until retainers are covered.

Step Two: Let retainers soak for 30 minutes.
(I may or may not have forgotten mine and let them soak overnight… oops)

Step Three: Rinse and brush retainers clean with toothpaste and you’re done.

Cleaning retainers
Gross.
Clean Retainer
Look how blue and shiny they are!

BAM! Clean retainers. Are you as amazed as I am at how well that worked. I had a moment of “duh that worked so well. Vinegar is awesome at removing crusty stuff.”

Happy Cleaning

Angela