I totally get the anxiety around tongue scrapers turning into petri dishes. I used to overthink it too—scrubbing mine like crazy every night, then leaving it on a towel to dry. But then I noticed little rust spots showing up after a few months, which freaked me out more than the idea of germs did. I switched to a copper one for a while because I’d read copper’s supposed to be “naturally antimicrobial,” but honestly, it tarnished fast and started looking gross, so that didn’t last.
Now I just stick with stainless steel and wash it with regular soap and hot water, then dry it off right away. If I forget and leave it damp, I’ll give it an extra scrub the next day. I’ve never boiled it—always worried about messing up the finish or making it rough like you said, which seems like it’d just trap more gunk over time.
I’m kind of obsessed with oral hygiene (maybe too much—I’ve tried every whitening trick under the sun), but I’ve realized there’s a line between being careful and getting paranoid. As long as it’s clean and dry, I figure I’m good. That said, I still get weirded out if I see any buildup or if it smells off. Once, after a weekend trip, I found mine at the bottom of my dopp kit and almost tossed it because it just felt sketchy after sitting closed up for days.
It’s funny how something so small can turn into this whole mental saga about germs and hygiene. At this point, I just make sure to rinse and dry it well, and if it ever looks funky or gets scratched up, I’ll replace it. Maybe that’s overkill, but better safe than sorry... especially when your mouth’s involved.
Honestly, I relate to the “mental saga” part way more than I’d like to admit. I’ve had a few tongue scrapers over the years—stainless, copper, even one of those plastic ones they give out at the dentist. For me, if it starts looking iffy or gets that weird smell, I just toss it and get a new one. They’re cheap enough and it’s not worth the stress. I do think drying them off right away makes a big difference, though. Leaving them in a damp bag or on a wet towel always seems to speed up the funk factor.
I just toss it and get a new one. They’re cheap enough and it’s not worth the stress.
I get the convenience, but tossing them every time feels a bit wasteful to me. I usually soak mine in hydrogen peroxide once a week—seems to keep the funk at bay. Anyone else try disinfecting instead of replacing?
I totally get where you’re coming from—it does feel wasteful to toss them every time. I’ve had mine for months and just clean it with boiling water and a bit of soap. No issues so far, and it feels good not to add more plastic to the trash. Hydrogen peroxide sounds like a solid idea too—never thought of that.
