Hand washing is definitely the way to go—learned that after my own retainer got warped in the dishwasher and wouldn’t fit anymore. As for mouthwash, I tried that once too, thinking it’d kill all the germs, but yeah... ended up with a retainer that tasted like minty plastic for days. Ever tried those little cleaning tablets? I’ve had mixed results—sometimes they leave a weird film. Curious if anyone’s found a travel-friendly cleaner that doesn’t mess with the taste or texture?
ended up with a retainer that tasted like minty plastic for days
Haha, I can totally relate to the minty plastic situation—tried mouthwash once and regretted it every single time I put my retainer in after. As for travel, I’ve actually started using a little travel toothbrush and just a dab of unscented hand soap. Way less weird aftertaste, and it doesn’t seem to mess with the texture. Those cleaning tablets always left my retainer feeling kind of slippery, like it had a film or something... not a fan.
I hear you on the cleaning tablets—I've tried a few brands and they all left my retainer with that weird slippery feeling, almost like it wasn't rinsed off all the way. I actually switched to just brushing mine with a tiny bit of toothpaste and warm water, even when traveling. Haven't had any issues with buildup or taste since. Ever run into problems with using hand soap though? I always worry about any lingering residue, but maybe that's just me being extra cautious...
Ever run into problems with using hand soap though? I always worry about any lingering residue, but maybe that's just me being extra cautious...
I totally get what you mean about the soap residue thing. I used to use a tiny drop of hand soap in a pinch, especially if I was staying somewhere without my usual stuff. There was this one time I was at a friend’s house for the weekend and realized, halfway through brushing my teeth, that I’d forgotten my retainer cleaning tablets. I panicked a little (because those things are *not* cheap), but ended up using her fancy lavender hand soap and just rinsed the heck out of it under warm water. No weird taste or anything, but I probably spent a good five minutes rinsing just to be sure.
Honestly, though, I’m always a little paranoid about leftover soap too. Like, am I going to taste soap all night? Is it going to mess with the plastic? But I haven’t had any issues yet, knock on wood. Still, if I have toothpaste handy, that’s my go-to. It’s just easier to control how much you use and it doesn’t leave that weird “squeaky clean” feeling that tablets sometimes do.
And yeah, those cleaning tablets... I tried the store brand once because they were way cheaper, but it made my retainer feel almost slimy? Not sure if that’s what you meant by slippery, but it freaked me out enough that I just stopped using them altogether. Warm water and a soft toothbrush have been working fine for me ever since, even when I’m traveling or camping (which is honestly when I care least about anything except sleep).
I guess my philosophy is: as long as it doesn’t taste like soap or feel weird in my mouth, it’s probably fine. But if you’re worried, maybe just keep a tiny travel tube of toothpaste in your bag? That’s what I do now and it takes up basically no space. Plus, no more awkward “hey can I borrow your soap for my retainer” conversations.
