Whether you wear a mouthguard for sports, for night-time teeth grinding, or for orthodontic reasons, keeping it clean is not optional. A dirty mouthguard is a warm, damp breeding ground for bacteria, and putting it in your mouth night after night without proper cleaning can lead to bad breath, gum irritation, and even infections. The good news is that learning how to clean your mouthguard properly takes only a few minutes a day. Here is everything you need to know, from daily habits to deep-cleaning methods.

Why Cleaning Matters So Much

Your mouth is full of bacteria, and every time you wear your guard, a film of saliva, plaque, and food particles coats it. If you simply toss it in its case after use, that film hardens into tartar-like deposits, the guard starts to smell, and the material can degrade faster. Worse, a contaminated guard held against your gums and teeth for hours creates the perfect conditions for gingivitis and fungal irritation. A clean guard lasts longer, smells neutral, and is simply safer to wear.

Daily Cleaning: The Two-Minute Routine

Make this a habit every single time you take your guard out. Rinse it immediately under cool or lukewarm water, never hot, as heat can warp the plastic and ruin the fit. Then brush it gently with a soft toothbrush and a small amount of mild soap or non-abrasive toothpaste. Plain, non-whitening toothpaste is fine, but avoid anything gritty or strongly flavoured, which can scratch the surface and leave residues.

Pay attention to the grooves and any textured areas where plaque likes to hide. Rinse thoroughly so no soap remains, shake off the excess water, and let the guard air-dry completely on a clean towel or rack before putting it in its case. Storing it while still damp is one of the most common mistakes people make, and it is exactly how odours and bacterial growth get started.

Weekly Deep Clean

Once a week, give your guard a deeper clean to tackle anything the daily routine misses. There are several effective options. Denture cleaning tablets dissolved in water make an excellent soak; fifteen to thirty minutes is usually enough, followed by a thorough rinse. A diluted white vinegar soak, one part vinegar to three parts water for about thirty minutes, also works well against odours and mineral deposits, though you should rinse very well afterwards to remove the taste.

Some people use a mixture of baking soda and water as a gentle scrub, which deodorises nicely. What you should not use: bleach, boiling water, microwaves, or dishwashers. All of these can damage the material, warp the fit, or leave harmful residues. If your guard is a custom-fitted one from your dentist, it was an investment worth protecting, so stick to gentle methods.

How to Store Your Mouthguard

Proper storage is half of proper hygiene. Always keep your guard in a ventilated case with air holes, not sealed in a plastic bag. The case itself needs cleaning too; wash it with soap and water weekly and let it dry fully. Keep the case away from heat sources like radiators or sunny car dashboards, which can warp both the case and the guard inside it.

If you use your guard for sports, rinse it before and after each session, and do not share it with anyone else. For night guards, the bedside routine matters: brush and floss your teeth before putting the guard in, so you are not sealing the day’s plaque against your teeth all night. If you are recovering from dental work, check our guide on how long it takes a wisdom tooth to heal for when it is safe to resume wearing your guard.

Signs Your Mouthguard Needs Replacing

Even with perfect care, mouthguards do not last forever. Replace yours if it no longer fits snugly, if you can see cracks, tears, or thinning areas, or if it has developed a persistent smell or discolouration that cleaning will not shift. For growing children, check the fit every few months, as growth spurts can quickly make a guard too tight or too loose. A poorly fitting guard protects poorly, so do not soldier on with one that has seen better days.

As a rough guide, stock sports guards last a season or two, while custom dental guards can last several years with good care. Your dentist can assess the condition at your regular check-ups, so bring it along.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The biggest errors are all easy to fix. Do not use hot water, which warps the plastic. Do not chew on your guard when you are not meant to, as this creates grooves that trap bacteria. Do not leave it lying around unprotected where it can pick up dirt or get chewed by pets, which happens more often than you would think. And do not skip the drying step; a damp guard in a closed case is the fastest route to a smelly, unhealthy appliance.

For authoritative background on keeping your mouth healthy overall, the NHS guide to keeping your teeth clean is excellent, and the Colgate guide to mouthguards covers types and care in more detail. If you are unsure about anything related to your teeth, our article on how many wisdom teeth you have answers another common question we hear.

Cleaning on the Go and While Travelling

Mouthguard hygiene does not stop when you leave home. For sports players, keep a small spray bottle of water and a spare soft toothbrush in your kit bag so you can rinse and brush the guard at half time or after the match. Never leave a used guard sitting in a closed kit bag for hours; the warm, dark environment is ideal for bacteria. If you cannot brush it immediately, at least rinse it thoroughly and leave the case open until you can clean it properly.

When travelling, pack the guard in its ventilated case in your hand luggage rather than checked baggage, where heat and crushing are risks. A travel-sized bottle of denture tablets is handy for hotel-room deep cleans. And if you lose your case, a clean breathable pouch is a better temporary home than a sealed plastic bag.

Mouthguards for Children

Kids are harder on mouthguards than adults, and less diligent about cleaning, so build the routine with them. Make rinsing and brushing the guard part of the post-match ritual, just like taking off boots. Check the fit regularly, since children’s mouths change quickly, and replace guards that are chewed, cracked, or loose. Labelling the case with your child’s name prevents the all-too-common kit-bag mix-up, which is a hygiene nightmare worth avoiding.

Do not forget the case itself in your routine. Rinse it with hot soapy water at least once a week, scrub the corners where grime collects, and leave it open to air-dry fully before the guard goes back in. Replace the case if it cracks or stops closing properly, since a damaged case lets dirt in and offers no real protection. A clean case is the final piece of the hygiene puzzle.

The Bottom Line

Knowing how to clean your mouthguard comes down to a simple daily rinse-and-brush, a weekly deeper soak, thorough drying, and a ventilated case. Two minutes a day keeps bacteria at bay, extends the life of your guard, and protects the teeth and gums it is meant to safeguard. Your mouth will thank you.