Hello PT,
Another option is to use a sodium chlorite solution. An excellent mouthwash can be made by adding 16 ml of 5% sodium chlorite to 500 ml of water. After brushing, rinse your toothbrush off with water then dip it into the mouthwash solution and let it air dry. After brushing and rinsing, take a mouthful of the mouth wash and swish for 30 - 60 seconds, then spit it out. You can add a drop of cinnamon or mint if you want a more "zestful" taste. This solution is technically called chlorous acid, but its PH is actual neutral or slightly alkaline. When the solution encounters acids in the mouth, or on your toothbrush, trace amounts of chlorine dioxide are released that the pathogens are killed off. The nice thing about this is that activation only occurs as needed. If there are no germs, no chlorine dioxide is produced. This reduces oxidative stress, but I am not sure that is much of an issue inside the mouth. If you don't want to make your own solution, commercial products are available. You would search on mouthwash with sodium chlorite in it. Tom From: needling around [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 9:09 AM To: [email protected] Subject: CS>anti-microbial??? Hi, This is a question for Steve and some of the other chemists on the list... I have read about and been advised to keep my toothbrushes in an antimicrobial between use. The general advise is something like Listerine but I don't really like that so I have used peroxide for a long time. I recently switched to CS. Evidently toothbrushes are *seething* (mild hyperbole) with microbes that just keep reinfecting the mouth and the mouth is one place for focal infections that keep the immune system challenged. My question is, "If I mix CS and 3% H2O2 will that increase the germ fighting capability of the liquid or create a whole new chemical that will do something totally different and perhaps not desirable?" Thanks for any guidance you can give. PT PS: another good way to sanitize the toothbrush is to put it in the dishwasher every few days when you run it up.
