How to Make Denture Cleaner

Dentures aren’t maintenance-free, but you don’t need to spend a fortune to keep them in tip-top shape. Even if you can’t brush after every meal, you should clean your dentures each morning and evening. For the most effective cleaning, you should follow up your evening brushing with soaking the dentures in a good disinfecting agent. There’s no need to resort to expensive commercial denture cleaners to keep your mouth healthy and attractive. You probably already have plenty of household products that can pull double-duty as perfectly capable denture cleaners.

Things You'll Need

• Baking soda
• Dish soap or liquid antibacterial soap
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Water
• Lemon juice
• Cheap vodka
• Household bleach
• White vinegar

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Instructions

• 1

  Brush your dentures with baking soda, dish soap or liquid antibacterial soap. These products are perfectly safe and effective for removing food particles, and they clean very well.

• 2

  Combine equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water for an effective overnight antibacterial soaking solution.

• 3

  Stir 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a cup of cheap vodka. Soak your dentures overnight in the solution. The baking soda is a cleaning and whitening agent, while the lemon juice and vodka have antibacterial properties.

• 4

  Combine 10 parts water and 1 part household bleach for a highly effective disinfectant solution to kill harmful microorganisms that denture surfaces commonly host. Soak your dentures for 20 to 30 minutes to remove stains and discoloration. Remove them from the soak and rinse them thoroughly. Soak partials for only 10 minutes, since longer exposure to bleach can be corrosive to the metal parts.

• 5

  Soak your dentures for 20 to 30 minutes in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water to kill microorganisms and remove tartar buildup without bleaching. Remove them from the soak and rinse thoroughly. The vinegar will either break the tartar down completely or soften it so that you can brush it away. Repeating the soak nightly should eventually degrade even stubborn tartar. Don’t use vinegar on partial dentures -- it can be corrosive to the metal parts.