How to Clean Retainers (Wire and Clear, Properly)

Short answer: rinse your retainer the moment it comes out, brush gently with a soft brush and mild soap (never toothpaste, it's abrasive), and soak it 5 to 20 minutes in a dedicated cleaner. If you wear a wire Hawley retainer, skip baking soda soaks. The metal parts can corrode with frequent exposure. Clear plastic retainers can handle that kind of soak more often, but tend to pick up more plaque and tartar than wire ones do, so they need it more.

Two retainers, two very different personalities

A wire Hawley retainer and a clear plastic one look like they're doing the same job, and technically they are, but they react to cleaning products like two people with completely different allergies at the same dinner party. What's perfectly fine for one can quietly wreck the other.

According to WebMD, soaking a Hawley retainer too long or too often in a baking soda solution can corrode its metal wiring, a popular home remedy turning into the thing that ages your retainer early. Clear plastic retainers don't have that problem, but the same source notes they tend to collect more plaque and tartar build up than wire ones, so they need their own soak more consistently, not less.

The routine that works for both

1. Rinse immediately on removal. Cool or lukewarm water, while debris is still soft and hasn't had time to set.
2. Brush gently, daily. A soft brush and mild soap, not toothpaste, which is abrasive enough to dull clear plastic and won't do wire any favours either. A 2025 trial on aligner materials found plain, colourant-free soap was the gentlest daily option of five cleaners tested.
3. Soak in a dedicated cleaner, not a kitchen cupboard experiment. 5 to 20 minutes, with an occasional overnight soak when needed. Never more than one overnight period before rinsing thoroughly.
4. Store it dry and ventilated, not sealed up wet. A case that stays damp all day gives bacteria the same conditions a retainer left out does.

What actually does the cleaning

Blakmint's liquid cleaner was tested under ASTM E2315, the lab standard for measuring bacterial reduction on an appliance surface, against a mixed inoculum of four real bacteria strains: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E coli, Staphylococcus aureus and E hirae. At a 20-minute soak, the result was a 99.99% reduction, the number printed on the bottle. It's persulfate free and safe across both wire and clear retainer types: no baking-soda guesswork, no corrosion risk, one bottle either way.

When it's not a cleaning problem

• Wire that's bent or no longer sitting flush. That needs an orthodontist adjustment, not a different cleaner.
• Clear plastic that's gone cloudy and stays cloudy after cleaning. Some surface wear is permanent; a cloudy retainer that's otherwise intact is still doing its job, just not winning any beauty contests.
• A retainer that no longer fits. Teeth shift over time even with a retainer; a loose fit is a reason to call your orthodontist, not clean harder.

Frequently asked

1. Can I use baking soda on my retainer?
   Only if it's a clear plastic retainer with no metal parts. On a wire Hawley retainer, frequent baking soda soaks can corrode the wire over time.
2. Why does my clear retainer get dirtier than my friend's wire one?
   It's not you. Clear plastic retainers are reported to collect more plaque and tartar than wire Hawley retainers, so they genuinely need more frequent cleaning, not better technique.
3. Is it safe to use mouthwash on a retainer?
   Not ideally. The alcohol in most mouthwash can dry out and degrade retainer material, clear or wire, over repeated use.
4. How long can I soak a retainer overnight?
   Never more than one overnight period before rinsing thoroughly and inspecting it. Routine cleaning only needs 5 to 20 minutes.

The Blakmint liquid retainer cleaner is £14 for up to 5 months of use, persulfate free, ultrasonic-safe, and safe for both wire and clear retainers.

Want the peer-reviewed deep dive, references and all? Read How Should You Clean Your Aligners and Retainers? What the Studies Actually Show. Comparing it to tablets specifically? Read Retainer Cleaner Tablets vs Liquid, or for the ultrasonic question, Ultrasonic Retainer Cleaners vs Liquid. Just finished Invisalign? See Vivera Retainer Care: How to Clean and Look After Yours. Wondering which brush to use? Read Orthodontic Toothbrush: What to Use for Braces, Retainers and Aligners. Reaching for mouthwash instead? Read Can You Clean a Retainer With Mouthwash? What the Sources Say.