Short answer: most athletes don't clean their mouthguard at all. A Tufts University survey of 167 athletes found 55.7% never cleaned theirs, and under 1% did so consistently. A separate clinical study of football players found both boil-and-bite and custom mouthguards become heavily contaminated with wear, and that soaking in a sanitizing solution significantly cut bacteria, yeast and mould. The guard isn't the problem. Skipping the clean is.
Nobody on the team is cleaning theirs, and now you know the number
Every squad has that one piece of kit everyone owns, nobody maintains, and everyone silently assumes someone else has a system for. Shin pads get hosed off. Boots get wiped down. The mouthguard goes from mouth, to bag, to mouth again, for an entire season, and that's apparently standard practice, not a few careless players, the actual majority.
A Tufts University survey of 167 athletes found that 55.7% never cleaned their mouthguard at all, 43% cleaned it only sometimes, and fewer than 1 in 100 did it consistently. The lead researcher's conclusion was blunt: "They definitely hold bacteria and fungi."
What's actually growing on a season-old guard
A 2011 study published in Sports Health tested mouthguards from 62 football players, both the cheap boil-and-bite kind and custom-fitted ones, and found both types became contaminated with a range of microorganisms through normal wear. The same study found that soaking guards daily in a sanitizing solution produced a significant drop in bacteria, yeast and mould. Players with more contaminated guards also reported more mouth lesions in that study, a correlation, not proof the guard caused it directly, but not nothing either.
The routine that actually fits a training schedule
- Rinse in cold water straight after every session. Not hot. Heat can warp both boil-and-bite and custom material.
- Brush with mild soap, not abrasive toothpaste. A soft brush does the job without scratching the surface.
- Soak daily during an active season. The research above points to daily sanitizing, not weekly. A guard that's back in your mouth within 24 hours needs a same-day clean, not a Sunday one.
- Let it air-dry fully before the case shuts. A sealed, damp case overnight undoes most of the rinse-and-brush work.
What actually does the sanitizing
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 too, which matters for something going back into a young athlete's mouth most days of the week.
What it won't fix
- A guard that no longer fits. Growing jaws and worn material both change fit over a season; cleaning doesn't reshape plastic.
- Visible tears, thinning, or a guard that's gone soft. A damaged guard protects less on impact, regardless of how clean it is.
- A smell that comes straight back. If that keeps happening on a guard that's otherwise in good shape, it may just be past its season.
Frequently asked
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Is a custom-fitted mouthguard cleaner than a boil-and-bite one?
No. The research above found both types pick up contamination with wear. Material and fit don't prevent bacteria; cleaning does. -
Can my child use mouthwash to clean their mouthguard between sessions?
Not ideally. The alcohol in most mouthwash can dry out and degrade mouthguard material over repeated use. A dedicated cleaning solution avoids that trade-off. -
How often should a team mouthguard actually get sanitized?
Daily during an active season is what the clinical research points to, not just "when it starts to smell." -
Is it safe to share a cleaning solution across a team's mouthguards?
No. Each guard should be cleaned in its own solution, not a shared batch, to avoid cross-contaminating between players.
The Blakmint liquid cleaner is £14 for up to 5 months of use, persulfate free, ultrasonic-safe, and works on mouthguards, night guards, retainers and dentures alike.
Want the general at-home routine too? Read How to Clean a Mouthguard (or Gum Shield) Properly.