Customer Reviews

Germ Terminator Toothbrush Sanitizer

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I really like the premise behind these units, and I have already owned 4 of them. The problem is, though, they are not built to withstand the high heat generated. The plastic toothbrush holders will actually melt off and crack over time from the heat. The bottom of the unit will develop leaks. Also, regardless of how well you clean your toothbrush, there is still toothpaste residue on it, and this will cause a powdery build up in the unit that is difficult and time consuming to remove.
We use only distilled water in ours and clean regularly but still can't seem to get more than a year out of it. One lasted around eight months. The warranty is only 90 days, so it's essentially useless. We keep buying, though, because until its inevitable demise it does sterilize the brushes and keep them dry and covered, and there's nothing better out there. Consider the money spent on it an annual expense. The UV ones have their own issues, and the ozone generating ones are usually built cheaply as well.

I have had my Germ Terminator for 2 years and I can't imagin life without it. I am in the health care field and know the importance of preventing microbial contamination whenever possible. Even though it is not considered portable, I travel a great deal and never leave home without it tucked away in my suitcase. It does require a small effort to clean, but small is the operative word. Anyone who cares about keeping themselves and their families healthy would do well to keep a Germ Terminator in every bathroom. Also, you can sterilize other items that will fit in the basket and are not harmed by steam. I routinely sterilize the end of my Water Pik and other assorted dental hygine items before each use. Also, pierced earring that are all metal. I find it indispensable.

This one really works. I used to get sore throats when using a non-sterilized toothbrush. Used to re-infect myself with colds and bacterial infections. For longest time, had multiple (20-30) toothbrushes and sterilized in top rack basket in dishwasher with water heater on high temp. That worked but time consuming.

Now use Germ Terminator -- just as effective but takes less time and less water and less energy. For best results, use distilled water, but you can use tap too. If you use tap regularly you will need to watch for calcium build up like in coffee maker and run vinegar through it to get rid of calcium build up. I am able to sterilize my Braun electric toothbrush heads (which cost $10 each!) in this unit too besides regular toothbrushes. They fit in the little baskets.

This unit is very light so it will be good for traveling even though footprint not as small as UV travel sanitizers.

I love my steam sterilizer. I am going to buy a second one for traveling.

Why should you buy this unit instead of UV light sterilizer/sanitizer?

Most toothbrush sterilizers are UV light based. I did research on steam versus UV sterilization:

UV light is non-ionizing radiation. Good for destroying airborne organisms and organisms on exposed surfaces that UV light makes contact with. UV light has low penetrating power. Dust, soil, anything that shields organism from UV light will protect micro organism from sterilization. Must keep UV light bulb very clean (dust/soil on UV light will reduce effectiveness). Must regularly test UV light because they lose power to sterilize over time. Sterilization percentage for UV light: 99.95%. Sterilization percentage for Germ Terminator (tested results): 99.999999%

UV light causes sunburns. Think about how a hat or shirt or glass window will protect you from sunburns. UV cannot penetrate these.

For medical/dental tools, doctors use autoclaves which are steam based.

Don't leave home without your Germ Terminator!

There's nothing like grabbing a warm totally sanitized toothbrush. I have used this for years after I saw the inventor on 20/20 I had to try it out. It works great! Its like using a new toothbrush everyday. Well worth it.

After researching a bit, I decided to buy the Germ Terminator instead of some of the sleeker looking UV toothbrush sanitizers. The official stance of the American Dental Association is that those interested in a toothbrush santizer should purchase one that is FDA approved. None of the UV models were, but the Germ Terminator is an approved FDA medical device! Apparently, UV rays don't work well for sanitizing toothbrushes, but rather on flat surfaces. Anyway, the unit is fast and easy to use. I also like that it stores the toothbrushes in a sanitary space until they're next used. I only wish that it held more than two toothbrushes and came in other colors.

I hate to leave such a low rating, because the correct model IS fantastic. I have one that I have had for years... I take good care of it, use distilled water, and it still works just great. Unfortunately, I have ordered countless units from Amazon over the last year or so, and keep receiving a model that the Germ Terminator company warns customers against. The one pictured would be great... if I received that one. The one with the toothbrushes facing 'bristles up', in the gold/yellow basket is the 'safe' model that functions properly. Those I keep receiving though, are a model that show (on the box) toothbrushes upside-down, in a white basket. The Germ Terminator company claims all of these units are unsafe and were to be destroyed... but they were somehow taken from the warehouse they were being held in, and have been on the market ever since.

I tried to chat with someone from Amazon, hoping to find out if there is any way to have someone in the fulfullment warehouse CHECK to see which model is actually being shipped, and was told that they couldn't, but that the chat transcript would be forwarded on to 'address the issue'. I was also told to leave feedback here, and that it would be 'corrected' within a week.

Again, the photo currently being shown APPEARS to be correct... but this photo was also shown last time I ordered, and I still received the 'other' units. At that time, I wasn't aware of the safety issue (units getting too hot). The problem I would have with them was the almost immediate build-up of yellow 'gunk' that was impossible to keep clean, so I would just throw the unit away after a couple of months, and get another one. When I found out that those units should have been destroyed, and can become overheated, I was shocked. So, AMAZON... somehow, PLEASE find out if the units you are selling are the UNSAFE models that were meant to be destroyed!!

I was attracted to this product as their TV ad said there was a relationship between the lack of a sterile toothbrush and increased risk for strokes. Later, I found the claim verified from other unrelated sources dealing with health.

I've been using it for about three years and love it. Why? Because it makes my mouth feel so much cleaner. It is noticeable from the first use. It is so pleasurable. Also, my teeth became whiter.

It lasts about a year to a year and a half. I use distilled water, but rinse my brush off with tap water. Our water has a lot of mineral content, so your sanitizer might last much longer.

It is dead when the red light stops going on, it is slow to intake water, and your teeth don't feel as clean. When I get a new one, I'll try running vinegar through it, as another reviewer suggested, to see if it lasts longer.

Since I wrote this review, I have discovered that one can make the sanitizer last longer by bypassing pouring the water into the hole under the small plastic cup by squirting the water directly under the toothbrushes. Of course, I don't actually know if this method gets the brushes as clean, but lots of steam comes up just as before.

This is a great product that many don't even know about. And if they hear about it, they are way too quick to assume it is not important enough. They can also get turned off too quickly by the cost which actually is only about the cost of a dental appointment for crying out loud. This is worth the investment and can save us from doctor visits and missed work.

There are some drawbacks as well. One difficulty is not knowing for how long the product is effective. One year, two, three, more? It kills a high percentage of bacteria and viruses on toothbrushes but for how long? How do we know if the product becomes less effective over time for some reason? The product is made in China, which gives me some concern over quality as well as concern about our trade debt and our economy. The correspondence department didn't do well at answering such concerns. The small basket is delicate and one of them broke on me before I had a good idea of how delicate it was. The toothbrushes, at least when placed handle down, have a hot handle after sanitization and there's no warning of this on the Germ Terminator.

In spite of the drawbacks, I feel that this product should be far more commonplace. I am unaware of any other product sold that I would consider this good at toothbrush sanitizing. It uses a natural process of heat and steam and is a great storage unit. Use it on newly purchased toothbrushes too. You don't know where they have been.

I have purchased seven of these units within the past twelve months from, what appears to be, four different companies. Upon further looking into the situation, I have discovered that all four companies are actually one company, only different names. I purchased my first two germ terminators in 2004 when they first came out from Germ Terminator Corp.. Each one of those lasted me over a year. We have four people in our household so I wasn't sure how long they would last since my whole family used them. I truly like these units. They have kept my family pretty healthy since we've been using them. Up until a year ago, the germ terminators were awesome! It has been since September last year since I have purchased these latest units that my thoughts of the germ terminator have lessened considerably.

I received two germ terminators today and opened one up. The basket was white. All the germ terminators up until last year that I have purchased have had the yellow basket which is a much better basket. Also, these latest units I have purchased have run much hotter than the ones I had before, melting our toothbrush handles and disintegrated the brush heads. Yuck!!!!! In addition, it wouldn't take long for a brown gross matter to develop inside the unit even though I used strictly distilled water. Tap water was never poured into our germ terminators.

I called Germ Terminator Corp today after I had opened one of the boxed units and all I was going to inquire about was if I would be able to buy a yellow basket because I hated the white one. It didn't take the white basket long to melt inside the unit. It was sad. Not to mention the melted plastic would smell really bad.

I then received an ear full of information I didn't know was coming. According to a Germ Terminator representative, all of these units that have been selling for what seems to be too good to be true prices are units that were being held in a warehouse by Germ Terminator Corp to be destroyed at a later date. The units became too hot and the white basket was a poor design. I'll say!!! Well, the company apparently doesn't know exactly when or who wrongfully distributed the rejected units to 3rd party sellers. Unfortunately, no one knows what action, if any actions, will be taken to make this right. I have sent them back to Amazon.

I spoke to an Amazon representative and she assured me that the germ terminator units sold directly from Amazon are the units with the yellow baskets. So I've purchased two units, one from Amazon for $38.20 and another from Dealway01 Inc. I'll write another review updating this review.

29 November 2011 -- This is a follow-up on the above review. After receiving the two germ terminator units, I opened the one from Amazon for $38.20 and the basket was white. Actually both baskets were white. I sent both units back to Amazon. I called Germ Terminator Corp. again and discovered that Amazon, or anyone else, is not authorized by Germ Terminator Corp. to sell their germ terminator units.

A person is only able to purchase the authorized germ terminator units directly from the Germ Terminator Corp. website.

28 Dec 2011 -- One more follow-up. The Germ Terminator units I bought directly from Germ Terminator Corp. are awesome! No more overheating, no more disintegrating toothbrush heads or melting toothbrush handles, no more disgusting brown gross matter developing. It's great!

I should start by saying this is the first toothbrush sanitizer I have ever owned.

The things I like:
It works, and my toothbrush is warm and clean every time I use it.
It doesn't take up a ton of space in my bathroom, although I still think it could leave an even smaller footprint.

The things I don't like:
I don't like that my toothbrush head feels stiff all the time.
I don't like that I need to keep a huge bottle of distilled water under the sink.
I don't like that the toothbrushes touch each other so that if one is sanitized, it becomes reinfected by the used toothbrush... then both toothbrushes are heated to keep them dry (which promotes bacterial growth).

That being said, my husband and I have worked out a system that keeps our toothbrushes sanitary and us sane. It would be perfect if we could just leave our toothbrushes in the unit constantly and have them always be clean (it just doesn't work like that).

I'm not sure that I would recommend this product to a friend, knowing what I do now. I definitely like the idea, but there are a few things that the manufacturer still needs to address.