Give your electric toothbrush a second life
The average electric toothbrush doesn’t last very long. Many people throw theirs away when the battery starts failing after 3–5 years. The devices also tend to break relatively quickly due to intensive daily use and poor maintenance. Humid bathrooms and improper charging don’t help either. For a layperson, repairing them may seem difficult—but the good news is: it’s definitely possible!
Common problems with electric toothbrushes
According to the RepairMonitor from our Repair Cafés, the top five issues are:
- By far the most common: the battery no longer charges properly
- The on/off button gets stuck
- The device is no longer watertight
- The toothbrush vibrates too much or too little
- The toothbrush makes too much noise
Handy tips to prevent problems
With these tips from repair platform Mr Again, you can extend the life of your toothbrush:
- Clean it after every use: rinse the brush head and metal shaft to prevent toothpaste buildup
- Always use original chargers and brush heads
- Store in a dry place
- Keep it safe from falls
Repairing your toothbrush yourself
You’ll need some technical tools and know-how, but the online guides from repair platform iFixit can help. iFixit offers free step-by-step guides for opening up toothbrushes and replacing batteries or motors for different models.
The inside of an electric toothbrush Calling in expert help
“I had no idea these things could be repaired!” is the most common reaction Rob Kruizinga—also known as the “Toothbrush Bear”—hears. After repairing his own broken toothbrush, he started a dedicated repair service for electric toothbrushes.
“Repairing is a win-win,” he explains. “In the Netherlands, we throw away about 1 million electric toothbrushes every year. That’s a mountain of waste! Repairing prevents waste, saves raw materials, and avoids the CO2 emissions from producing new devices—often on the other side of the world.”
As an industrial designer, Rob is passionate about circular design. “My dream is the ultimate self-repairable toothbrush—so I can close my shop.” What started as a hobby has become serious: he now receives broken toothbrushes from all over the country.
If you’re looking for a repairer nearby, just visit a Repair Café.
Repair your electric toothbrush yourself—or drop by a Repair Café!
Need help fixing your electric toothbrush? Visit a Repair Café near you. Prefer to do it yourself? Find a step-by-step repair guide on iFixit. You can also use these guides to prepare for your visit to a Repair Café, so you’ll know what to expect.
I guess I’m careful, because my powered toothbrush lasts longer than 5 years. However, at the final end of life, I reuse the tiny magnets because those are super strong. Also, I try to salvage all the screws (the super tiny ones are in a bottle labelled “Ant screws”), along with any other things that look like there is a possible future use on some other project.
I spent the last couple of months trying to find someone to repair my toothbrush .. I even tried to see if there was a way manufacturer would do it…. nothing. So sadly it was ( very grudgingly ) binned only last week.
Dear Aylin, that is sad to hear!
Did you try a Repair Café near you?
Best,
Rieneke
Repair Café International
Very helpful advice, thank you