Germs have nothing to do with how often a toothbrush needs replacing, as it will harbor bacteria from its very first use and takes less than a week to reach maximum contamination. I brush my teeth with hydrogen peroxide and sea salt or baking soda, which probably keeps the germ count down. Dentists advise replacing toothbrushes every two or three months because the bristles become less effective in getting into the places they need to.

A spooner is a Victorian antique. It is glass and may look like an odd shape drinking glass, or a short vase. Itn n n n n n s placed on the dining table and extra spoons are placed inside (handle up). dbspoehel is also correct-a spooner is a type of fishing lure. Anna Marie has a good idea to look at Ebay.

Spooners: go to ebay and type in "vintage spoon holder" and I think that is what [filtered word]ake was talking about.

I keep my toothbrush standing up in a cup and soak it in Denture cleaning tablet once a week. Get a new toothbrush every 4-6 weeks. You can always have a spritzer full of peroxide and white vinegar and just squirt your toothbrush too.

FYI: A spooner is a type of fishing lure. When fish see this above them the silver color catches the light and looks like a silvery fish.

Fishing lure mystery...??? Gan you help solve our quest?

I'm intrigued. I tried "vintage spooners" and got fishing lures. Obviously I am missing something. I am always looking for new ways to use old things, but I can't figure the connection here. Please help my poor brain.

a place for toothbrushes??? i go to ebay and type in 'vintage spooners'. they are lovely!

I did something similar to this for a sand dollar I had. I glued the small stand and base like in this project but then stood a sand dollar up in the big one and glued them. It made a nice display and keeps my sand dollar safe. I used hot glue on the "cooler" setting. It worked very well, and dried quickly.

My tooth brush is always dry when I keep it inside my medicine cabinet.

Nice project. I also like the mentioned shells on the mirror. I have glued them on a picture frame and put in a picture taken at the beach before.

Has anyone tried this with plain old superglue?

Barb in Michigan

Wonderful idea! I think that I will make one today.

I use a toothbrush santizer.It dries out the brush with a ultra violet light.I just leave it in there until I have to use it.

What is epoxy?

Love this project - so easy and pretty and natural. I would disinfect the shells first, though. Someone mentioned beaching them - sounds like a good idea

I use a 5-minute, fizzing denture tablet in warm water to clean my retainer each day. It works great - same retainer has remained crystal clear for 3 years now.. Sometimes I put my toothbrush in there, too. Does anyone know if this works?

If you haven't tried it yet, that new putty shown on the Billy Mays' ad on TV is great for stuff like this. It doesn't show underneath and has a great bond on hard edge things like shells/rocks/glass/etc. in a humid area like a bathroom. I got mine at Target.

Excited about a way to use many, many shells collected on Sanibel and Captiva Islands in Florida. Hope there are more ideas in the making!!

As to the toothbrushes. I bought a new toothbrush and sanitizer. I keep my brushes in the sanitizer while not in use. It is made by sonicare.

we use an ultraviolet sanitizer for our toothbrush holder. I highly recommend it especially if you have kids. we get sick a lot less often and bugs don't return.

Toothbrushes, like mascara, need to be tossed every 3 months - or less. Germs multiply and this is what you do. Love the soap dish idea!.

This is such a great idea! I made a few of them as gifts and everyone loved them. I used smooth, round rocks that I found on the shores of Lake Michigan as the base and they turned out beautifully! Thanks for the great idea!

There isn't anywhere in your house you can put toothbrushes that is sanitary. An interesting test that was shown on TV put them everywhere and tested them daily, including in the kitchen. Same germs showed up at every test. So, put them where ever you like, just wash them regularly. Great soap dish idea.

I wash them with peroxide now and then and run them thru the dishwasher, but still don't think they are clean enough!

Can you suggest a better place for toothbrushes? Closed in the medicine cabinet, they will get moldy - I'm not sure which is worse - germs or mold.

Love the idea. I pick up shells every time I visit Florida. They also look nice glued around an old mirror.

If you bleach the shells they will look better.

Also, toothbrushes are not sanitary if kept out of the cabinet. Germs float around the bathroom and land on the brushes.
(From a report by an infectious disease physician)