How to Clean Aligners: My Easy, No-Scrub Routine

How to clean aligners quickly and without fuss? The simplest way is to scrub them with a brush while you brush your teeth, morning and evening. But over time I found a few easier, faster ways that saved me time and effort. 😄 Besides, scrubbing with toothpaste can scratch your aligners and make them cloudy.

Here’s how I used to clean aligners during my 3.5 years with Invisalign and what I still use today for my retainers.

Tablets to clean aligners

While I brushed my teeth or ate, I soaked my aligners in a glass of lukewarm water with one Corega tablet. That disinfected them and loosened everything, and afterwards they were really easy to brush clean.

Corega even makes a special version for braces and aligners – Corega Pro Cleanser Orthodontics, made just for us. 🙂 You’ll find it in most big pharmacies for around €4.50 for 30 tablets.

If you have a DM drugstore nearby, their own brand Dontodent tablets work out much cheaper – around €7 for 128. They’re no different from Corega except for the price. 😄 They also have a light, pleasant minty scent. DM also sells a Dontodent version for removable braces (Zahnspangen-Reiniger), 60 tablets per pack.

I was curious whether tablets “for aligners” really differ from the ones “for dentures”, so I compared the ingredients. It turns out they all work the same way: they fizz and release active oxygen, which disinfects and brightens. The main difference is the soaking time:

	Corega Orthodontics	Corega 3 Minutes	Dontodent Intensive	Dontodent for braces
What for	aligners, retainers, braces, splints, mouthguards	dentures, splints, braces, mouthguards	dentures	removable braces (aligners not mentioned)
Fizz (baking soda + citric acid)	✅	✅	✅	✅
Active oxygen	✅	✅	✅	✅
Antiseptic	–	–	–	✅
Anti-plaque enzyme	✅	✅	–	–
Soaking time	3–5 min	3 min	15 min	10 min

So you can happily use the cheaper ones too. Just don’t leave your aligners in the solution longer than needed, and always use lukewarm water. Mine only ever stayed in for as long as breakfast took anyway. 😄

A case and brush for cleaning aligners

In the first few days I kept wondering what to soak my aligners in and how to rinse them out of the solution more easily. Then I discovered denture cases and brushes. The case has two parts – a solid one and a basket, so you can easily lift the aligners out and rinse them. It has a lid too.

The brush has two sides as well. One side has bristles that are shorter in the middle, which is perfect for the outside of the aligners. The tufted end on the other side makes it really easy to clean the inside, including the little “pockets” for attachments. A regular toothbrush struggles to get in there.

I ordered my first ones online, but later found them at DM too. Their case is even more practical because it has a screw-on lid – really handy when you travel. And the price is more than reasonable:

An ultrasonic cleaner

I read about ultrasonic cleaners on an American forum. They weren’t common here back then, but they’re a brilliant way to clean aligners without scrubbing! My first one was from Lidl – a budget option at around €25. Its only downside was that it’s quite bulky:

Then I came across the Dental Pod. It’s more expensive, but for me it was worth it. I used it for years during treatment and still use it for my retainers now. It takes up hardly any space – about the size of an aligner case – goes everywhere with me and looks far more elegant than the Lidl one. I didn’t see any difference in how well they clean. You can order it here, for around €99.

During treatment I used it twice a day: I’d pop in a Corega tablet while I had breakfast or dinner and let it clean my aligners. No scrubbing needed afterwards – I just rinsed them and they were like new. Now I only use it in the morning for my retainers. The only downside is if you don’t have a socket in your bathroom.

Lots of people who clean aligners this way worry that ultrasonic cleaners heat the water and warp their aligners. Ultrasound really does warm the water, so I ran an experiment with my own device and a thermometer. 🌡️

	Water temperature
At the start (cool tap water)	24.9 °C
After 1 cycle	29 °C
After 2 cycles in a row, same water	32.6 °C
For comparison: inside your mouth	about 37 °C

Even after two cycles in a row, the water stayed cooler than the inside of your mouth – and that’s where your aligners spend 22 hours a day. 😄 I used my cleaner twice a day for years and never had a single warped aligner.

Science agrees, too: ultrasound combined with a cleaning solution is one of the best ways to clean aligners, and for retainers it’s the best at keeping them clear. More on retainers here.

What not to do when you clean aligners

• Hot water. The plastic warps and the aligner stops fitting. Lukewarm or cold only.
• Toothpaste and hard brushes. They scratch your aligners and make them cloudy.
• Alcohol-based mouthwash and coloured soaps. They can stain your aligners.
• A napkin instead of the case. An aligner wrapped in a napkin almost always ends up in the bin. 😅

You’ll find more little gadgets that made my life easier in my top 10 aligner tips.

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Sources

• Pardo A. et al. (2024). Home Biofilm Management in Orthodontic Aligners: A Systematic Review. Dentistry Journal.
• Huang et al. (2025). Effects of cleaning methods on clear retainers. Clinical Oral Investigations.
• Healthline – How to clean Invisalign.
• Wikipedia – Ultrasonic cleaning (heating of the liquid during operation).
• Corega Pro Cleanser Orthodontics – ingredients.
• Corega Orthodontics – intended use and instructions.
• Corega 3 Minutes – ingredients and instructions.
• Dontodent Intensive tablets (128) – ingredients.
• Dontodent Zahnspangen-Reiniger – ingredients.
• Dontodent Zahnspangen-Reiniger – instructions (dm).