According to an article in the Journal of Advanced Medical and Dental Sciences Research 60% of toothbrushes that are stored in a bathroom that share a toilet have faecal matter (poo) on them. Put the lid down on the loo before flushing to stop this happening. Toothbrushes can also be home to a host of bacteria and germs. You should change your toothbrush every three months. Today is the first day of Spring - if you change your brush at the beginning each season it's easy to remember when to change it. You should also change your toothbrush after you have been sick!

It's better for your oral hygiene if you change your toothbrush regularly but not so great for the environment. 30 million toothbrushes end up in landfill in Australia each year. If you use a manual toothbrush you could switch to a bamboo one instead. There are recyclable plastic electric toothbrush heads but they are not available in Australia as yet.