How Often Should You Clean Your Invisalign?

Keeping your Invisalign aligners and retainers clean isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s essential for your oral health, breath freshness, and treatment effectiveness. But many patients still wonder: how often should you actually clean them?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down how often you should clean your clear aligners and retainers, what happens if you don’t, and the most effective way to keep them crystal-clear and odor-free—without damaging the plastic.

Whether you're on your first set of aligners/Invisalign or maintaining your smile with a retainer, this is everything you need to know to keep your trays clean and your treatment on track.

If you’re wearing Invisalign or another clear aligner system, you should be cleaning your trays:

• At least twice a day (morning and evening) as part of your brushing routine

• Rinsing every time you remove them during the day

• Deep cleaning once daily using an aligner cleaner

Since clear aligners are worn for 20–22 hours a day, they quickly collect saliva, food particles, plaque, and bacteria. Failing to thoroughly clean them regularly can lead to odor, buildup, and even visible discoloration.

Removable retainers—such as Vivera or Essix retainers (clear plastic) or Hawley retainers (aka metal retainers)—should also be:

• Rinsed after every removal

• Brushed after removal with a soft toothbrush if not soaked immediately in cleaning solution

• Soaked at least 2–3 times a week in a cleaning solution for deeper sanitation

If you wear your retainer full-time, treat it like an aligner and clean it daily. If you wear it only at night, soak them immediately in a cleaning solution and brush and rinse before putting them in for the night. 

Invisalign and other clear aligners and retainers may seem like simple pieces of plastic, but they’re in constant contact with your teeth and gums—so when they’re dirty, your mouth suffers too.

If you skip regular cleaning, plaque and bacteria can collect inside your trays, leading to:

• Cloudy, stained Invisalign aligners or retainers that can prevent you from wearing them because they look dirty

• Persistent bad breath (halitosis) even if you are not wearing your trays

• An unpleasant taste in your mouth that can prevent you from wearing them
  
  

This buildup can also increase the risk of visible stains—especially if you drink coffee, tea, or red wine while wearing your trays which can prevent you from wearing them and staying on track with your treatment .

More than just cosmetic issues, poor aligner hygiene can cause:

• Gum inflammation or bleeding

• Tooth decay (especially if food particles are trapped inside trays)

• Delayed treatment progress if trays warp or smell too bad to wear

In extreme cases, improperly cleaned trays can even contribute to oral infections—a risk that’s entirely preventable with the right dental care habits.

A clean aligner routine doesn’t have to be complicated—but it does have to be consistent.

To keep your Invisalign/ clear  aligners and retainers in top condition, follow these 3 best practices:

1. Each time you take out your aligners or retainers, use the  2-in-1 aligner removal tool   and give them a quick rinse with lukewarm water to wash away saliva.
2. Brush them gently with a soft toothbrush (no toothpaste) before putting them in or after removing them (whatever time permits)
3. Soak them once daily using a specialized cleaning tablet, like in PUL Cleaning Tablets
4. Dry and store them in a n aligner case —never wrapped in tissue or left out in the open as they can easily be mistaken for trash or forgotten.

Make cleaning part of your morning and evening oral care routine so it becomes second nature.

Here are the most common mistakes that can shorten the lifespan of your trays—or worse, harm your treatment:

• Using toothpaste : Most toothpaste is too abrasive and scratches aligners, making them cloudy.
• Using hot water: Heat can warp the plastic and any movements that were programmed into them, causing treatment delays or the need for refinements
• Skipping cleaning altogether: Water alone doesn’t remove bacteria, odors, or plaque.
• Putting them in the dishwasher: this is a surefire way to warp your aligners
• Using colored or alcohol-based rinses: These can stain the plastic and irritate your gums.

Instead, choose cleaning products formulated specifically for Invisalign and other clear aligners and retainers.

For a deep clean that’s fast, safe, and aligner-approved, PUL Cleaning Tablets are a go-to solution trusted by clear aligner wearers and dental professionals alike.

PUL Cleaning Tablets are:

• FDA-registered and specifically formulated for Invisalign, retainers, and other clear aligners

• Non-abrasive and plastic-safe—unlike toothpaste or Denture-specific cleaning tablets

• Effective at eliminating odors, plaque, and discoloration

• Gentle enough for daily use

They dissolve quickly in lukewarm water and require just 10-15 minutes of soaking to clean your trays completely.

Perfect for home, travel, or on-the-go aligner care, PUL Cleaning Tablets are:

• Compact and portable (no messy pastes or liquids)
• Compatible with all brands of aligners and retainers
• Formulated to keep trays looking clear, smelling fresh, and tasting clean

With consistent use of the right dental products, you can extend the life of your trays, protect your teeth, and have a better aligner experience.

If you're investing time and money into your smile, don't overlook one of the easiest ways to protect it: cleaning your aligners and retainers daily.

By brushing, rinsing, soaking, and storing them properly, you’ll:

• Prevent odor, discoloration, and bacterial buildup
• Keep your breath fresh and your smile bright
• Support better oral hygiene and more effective treatment

And with PUL Cleaning Tablets (or better yet, our entire  clear aligner hygiene kit!), you get a reliable, dentist-approved way to clean your trays in minutes—no scrubbing, no staining, and no compromises.

Start fresh every day. Clean confidently. Choose PUL Dental – the same trusted tools you know as PUL Tool.

Sources:

1. American Association of Orthodontics. How to Clean Retainers: AAO’s Guide to Retainer Care. https://aaoinfo.org/whats-trending/how-to-clean-your-retainer/
2. NIH. The Effectiveness of Different Cleaning Methods for Clear Orthodontic Aligners: Impacts on Physical, Mechanical, and Chemical Properties—An In Vivo Study.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12197108/
3. American Dentist. Why Is Oral Hygiene Critical with Invisalign?  https://american-dentist.com/why-is-oral-hygiene-critical-with-invisalign
4. BMC Oral Health. Color stability of clear aligners exposed to various beverages: an in vitro study.https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/

Editorial Policy 

At PUL Dental, our goal is to provide clear, reliable, and helpful information to patients and dental professionals navigating the world of clear aligner treatment. All content on our blog is written by our cofounder, a Registered Dental Assistant with over a decade of experience in the dental field and a specialized background in adult orthodontics.

Drawing from years of hands-on clinical experience and patient interaction, we aim to create content that reflects real-world insights, clinical knowledge, and practical solutions.

Every article is:

• Written with firsthand experience from working directly with patients undergoing clear aligner therapy.

• Focused on accuracy and relevance to current orthodontic practices and patient needs.

• Transparent about our perspective, including when we share insights about products we've developed, such as the Original PULTOOL.

As our content team grows, we plan to expand our editorial process to include additional contributors, expert reviewers, and peer collaboration to further enhance the depth and quality of the information we provide.

We are committed to earning and keeping your trust by continuing to publish content that is accurate, patient-centered, and informed by real clinical experience.