The best way to clean plastic orthodontic retainers that smelled bad, covered in white tartar and/or changing color is to soak the retainers in a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 white vinegar or rice vinegar for 10 hours. The white tartar should be soften and come off easily after being in the solution for 10 hours. Use a soft toothpick or other soft stick to gently remove the white tartar. Be careful! If you scratch your retainers, bacterias may grow inside the scratch mark and they will be hard to remove. After you have removed the white tartar, soak your retainers in the solution for another hour.
To keep your plastic orthodontic retainers clean and odor-free, soak them in a solution of 9/10 water and 1/10 white vinegar or rice vinegar for 6 to 10 hours every 2 to 3 days.
Here are some plastic orthodontic retainers cleaning ideas that never worked for me:
1) Using denture cleaning tablets (it changed my retainers yellow and brown)
2) Brushing with toothpaste or dish washing soap (brushing will scratch the retainers and dish washing soap is never a good idea)
3) Hot water (will contort and ruin the retainers)
4) Soaking in water only (it does nothing)
5) Commercial products (it does not work as effective as vinegar and water)
