TL;DR
Check whether the teether is liquid filled before you do anything, because those must never be boiled, put in a dishwasher, or exposed to high heat. For everything else, warm soapy water plus a thorough rinse and a full dry handles it, and drying is the step that keeps mold out.
First question: is it liquid filled?
Gel and water filled teethers are sealed plastic containing a liquid meant to be chilled. High heat expands that liquid and softens the seam, which can split the seal.
A split seal means the contents leak into a baby's mouth. That is the reason manufacturers put a bold warning on the package.
So for liquid filled teethers: no boiling, no dishwasher, no sterilizer, no microwave, no hot tap water. Wipe or wash them in cool to lukewarm soapy water, rinse, and dry.
Chill them in the refrigerator, not the freezer, unless the manufacturer says otherwise. A frozen-solid teether is uncomfortably hard on sore gums.
Inspect them constantly. Any bulge, crack, cloudiness, or leak means the teether is done and goes in the trash.
How do you clean a baby teether?
Wash a baby teether in warm soapy water with a soft brush, getting into every groove and around any seam, then rinse thoroughly under running water and let it air dry completely on a clean rack. Skip boiling and the dishwasher for anything liquid filled, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for whether higher-heat cleaning is allowed.
Do this daily during heavy teething, and immediately after the teether hits the floor.
Use a small brush for the ridges. Those ridges exist to feel good on gums, and they hold saliva and food residue exactly as well as they hold texture.
Rinse until you cannot feel any slipperiness. Soap residue on something that goes straight into a mouth is worth a few extra seconds.
Handling each material
Solid silicone: the most forgiving. Warm soapy wash, and most are dishwasher safe on the top rack and can be boiled briefly if the manufacturer allows. Silicone can develop a white film from hard water and detergent residue, which usually comes off with a vinegar soak followed by a thorough rinse. Do not combine vinegar with bleach.
Hard plastic: warm soapy wash, top rack if marked dishwasher safe. Check for cracks, since cracked plastic holds bacteria and can shed pieces.
Wood: never soak and never dishwash. Wipe with a barely damp cloth, dry immediately, and re-oil with a food-safe oil the manufacturer names when the surface looks dry. Water swells wood, raises the grain, and can split it.
Fabric or crinkle teethers: check the tag. Many are machine washable in a mesh bag on a gentle cycle. Air dry fully, and never submerge one with a sound box or electronics inside.
Combination teethers with a wood ring and fabric or beads: treat each material by its own rule, which usually means spot cleaning the whole thing.
Why drying matters more than washing
Anything with a seam, a hollow, or a crevice can hold water, and standing water inside a toy is what grows mold. You cannot see it until it is dark and obvious.
Shake out every teether after rinsing and stand it so water can run off rather than pool. A dish rack works well.
Let it dry fully before it goes in a drawer or a diaper bag. A damp teether in a closed bag is the ideal environment for growth.
If a teether has a hollow chamber with a pinhole, treat it the same way bath toys are treated in how to clean bath toys that have mold inside: once water is inside, you generally cannot get it fully out, and replacement is the honest answer.
Can you sanitize a teether?
Washing and sanitizing are two different steps, and washing does most of the work by physically removing saliva and food. Sanitizing is optional for most healthy babies and should follow the manufacturer's instructions for that specific teether, since boiling and steam are not safe for every material.
Common sanitizing methods when the manufacturer allows them include a brief boil, a steam sterilizer, or a dishwasher cycle with a heated dry. Any of those is ruled out for liquid filled teethers.
Never use bleach on a teether, and never use a solvent or a household disinfectant on something that goes in a mouth. Mild soap and water is the correct chemistry here.
Never mix bleach with ammonia or with an acid such as vinegar in any cleaning task. Both combinations release toxic gas.
How often to sanitize is a question for your pediatrician, especially for newborns, premature babies, or a baby with a medical condition. Cleaning reduces germs; it does not treat or prevent illness. The same logic applies to how to clean and sanitize pacifiers.
What to do when it drops on the floor
Wash it. A rinse under the tap is better than nothing, but soap and a brush is what actually removes what it picked up.
At home, keep a spare so a drop does not become a crisis. Out of the house, a clean sealed bag for dirty teethers and a fresh one for clean is far more practical than trying to wash on the go.
Do not clean a dropped teether with your own mouth. That transfers oral bacteria and is worth avoiding.
When to replace instead of clean
Replace a teether that is cracked, split, sticky, discolored inside, chewed through, or leaking. Replace any liquid filled teether that bulges or shows a compromised seam.
Check silicone for tears at thin points, especially where a ring meets a shape. Small torn pieces are a choking hazard.
Teethers are inexpensive relative to the risk, and there is no cleaning method that repairs a damaged one.
Keeping the whole set manageable
Wash daily during heavy teething and after any floor contact. Do a full batch weekly along with the other mouthing toys, which is easiest as a group job, covered in how to clean plastic toys in bulk.
Our guide to cleaning baby gear and kids equipment safely covers the rest of the items on the same daily rotation.
FAQ
Can you boil a baby teether?
Only if the manufacturer says so, and never if it is liquid or gel filled. Heat expands the sealed liquid and can split the seam, letting the contents leak. Solid silicone and some hard plastics tolerate a brief boil, but wood, fabric, and combination teethers do not.
Can teethers go in the dishwasher?
Solid silicone and many hard plastic teethers can go on the top rack if marked dishwasher safe. Liquid filled teethers, wooden teethers, fabric teethers, and anything with electronics must not. Check the manufacturer's guidance, and hand wash in warm soapy water when you cannot confirm.
How do you clean a wooden teether?
Wipe it with a barely damp cloth and a small amount of mild soap, then dry it immediately with a towel. Never soak a wooden teether or put it in the dishwasher, since water swells the wood, raises the grain, and can split it. Re-oil with a food-safe oil the manufacturer names when the surface looks dry.
How do you get white film off a silicone teether?
That film is usually hard water minerals or detergent residue. Soak the teether in a diluted white vinegar solution for a short time, then scrub gently and rinse thoroughly under running water. Never combine vinegar with bleach, and always rinse well since the teether goes straight into a mouth.
How often should teethers be cleaned?
Wash them daily during heavy teething and immediately after any floor contact, using warm soapy water and a soft brush. Rinse well and dry completely. Sanitizing frequency depends on your baby and the manufacturer's instructions, and it is a reasonable question for your pediatrician.
When should a teether be thrown away?
Throw it away when it is cracked, split, torn, sticky, chewed through, or discolored inside, and immediately if a liquid filled teether bulges or leaks. Damaged teethers can shed pieces that are a choking hazard, and no cleaning method repairs them. Replacement is the only safe fix.
Small items like these need daily attention, and the rest of the house needs its own. If you would rather hand that off, our house cleaning services can take it. Every home is different, so the real number depends on size, condition, and what you want covered. Get a quote and we will walk you through it.