Oclean S1 Toothbrush Sterilizer Sanitizer Review – Xiaomi Smart UVC

Disclaimer: this is NOT a sponsored article or any kind of an editorial - we have purchased the device on our own and their manufacturer did not interfere in the review process at any step. This is a fully independent test and we are not associated in any way with the company that produces Oclean Sterilizers.

Oclean S1 UVC LED Toothbrush Sterilizer

Oclean S1 Anti-bacteria toothbrush UVC LED Sterilizer is a product by well know Chinese company Xiaomi. It’s a simple, yet effective device that kills bacteria on your toothbrush between each use using UVC-LED technology which the manufacturer claims is 99,99% effective (declared sterilizing rate).

The design

The device is made of two parts – the first one is a plastic plate with 3M PE Foam adhesive – this part will be permanently attached to a wall. The other part is the device itself, which slides onto the plastic plate easily. Please notice that the device will turn on only when both parts are together, once removed from a wall plate you won’t be able to turn the sterilization on – it’s probably because of safety measures: when not on a wall the UVC-LED can point at humans causing harm. UVC LED diode is on the front cap pointing backward to minimize the chances it does any harm – the light source is not towards you, but from you.

Oclean UVC Sterilizer is made of plastic and is available in 2 colors: dusty grey and white so that it can match your bathroom better. The manufacturer claims that the design of this device was inspired by a retro lamp (tribute to the classic emeralite lamp from 1909) and thanks to that it has a curved shape with a string for pulling. They also say it’s recommended by behance yanko design, but hey, we’re a dental site so we don’t know who that is! And for those who care about small details: there are some labels on the device – these are in both Chinese and English but the product name is in English only.

The function

It can hold up to 5 toothbrushes at once, but only 3 spots are disinfection spots, while the other 2 are for storage purposes only, meaning these two toothbrushes won’t be sterilized, even if the device is turned on. These 2 extra spots are slightly wider than the 3 main spots. The device holds all kids of toothbrushes well – not only made by Oclean but also Philips, Oral-B, Megasonex, and all kinds of classic manual toothbrushes. You can also use the device to sterilize razors. The device has no button to turn it off but as mentioned earlier it does not work when not in a holder, so the easiest way to shut it down is to just remove it from it.

It is actually easy and pleasing to pull and activate the device, we also liked the design and build quality. The sterilizer has a blue LED diode built-in to remind you that UVC radiation is harmful, and you should avoid any contact with the light that this device emits.
The device has a 1000mAh Li-ion battery built-in, it needs 2,5 hours to fully charge and it lasts for up to 20 days, so you will need to charge it about two times a month which is reasonable. You can charge it from any USB charger using the USB-C cable that’s in the box. Green light will inform you that the device is fully charged.

So how it works?

Just charge the device, put it on the wall into a socket that you’ve installed there before, then put your toothbrushes in the sterilization area and pull a string. The sterilization will begin immediately and will be repeated automatically every 6 hours. If you use expensive sonic or ultrasonic toothbrushes we recommend sterilizing just the heads and not putting the whole toothbrush hanging there. While the mount works perfectly fine and holds the toothbrush well it’s actually quite easy to drop it while installing or uninstalling another toothbrush next to it. This tip may be especially crucial if you have young kids!

If you have any questions regarding this product just ask them in the comments section and we’ll gladly answer!

Science behind UVC sanitization of toothbrushes – what does PubMed say about it?

There are multiple papers published on the topic of toothbrush sanitization. Some of them include UV as a method of choice while others focus only on using chemical agents. There is one study ⁽¹⁾ claiming that UV rays are more effective than 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) gluconate solution. There are also other studies that conclude UV light is an effective method of sanitizing toothbrushes, claiming that other companies’ products provided between 83% and 100% decrease in total CFU (bacterial counts). ⁽²⁾⁽³⁾ So is it effective or some form of quackery? Yes, UVC sterilization is super effective and proven by multiple papers.

What’s good:

• effective technology killing 99,99% of bacteria
• cheap, we even bought it 50% off regular price
• good build quality
• reasonable battery

What’s bad:

• we don’t really trust the mount to leave a whole expensive sonic toothbrush in there, it’s probably safer to remove its head and put it there separately
• UVC may be harmful so make sure you’re not in the range of the radiation and educate your kids about it

The bottom line:

We like it. If you care about your oral health this is a perfect device for you.

Full references list:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4268624/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18402377/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19024257/

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This product review is complete and was published on April 23, 2021, and last updated on June 7, 2023.