Toothbrush maintenance is very important and an integral part of maintaining oral hygiene millions of bacteria find it their home and is the cause of many infections and other problems that stem from the improper maintenance of tooth brush.
Cold and other ailments add to the addition of bacteria on the tooth brush and the accumulation of germs of these infections also makes the toothbrush a place of high infection area. Placing your toothbrush in a cap or a container also does not solve the problem of bacterial infection as the moisture inside the cap provides a warm environment for the bacteria to develop and grow.
Therefore toothbrushes should not be covered in a container or a tooth brush cap and should be left in the open. Bacteria in the oral cavity and from the environment are the primary sources of oral bacterial infection. Many remedies are available to sanitise your toothbrush other remedies include immersing your tooth brush in Listerine an anti-bacterial solution for an hour or so to get rid of bacteria.