Ways to clean a rented scuba regulator?

I recently rented some scuba gear for a dive and the regulator mouth piece.. i wanted to make sure its not dirty and gross. Plus i want to make sure that i got all the previous spit from that last user off. How would I clean the mouth piece of the regulator so its truly clean and it wont damage or change anything.
You can take germophobia too far you know. Every dive centre I've worked for made sure that all the gear was washed thoroughly after it was returned. A good slosh in the rinse tank, followed by hanging it up to drip dry, is more than sufficient to clean the spit out.

However, if you want to make absolutely sure, a general rule would be, don't wash the mouthpieces in anything you wouldn't put in your mouth. I would suggest you soak the second stages in a weak solution of antibacterial mouthwash (e.g. listerine) overnight. If you do that, and then rinse the mouthpieces out with fresh water, you can be reasonably sure that it's clean enough to use.

Although I should point out, as soon as you jump in the sea with it, you'll be exposing yourself to far higher levels of bacteria than what might have been on the mouthpiece in the first place...


I agree with TJS on this one. Between the ocean, dive boat, and everything else, you'll be exposed to other sources of bacteria. If you have good oral health and no open sores in your mouth, the level of exposure from a rental regulator is negligible.

Most places that rent gear count on the gear lasting for a long time. After a rental, the rental gear is rinsed (dunked) in fresh water. While this won't sanitize the mouthpiece, it will make it safe for the next renter (if the next renter has good oral health).

If you are still not convinced, then the best thing to do is when you rent a regulator, buy a new mouth piece at that time. Ask the dive shop to swap the mouthpieces for you. This way you have a non-contaminated mouthpiece, and the dive shop put it on for you.

There are other nooks and crannies in the mouthpiece and where the mouthpiece attaches. I doubt just soaking, wiping, or spraying the mouthpiece will really sterilize it. Go with the new mouth piece if you must. You could even keep the old mouth piece from the rental regulator and then have the dive shop switch it back once you return it. Then you have your own personal mouthpiece to take with you.

Get a large bucket and fill with warm water and put some vinegar in it. Soak for 30 minute or more and rinse out thoroughly with clean fresh water. This will clean out the reg and mouth piece without damaging it.

If this is a serious concern of yours, I highly recommend buying your own regulator.

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