US electric toothbrush in bathroom socket?

Hi all,

Recent mover here.  Swapped out all of my non-compatible US-voltage appliances before moving to the UK, except for my electric toothbrush which is only rated at 100-130v.  Thought I could use my converter for that but it's broken and my teeth are beginning to feel awfully grimy without that electric spin.

Can I charge this thing using the dual voltage socket in my bathroom?  It looks like the socket will take US prong types, but I'm scared to try it as I've lost two other valuable appliances (one which busted my voltage converter :-/)  Any help is appreciated as I can't find hints to this answer ANYWHERE.  Thanks!

Why risk it and just get a new one...Boots is running a 1/2 off offer.

If I am not mistaken the bathroom socket cant be more then 12 volt - its for shaving ect..
When in Turkey they had one and I plugged my US camera into it to charge and nothing happened so I am guess a toothbrush would be A O K ;-)

WebyJ - darn I just bought 2 new battery cheap ones for the kids - I might have to buy an electric one...Think I can get DH to add a shaving socket to our bathroom lol why not I got a dryer!

I didn't use the prong in my bathroom, but I used a regular 240v plug down transformed to US current out in my hallway for mine.  Toothbrush didn't like it, regardless and it died. Bought a new one 1/2 off at boots several months ago and its better knowing that I'm not having to lug the transformer around with it. 

Thanks for the quick responses!  Unfortunately, the Boots offer is only for Vitality - my version is a bit pricier plus I'm trying to keep the hubster calm by not buying my electronics all at once :-)

PhatBeetle - was yours a UK-plug-to-US outlet or a US-plug-to-UK-socket situation?

JennBean - what do you mean by 12 volt?  Is that alternating volt or something?  I've tried hard but apparently I'm not smart enough to get my head around this electric stuff!

ok not 12 volts - geezzz
If you read the plug on your toothbrush it should say something like:

"Input: 100-240V~50/60Hz 0.18-0.105A 18-25.2VA." The only part of this that you really need to know is 100-240V~50/60Hz. This tells you that it works on both American (110 volt 60 Hz) and European (220 volt 50 Hz) electricity.

It is more common to find both 110 and 220 volts available in bathroom shaver outlets of the better hotels.

wikipedia - > A "shaver socket" (similar to Type C) is sometimes found in bathrooms that will provide low current to some other plug types. These sometimes have a ~110 V socket and a ~240 V socket in the same unit, or a switch to select voltage for a single socket

PhatBeetle - was yours a UK-plug-to-US outlet or a US-plug-to-UK-socket situation?

US plug to transformer to UK socket situation.  It worked for a long time, but it blew the transformer out and broke the toothbrush and it wouldn't charge anymore, at all.    

I have such problems with my teeth and I love my sonic care toothbrush- and the new one had several upgrades for settings since I got my first one years ago.  

Ah, thanks guys!  I know about the 120v/60Hz thing, but wasn't sure whether the amps or anything else (V.A.?) figure in anywhere.

Since I have a 110v shaver socket I think I'll try it when I build up the courage sometime later today.  Will keep y'all posted - thanks again 

Well, I tried it, and my toothbrush is happily charging away.  It's been plugged in for almost 2 hours now, and thankfully nothing seems to be getting overheated or even warm. 

It lets off a light buzzing sound, though, which apparently is "normal" or at least common ( newcomer link: http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=138077 [nonactive] ) in the average bathroom socket. 

However, it doesn't seem like a long-term solution. In the long run, the socket could get  warped due to overheating ( newcomer link: http://www.theiet.org/forums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=205&threadid=27051 [nonactive] .  Apparently, these are only designed to for the 10 minute shave (not all-day charging).

Anyhow, the loo socket seems a good short-term solution for low wattage US appliances!  Thanks again for your help :-)

I have an electric toothbrush and was wondering what people normally do (voltage differences aside). I don't want to keep it in my bedroom to charge.

I have had mine here for 4 months...I plug it in the kitchen every 2 weeks or so and I leave it in the bathroom and it holds the charge for that long with no problems ;-)

However, it doesn't seem like a long-term solution. In the long run, the socket could get  warped due to overheating

Don't believe everything you see on a web forum (!)

Many shaver sockets are designed for recharging duty. I would be very surprised if the transformer in a shaver socket went into core saturation (which is the cause of transformers drastically overheating) because of the current drawn by a recharging toothbrush. I have been recharging them for about 5 years in a socket like the one in the link below.

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/RDP17.html