Toothpaste is a product quite popular in a bathroom and that is almost a necessity, but it can also serve as a useful essential multi-functional cleaning agent for a number of tasks in the home. Most people would only think of toothpaste in terms of tooth cleaning and oral health but the ingredients found in it such as mild abrasives, detergents, and anti-bacteria have brought the realization that it is, in fact, a good cleaning agent for a variety of purposes. Its multifunctional qualities are not only known to clean, but also handy for other purposes such as a cleaning agent for mold and dirt, for subsiding skin irritations, and removing stains.
If you’ve ever considered if toothpaste can be used as more than a cleaner for your teeth, you’re in the right place. This article provides you with the most unexpected uses for toothpaste around the home. These practical and quirky hacks are financially friendly, eco-minded, and incredibly rewarding.
Toothpaste Cleaning Hacks That Actually Work
1. Polish Your Silverware
Got oxidized silver jewelry or eating utensils that need cleaning? Simply take a small amount of non-gel white toothpaste and using a soft cloth gently rub off the rust. Just let it stay for a few minutes and then wash and polish your jewelry with a dry cloth. Your silver is new again.
2. Clean Your White Sneakers
Need an effective method to remove scuff marks and dirt off rubber soles and canvas shoes? Believe it or not, applying a portion of toothpaste and subsequent wiping is the most number one tricks that can bring back the shine of the shoe, just like it’s brand new from the box.
3. Defog Mirrors and Goggles
Put a little amount of toothpaste on the mirror or swim goggles, spread it all over the surface and then clean it. This action leaves a layer that will prevent fogging, in other words, more than just wiping.
4. Remove Crayon from Walls
Kids have been drawing on the walls? Non-gel toothpaste can be used to remove the crayon marks by gently rubbing the affected area with a wet cloth. The mild abrasives will help the wax to be drawn up and will not harm the color of the paint.
5. Shine Up Chrome Fixtures
When it comes to cleaning a bathroom or kitchen tap, toothpaste does wonders. Afterwards, polish off the former with a piece of cloth for a dazzling, smear-no cost finish.
6. Clean Phone Screens and Watch Faces
By putting toothpaste on a soft cloth, you can softly get rid of fingerprints and small screen scratches. It is essential that you do it gently and not with too much pressure by testing a small area first.
Beauty and Personal Care Toothpaste Hacks
1. Zap Pimples Quickly
A few people do use toothpaste as a previously tried trick in dealing with acnes mainly due to such components as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Apply a little amount overnight but keep in mind that having sensitive skin is not recommended.
2. Eliminate Odors from Hands
If you sliced onions or garlic and could still smell it, rub toothpaste on your hands. This will neutralize the strong smell and your hands will be left minty fresh and fresh smelling.
3. Brighten Your Nails
You can make your nails look brighter again if you use a toothpaste-covered toothbrush to scrub away the stains (especially if the staining happens after removing nail polish). Removing a stain and brightening the surface are supported by the compound.
4. Tame Flyaways and Baby Hairs
In a situation where hair gel is not available, you can use a minimal amount of toothpaste to style and keep fly-aways and baby hairs in place. This works best if used very little amount of product.
Practical Household Uses
1. Remove Water Rings from Wood
When you have toothpaste at your disposal, it becomes easy for you to get rid of light water rings on wooden items. While gently rubbing it with a soft cloth, then wipe the surface clean, and lastly polish it up with furniture oil.
2. Deodorize Bottles and Baby Items
Have a weird smell in your reused containers and baby products? Clean them with toothpaste and then rinse. You will get rid of any unpleasant odors that might come from the items.
3. Scuff Mark Remover on Floors and Walls
Toothpaste goes a long way not only in cleaning your teeth but also in cleaning stains and dirt from tiles and laminate. Rub it in with a soft cloth and polish with a clean cloth.
4. Restore Headlights
Do your car headlights seem cloudy? Toothpaste, a friend of brightness, comes in and does the trick of removing road grime and weathering. It may take some gentle scrubbing with a sponge and then the lights should be rinsed and dried for better visibility.
5. Clean Your Iron
Are there any marks on the underside of the iron? If there are, versatileness and effectiveness are the toothpaste’s hallmarks, you may take a small amount of toothpaste and apply it to the cooled and unplugged iron, then wipe the surface with a damp cloth to get the iron clean.
What Not to Clean with Toothpaste
While toothpaste can certainly be multi-purpose product, you should be aware of what you should avoid in order to prevent damage. Check out which stuff you should not clean using toothpaste:
- LCD or LED Screens: They will be scratched by abrasives.
- Delicate wood or natural stone: The toothpaste may scratch the surface or leave marks.
- Leather and suede: You risk it to become stained or discolored.
During such experiments be careful and test them on a hidden surface spot.
How Toothpaste Ingredients Work Outside the Bathroom
To realize the complexity of toothpaste’s usage in other areas, it is sufficient to comprehend its composition:
- Chalk or calcium: These can gently clean the surface without scratching it like some other materials.
- Detergents: The oil and grease particles are dissolved by the solvents like sodium lauryl sulfate.
- Anti-cavity or Anti-plaque properties: The sodium fluoride imparts the toothpaste with its disinfectant qualities.
Hydrogen peroxide: This sustains the removal of stains and bestows mild bleaching properties that are from a chemical reaction.
Even if it is not publicly perceived, the combination of toothpaste ingredients allows it to be an effective cleaning product and personal care product at the same time.
Some Guidelines for Effective Performance of The Process
- Try toothpaste that is non-gel and white in color: The gel and colored toothpastes normally contain dyes and additives which are not suitable for household usage.
- Put on a soft cloth or brush: For a better grip and gentle pressure.
- Avoid using whitening toothpaste on articles that are delicate: More abrasive agents are usually contained in it.
- Go for a small amount: Four cleaning purposes a small amount of toothpaste is enough, in fact, more than that is unnecessary for most tasks.
Eco-Friendly and Budget-Saving
Using toothpaste to achieve more with less scope for many different cleaning products lets you save the earth while doing the following:
- It lessens waste made up of plastic packaging.
- It implies that your house is not flooded with chemical pollution from cleaners anymore.
- It is inexpensive and saves storage space.
The combination of these two functions does not require extra specialized cleaning products, which in turn mean that fewer chemicals are used, less plastic packaging ends up in the trash, and a lot of money is saved, and storage space is not wasted.
Common FAQs
Q: Can toothpaste remove permanent marker stains?
A: Probably! Toothpaste is very effective for hard and glossy surfaces. (A: Sometimes! It depends on the material. It is most suitable for hard glossy objects.)
Q: Is it safe to use toothpaste on jewelry?
A: Indeed, it can safely be applied to silver items and some non-porous precious stones. However, this is not possible for pearls and soft stones, such as opal. (A: Yes, for silver and some non-porous gemstones. But keep it away from pearls or soft stones like opal. )
Q: Can toothpaste really help pimples?
A: It can dry up the pimple due to the presence of baking soda or peroxide, but it is not recommended for those with sensitive or acne-prone skin over long-term use. (A: A drying effect might happen to pimples if baking soda or
Q: What toothpaste is best for cleaning?
A: Use only white toothpaste – no gel, no colorful toothpastes, and, if possible, one that contains baking soda.
Final reflections
Just a toothpaste is a product that can be utilized for a wider range of activities than just a brush for the teeth. Moreover, it is not expensive and can be used for great purposes at home. Through the discovery of such features as removing scuffs from shoes, and improving the cloudiness of headlights, the incredible potential of toothpaste has appeared.
Therefore, when you pick up your toothpaste next time, think that this tube could be a remedy for many things instead of oral health only. If you distribute small portions of it, you will be able to clean, brighten, deodorize, and repair a wide range of everyday items.
Experience some of these toothpaste cleaning tricks today and you might not want to utilize your bathroom staple for just one purpose again in the future.