After my article on ways to use an old toothbrush I hesitated publishing this article. I know many of you thought using an old toothbrush for other jobs was gross. So I’m not sure how you are going to feel about using toothpaste on a pimple… but here we go!
Of course using toothpaste to brush your teeth is the best and most important use of toothpaste, but did you know that toothpaste has lots of other uses too? Here are just a few of the alternative uses for toothpaste.
- Clean jewelry
- Remove marker off wood
- Remove scratches from DVDs (paste not gel)
- Clean white shoes
- Zap zits
- Clean grout
- Fill in the nail holes on your wall (in a pinch)
- Get rid of Kool-Aid and popsicle stains around kids’ mouths
- Get crayon/markers off the wall
- Wash your face w toothpaste for a cool, fresh, extra-thorough clean (occasionally, not every day)
- Remove white spots off from wood when burned or something wet was left on it
- Takes off onion and garlic smells from your hands if you wash with it
- Clean mini blinds
- Wash your hands with it after cleaning fish to get rid of the smell
I tried most of these ideas with success. I have no idea how you would clean mini blinds with toothpaste, but a reader submitted it so I thought I would share it.
I know many of my deal seeking readers can find toothpaste for free or close to free with coupons, so it doesn’t hurt to find multiple uses for an item you don’t spend a lot of money on.
If you have a great toothpaste tip share it below!
Lee says
Bee Stings and Burns!! Works great to take the stings away!!
Tanya B says
I heard from a swim team mom I know that it will take sharpie off of skin too! Luckily I’ve never had to test it 🙂
alva martinez says
also great for minor burns (touched the pot and burned your finger type of burn)
Bree says
marker off of wood… I will have to remember that one! I used to use it on zits back in the day… it works
Bss says
Thanks for the ideas!
Rosilind says
Totally love this post!!! There is nothing I love more than home remedies. I gave you a shoutout and about your post about the sponge blocks – I am totally going to try that. Thanks!
Shout out is here: http://jukiczr.blogspot.com/2011/08/thoughts-from-this-lazy-blogger.html
Tammy says
Using an old toothbrush is not gross ~ it’s thrifty! ~ sheesh, people!!! All you have to do is boil it if you are THAT germ-a-phobic!! =) hee hee ~ love these tips/tricks with toothpaste, too … I can’t wait to try it on the wooden coffee table … my teenage girls just can NOT use a coaster or set their drinks on the cotton mat in the middle of the table, even! I am going to try to zap that white ring!!
Corrie says
I used to use gel toothpaste to take the itch out of red ant bites when I lived in FL. I’m really sensitive to red ants and my whole foot would swell. Toothpaste worked great on the bites.
Tracy Ellett says
Best medication for bee stings. Immediately reduces the pain. Paste is better than gel.
Christina says
This post is awesome, thanks!
Jesse says
I think a lot of those handy uses could be duplicated (cheaper and better for environment) with a pinch of wet baking soda paste. But I do see that toothpaste would be easier to keep in your purse for on-the-go Sharpie or Kool-Aid emergencies.
Erika says
It also works great on getting skunk spray slime off off cars and garage walls. It’s the only thing we found that worked after our dog trapped one under the car. Yuck! (paste not gel)
Caron says
Great post! I used paste to fill in nail holes once in an apartment. I accidentally used whitening paste. Not such a good idea when the walls are old and thus dirty. As I cleaned up extra paste I got a very clean circle that kept getting bigger and bigger until I finally washed the whole wall. Had I known it was that gross I would have started out cleaning it. So, add “helps clean dirty walls” to the list. Although I’m not sure how safe it is for the paint. 🙂
Kelli R. says
My two-year-old just colored all over our bedroom wall today. I remembered the toothpaste tip, and it worked like a charm! Of course, then I had to wash the rest of the wall, since the toothpaste got the colored-on section so clean. Bonus: now the bedroom smells minty-fresh!