Who would have thought? 21 uses for toothpaste There’s a whole load of things that toothpaste can do. 1. Take the itch out of a bite Standard (non-gel) toothpaste dabbed onto a mosquito bite will relieve the itching and help take away the redness. If you leave the toothpaste on the site it will also deter you from scratching. 2. Style your hair Gel toothpaste makes a great substitute for hair gel (they often contain the same water-soluble polymers). If you find yourself with straying hair and no gel in sight, use your gel toothpaste to hold hair in place. 3. Clean your fingernails Use some toothpaste on an old toothbrush to scrub under your fingernails after painting, arts and crafts or gardening. They will come up clean and bright and the toothpaste will help strengthen the keratin in your nails. A whitening toothpaste used regularly and left on your nails for about five minutes can also help brighten yellowing fingernails. 4. Neaten a home hair colour job If your home hair colour runs and leaves a stain on your skin, you can quickly remove it with a scrub of toothpaste. Dab the stain with toothpaste and leave for a moment before gently rubbing in a circular motion. Rinse with clear water. 5. Get gum out of hair Spread toothpaste over the stuck gum and rub until the gum breaks down. Clear away excess and then thoroughly wash hair. The gum should be completely removed. 6. Clean your iron Toothpaste is great for breaking down the mineral deposits that collect on your iron. Use an old toothbrush on a cold iron and scrub the paste into all the little holes on your iron’s back plate. Wipe with damp paper towels until clean and you’re good to iron once more (sorry, but yes, you have to). 7. Clean the bathroom sink Your bathroom sink will scrub up beautifully with a dab of toothpaste. Squeeze some into the sink, scrub with a sponge and rinse thoroughly. Shiny sink! You could probably do the bathtub too … but that’s a lot of porcelain, right? 8. Remove stains from fabrics On clothing, floors or walls, toothpaste will clean off lipstick, grass and ink stains. Apply a little toothpaste, gently rub in and rinse off immediately. Repeat until the stain is gone. Remember to do a patch-test for coloured fabrics and surfaces as whitening toothpaste can definitely have a bleaching effect. 9. Remove crayon from walls Toothpaste will also tackle crayon marks on walls (or even an entire artwork if necessary). Put a dab of toothpaste on a damp cloth and gently rub in a circular motion until all the crayon has been lifted. This should be safe for painted surfaces, however if the crayon marks are large, you should try the toothpaste technique out on a small area first. Wait 24 hours to check that the paint has not been affected before tackling a whole wall. 10. Substitute for spackle You can fill small holes on white walls left by hooks or nails with a little toothpaste. Fill the hole and leave to dry completely. Best used only on white walls as paint will not properly adhere to the toothpaste. 11. Remove scratches on leather Scuff marks and light scratches on leather furniture will disappear when rubbed with a dab of toothpaste on a soft cloth. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. 12. Polish the kitchen sink Your sink will dazzle after a quick polish with toothpaste and a damp cloth. Rub in circular motions before rinsing clean with water. Give it a quick extra polish with a dry cloth and then don your sunnies. Taps will also benefit from a little toothpaste polishing. 13. Clean plastic outdoor furniture A scrubbing brush and a squeeze of toothpaste are all you need to remove stubborn stains from outdoor plastic furniture. A good scrub will bring it up like new, especially if you use a whitening toothpaste on white furniture. 14. Clean refrigerator seals An oft-neglected job, but a necessary one, cleaning the seals of the refrigerator is made easy with toothpaste on a toothbrush. The brush fits perfectly along the seal edges and the toothpaste whisks away all the lurking nasties. 15. Remove soap scum Toothpaste will remove stubborn soap scum from your shower doors. Apply with a damp cloth and rub in a circular motion. Leave for at least 10 minutes to allow the active ingredients in the toothpaste to lift the gunk. Rinse with the shower head while wiping over with a clean cloth. 16. Clean your jewels Plain toothpaste (not whitening, nor gel) will clean and give a beautiful shine to silver and diamond jewellery. Add a little to a baby toothbrush and gently rub around the jewellery in a circular motion. Pay attention to crevices and behind small stones. Rinse thoroughly in warm water once finished and polish to a shine with a soft cloth. 17. Clean your sneakers Scrub your sneakers with a little toothpaste on an old toothbrush and they’ll come up like new. Remove the laces before scrubbing (you can give them a clean with the toothpaste too). Rinse well with warm water when you’re done and pop them toe-side down in the sun to completely dry. 18. Brighten your car’s headlights Grimy headlights can mean a dimmer beam, but a little toothpaste on a cloth will bring the shine back. Rub until clean, rinse with water and then polish with a soft dry cloth. 19. Clean and defog your glasses The tiniest dab of toothpaste polished into your glasses will help cover small scratches and stop them from fogging up in humidity. You can use the same trick on swimming goggles to stop them fogging up under water too. 20. Polish your silver Use toothpaste on a polishing cloth to bring silverware back to a sparkling shine. Polishing with toothpaste will help prevent rust too. 21. Hang a poster If you’re out of Blu Tack, you can use a dab of toothpaste on the corners of a poster to hang it on the wall. It will stay up for ages and when you want to remove it, pull it free and then wipe clear any toothpaste residue.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 06:22:07 +0000
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