Toothpaste is a simply miraculous product. Used in conjunction with a dentist-recommended electric toothbrush and premium-quality mouthwash, it plays a critical role in maintaining our oral health and hygiene.
In one rudimentary form or another, toothpaste has been used by mankind for thousands of years. It’s just that in centuries gone by, it wasn’t nearly as advanced or effective as it is today. Twigs charcoal have been replaced by scientifically-proven formulas, with the capacity to keep teeth strong and healthy for a lifetime.
The thing is though, the practical uses of toothpaste go far beyond those that are most obvious. If you’ve be keeping up with our blog – which you should have been – you’ll already be aware of a few interesting alternative uses for everyday toothpaste. Nevertheless, we’re constantly coming across all manner of weird and wonderful life hacks, involving the kinds of products most of us take for granted.
So once again, what follows is an interesting rundown of 10 more alternative uses for everyday toothpaste you may find surprising:
1. Removing Wax Crayon Marks
If you haven’t tried this particular hack already, it’s about time you did! Next time you discover wax crayon marks on your walls, simply reach for a little toothpaste and you’ve nothing to worry about. Add a little toothpaste to a damp cloth, give the stain a quick wipe and you’ll be amazed how quickly and effectively they disappear. A brilliant hack for households with creative kids running about the place!
2. Eliminate Headlight Haze
A rather unexpected though useful hack nonetheless, toothpaste can also be used to eliminate haze on your car’s headlights. Rather than using any expensive store-bought car cleaning products, simply grab yourself some toothpaste and give your headlights a good scrub. Give the whole thing a rinse when you’re done and you might not believe how effective the result is.
3. Clean Baby Bottles
If you know baby bottles, you’ll know it can be sometimes difficult to get rid of that rather unpleasant sour milk smell. No matter how intensively you clean them, they still come out with at least a faint hint of sour milk. That is, unless you clean them using toothpaste. Comprehensively safe and enormously effective, cleaning baby bottles with toothpaste is a tried and trusted method for eliminating that sour milk smell entirely.
4. Remove Coffee Rings
Depending on the surface material (consider this our disclaimer!), toothpaste can be immensely useful for removing coffee rings from a variety of surfaces. Once again, it’s simply a case of applying a small amount of toothpaste to the offending ring, before gently wiping away with a damp cloth. Give the whole thing a good polish afterwards and you’ll see an immediate difference to the prevalence of the ring. It may even disappear entirely!
5. Bug Bites
Toothpaste can also make a great alternative to the kind of frenzied scratching that’s guaranteed to leave you sore and raw. Next time you find yourself dealing with an itchy bug bite of any kind, take a small amount of toothpaste and apply it directly to the affected area. The cooling sensation will immediately and significantly relieve the itch, cooling the skin and reducing any inflammation.
6. Pimple Removal
The same trick can also work wonders when you find yourself dealing with an unexpected pimple at the worst possible time. Rather than squeezing it or using harsh chemical-based cosmetics, simply place a small amount of toothpaste over the offending area. Leave it in place for a while and the toothpaste will have a cooling, drying and soothing effect on the spot, getting rid of it significantly quicker.
7. Makeshift Caulk
If for any reason you find yourself in need of a spot of caulk but don’t have any to hand, toothpaste can make a great temporary substitute. Of course, we’re not suggesting for one minute that you go about the process of decorating your home with gallons of toothpaste! Nevertheless, if looking to hide a nuisance hole in the wall or fill a small gap somewhere, toothpaste in all its brilliant-white glory really can masquerade as quality caulk. On a temporary basis perhaps, but still – well worth trying!
8. Hand Odour Removal
If you find that all the soap in the world doesn’t seem to be making a dent on the odours embedded within your hands, you may have better luck with toothpaste. From garlic to onions to fish to pretty much anything else you can think of, washing your hands with a little toothpaste can be absolutely fantastic for removing odours. Don’t get carried away – you’ll only need a small amount to get the job done. After which, you might want to apply a measure of your favourite moisturiser, given how toothpaste can have a somewhat drying effect on the skin.
9. Lino Scuff Repairs
It’s inevitable that any linoleum you have around your home is going to get scuffed and scratched over time. Nevertheless, there’s a neat trick you can try out for quickly eliminating (or at least hiding) nuisance scuffs on lino floors. All you need to do is take a measure of toothpaste, apply it to the offending area and give it a good rub with a dry cloth. Even if it doesn’t necessarily work miracles, you’re guaranteed to be impressed by the results!
10. Fix Old DVDs and CDs
Last but not least, if you have any old CDs and DVDs around the place that have definitely seen better days, toothpaste has the power to bring them back to life! Just as long as the damage isn’t too severe, you can try applying a small amount of toothpaste to the scratched surface and giving it a rub with a dry cloth. If the damage is relatively remedial in nature, you could get rid of it in its entirety.
