1. As a cleaning agent
Toothpaste is a cleaning machine. You think it works wonders on teeth? Try it on these scuffed, stained and dirty items as well.
- Leather: Stressed about how to remove scuffs from leather shoes, furniture, or accessories? Squeeze a bit of toothpaste onto the scuffed area, then rub with a soft cloth. Dampen a second cloth and wipe off the toothpaste. Admire the scuff-free results.
- Sneakers: Rubber no longer pearly white? Any paste toothpaste can help—just squeeze a bit onto an old toothbrush and scrub, scrub, scrub.
- Diamonds: Diamond rings, necklaces, bracelets, or earrings lost their shine? Squeeze a bit of toothpaste onto an old toothbrush and "brush" the gem, then wipe off residue with a damp cloth, and admire the sparkling results.
- Clothing irons: Starch spray or other residue rendering that expensive iron unusable? Cool your iron, squeeze toothpaste onto the residue, scrub with a cloth, and wipe clean.
- Piano keys: There’s nothing like the lovely contrast of black-on-white piano keys—until the white keys aren't so white anymore. Toothpaste to the rescue! Apply some paste (not gel) toothpaste to a toothbrush, then brush, brush, brush and wipe with a damp cloth.
- Chrome: Chrome responds best to finely abrasive cleansers, and toothpaste fits the bill perfectly. Fixtures, accessories, even bumpers will thank you for a little elbow grease, courtesy of paste (not gel) toothpaste and a clean, old rag.
- Sinks: Sinks, like chrome, respond best to finely abrasive cleansers—just follow the chrome prescription to clean sinks in a jiffy with paste toothpaste.
- Walls: If your little ones decided to mural up your interior walls with crayon or ink, squirt paste toothpaste (not gel) onto the wall, then use a rough rag or scrubbie to remove the "art."
2. As a deodorizer
Toothpaste is a natural deodorizer—whether used in the mouth or elsewhere. Use toothpaste to deodorize these items.
- Baby bottle: Bothered by the "sour milk" smell in your baby bottles? Squirt in a bit of toothpaste, add a bit of water, then use your scrub brush to scour away odor and rinse thoroughly.
- Food storage containers: If you have a perfectly good storage container that has picked up an odor, follow the advice for baby bottles to deodorize and salvage that container.
- Hands and feet: If you’ve been working with your hands or walking barefoot and notice a lingering smell (for instance, from slicing onions or walking across beach tar) simply wash the stinky part with toothpaste instead of soap. Voila—no more odor!
3. As an anti-acne treatment
Just when you were probably starting to think toothpaste could do it all, there’s more—did you know dabbing a bit of toothpaste directly onto pimples can dry them up overnight? Note: If your skin is very sensitive, you might want to do a "patch test" first to make sure this treatment won’t irritate your skin.
4. As a defogger
Toothpaste can de-fog these items in a jiffy.
- Goggles: Swimming goggles easily fog up in water, but not if you slather on some toothpaste and wipe it off before taking a dip. Goggles will remain fog-free while you swim.
- Sunglasses or glasses: You can also use the goggles trick on regular glasses or sunglasses.
- Bathroom mirrors: Just dab some paste (not gel) toothpaste onto a washcloth, then wipe across the surface of the mirror before your shower, then wipe again to remove the toothpaste. After the shower, your mirror will still be fog-free.
5. To remove water rings
Many an otherwise fine piece of wood furniture has been donated to thrift shops because of unsightly water rings. But toothpaste can save your wood furnishings from a thrift shop fate—and you from having to purchase new replacement furniture. Squeeze a bit of toothpaste into a soft cloth then rub across the area of the water ring and finish by wiping with a soft dry cloth. Presto—no more water ring!
6. To reduce the effect of scratches
Toothpaste can ease the visibility of scratches on these and other surfaces.
- Cell phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop computer screens: Squeeze a dab of toothpaste onto your finger, then rub it across the screen. Finish by using a damp cloth to wipe away the toothpaste.
- Headlights and taillights: Clean the light surface, then squeeze toothpaste onto a rag and scrub. Clean, buff, and admire.
- Paint: Follow the same prescription for headlights and taillights.
- CDs and DVDs: Find a very soft (like a buffing) cloth and squeeze a dab of toothpaste onto it, then very gently rub it in a circular motion on the CD or DVD to buff out scratches.
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How to Set Up a Couponing Spreadsheet—Download Included
