11 New Ways to Use Toothpaste

When I first started using coupons I got a LOT of free toothpaste. Well, you can only brush your teeth so many times and you still have a big stockpile of toothpaste!  Rather than letting it go to waste I decided to find ways to use toothpaste in my home.

Here are 11 ways to use toothpaste that don’t involve your teeth!

1. Spackle walls. Smear toothpaste to fill thumbtack holes in drywall. Use a playing card to smooth the filled hole. Repeat the process if the toothpaste shrinks when it dries.

2. Soothe bug bites. Itchy bug bites can be helped by applying a drop of toothpaste to the infected area to stop the itching and decrease any swelling. It helps to leave it on overnight to relieve discomfort.

3. Clean sneakers. Toothpaste works great on dirty running shoes or scuffed-up leather shoes. Apply the toothpaste directly on the dirty or scuffed area of the shoe and then scrub with a brush and wipe clean with a cotton towel.

4. Banish odors and ink from your hands. After chopping onions or garlic scrub your hands and fingertips with toothpaste to remove all traces of stinky smells. It also takes the ink off your hands when washed with toothpaste.

5. Remove water rings from wood. Use a small bit of toothpaste and soft damp cloth and gently buff away the water ring. You may have to repeat the process a couple of times to completely remove it. Remember to test the toothpaste on antique wood to make sure you don’t damage the finish.

6. Clean scratched DVDs and CDs. Lightly dab a small amount of toothpaste on the scratch. Buff the disk with a cloth going from the center of the disk outward toward the rim. Wipe off with a damp cloth and dry with a microfiber cloth.

7. Clean baby bottles, sippy cups and thermoses. Use toothpaste and a bottle scrubber (or even a tooth brush!) to clean the residue and get rid of those stinky smells. Rinse well.

8. Lift collar stains. Tackle the stains around the shirt collars with toothpaste and a toothbrush. Rinse out the toothpaste and wash the shirt as normal.

9. Remove crayon stains on painted walls. Gently wipe a damp cloth with toothpaste on the marked wall. The crayon stains will rub right off!

10. Remove the burned crust on irons. Over time iron plates develop a burned crust. Use toothpaste and a cloth to rub it out.

11. Defog goggles. Rub a dab of toothpaste into each lens of your goggles. Rinse well. Avoid rubbing too vigorously so you don’t scratch the lenses.

Besides cleaning your teeth, do you have any other good tips that toothpaste can be used for?

About Karrie

Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...