15 Unique Uses for Toothpaste
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Think that toothpaste is just for brushing teeth? Here are 15 unique ways that you can use that tube of cheap toothpaste around your home!
Uses for Toothpaste
Toothpaste. That thing sitting in everyone’s cupboard to help keep your gums healthy and your teeth clean. But like just about anything, there is more than a single use when it comes to toothpaste.
You already know that we here at Little House Living are all about making the most with everything that you have, so why not make the most with your toothpaste?
Below you will find a list of all kinds of things that I bet you never thought you could use toothpaste for! Make sure to add your own uses for toothpaste in the comments.
15 Unique Uses for Toothpaste
1. Help bug bite irritation. Place toothpaste over a bee, wasp, or other insect bit to help with the swelling and irritation. it should help with any itching and bring the swelling down.
2. Make your own Homemade Jewelry Cleaner. Keep your jewelry clean and shiny with toothpaste and a few other ingredients!
3. Keep your hands smelling fresh. Did you just chop up some smelly garlic or onion? Take a dab of toothpaste and rub it on your hands just like soap, then rinse off. The strong smell should be gone and your hands will be left minty fresh!
4. Remove crayon marks. Did you little one decide to be Picasso all over your walls? Put a little bit of toothpaste on a wet towel or rag and scrub at the marks until they come off the wall. You may want to test this on a small area of your wall first to ensure that it won’t remove paint.
5. Clean carpet stains. Put a little bit of toothpaste on your carpet and scrub with a wet towel to remove carpet stains. This works best with a white, uncolored toothpaste.
6. Help burns. Immediately after receiving a minor burn, put a little toothpaste on the affected area. It should help remove the sting of the burn immediately.
7. Make your headlights shiny again. I saw this one going around the internet and had to try it since my headlights are a little dingy. While it doesn’t remove the scuffed up part of the headlights it will really shine them up! Simply rub toothpaste on your headlights with a dry cloth and then rinse off.
8. Clean out smelly baby bottles. Did you forget to rinse out a baby bottle right away? Swish a little toothpaste and water in the bottle and scrub until the smell and stains are gone. Rinse thoroughly afterwards.
9. Get shiny fingernails. Next time you are pampering your nails, scrub them with a little nail brush and a bit of toothpaste. The toothpaste will help keep them strong and shiny, just like your teeth!
10. Clean your piano keys. The next time you are dusting and cleaning your piano, take a wet rag and a little toothpaste and clean each key. Wipes dry when finished. Your keys should be nice and shiny when you are done!
11. Scrub the bathroom sinks. If you drop toothpaste in your sink while brushing, don’t just wash it down the drain! Grab a rag and use it to scrub the inside of the sink where it will work as a natural abrasive. Rinse the sink and you not only have clean teeth but a clean sink!
12. Water rings. Clean up water rings and spots on dining and coffee tables by putting a dab of toothpaste on the table and rubbing it. Wipe away with a wet rag to remove those water rings and spots.
13. Remove the skunk smell. The next time your dog gets into a skunk, skip the tomato juice bath and go for the toothpaste instead. Scrub him down well with an excess of toothpaste until he smells like normal again.
14. Reduce bruises and blemishes. Make sure to use some kind of menthol toothpaste for this one. Apply the toothpaste to a bruise or blemish before you head to bed and remove in the morning. Repeat for a few days and blemishes will disappear and bruises will go away faster.
15. Clean up your patio furniture. Is your outdoor furniture a little grungy after the summer season? Simply scrub with toothpaste and rinse with water to get it clean again!
There are plenty of other uses for other everyday household items too. Here are some more that you should check out next!
Uses for Honey
Uses for Epsom Salt
Find even more ideas on our Uses For page and get inspired to reuse things you already have for creative purposes around your home!
What are your favorite uses for toothpaste besides brushing your teeth?
This blog post about Uses for Toothpaste was originally published on Little House Living in September 2013. It has been updated as of April 2019.
I have heard of a few of those ideas, but a few sound very exciting to me. I had no idea it works on carpeting, and I love that it helps with bug bites. Both me and my daughter swell and itch when bitten, and mosquitos seem to really like us.
Yes, make sure to try it out when the mosquitoes come back! I don’t get many bites but the ones I do get tend to get really bad. This is very soothing!
What a great list of things to do with toothpaste. I have always heard it works well for acne also. I will have to print this off and keep it some place for future reference.
I hope you find something on the list you can use! 🙂
I’ll have to remember the tip for removing skunk smell! I saw a skunk waddle accross the yard just a few days ago. O.o
That smell is the worst isn’t it? WE had a problem with skunks last year. Luckily the dog didn’t get into them too bad but the smell was horrible!
When we were at GS camp and had a porcelin sink that had gray marks on it from the pots and pans and we FORGOT to bring cleanser for that sink….the toothpaste took care of those marks really quickly and it looked better than when we had arrived and that was always our goal.
That’s awesome!
I had no idea there were so many uses for toothpaste! I have a clay-based natural toothpaste, but I bet it would work just as good. My piano keys have been needing to be cleaned, so I will start with that first! Thanks for the great tips!
For CDs that skip, clean with toothpaste and water. Rinse well and dry with a soft cloth.
i use it on laundry, stain remover
Sweet!! Toothpaste is one of those items that good couponer can get for free or close to free, especially combining coupons with store coupons and sales, at the drugstore or dollar tree, although I use my homemade toothpaste on my pearly whites, we keep toothpaste around for uses like these… however I might opt for baking soda with peroxide or vinegar instead to clean a skunky pet. It is easier for the rinsing…
Well! I did know only one use Helps Burn of course aside of using for brushing! Thanks for sharing the list think it gonna be super handy for me!
some are useful tips…Some are i don’t know
I have used some of those – the cleaning ones to be exact and they all work. You can use toothpaste to polish the chrome surfaces in your bathroom like showerheads, faucets, etc. Great article, good job!
It also works well for taking scuff marks off light colored and white shoes.
I have been cleaning tarnished silver earrings and bracelets with toothpaste for decades! Smear on and wait a minute or two and the wipe off with clean dry cloth. Rinse with water and dry after. This tip was told to me by an antique silver collector.
White tooth paste will also remove almost 90% of tarnish from silver without scratching. Just spread some on with an old toothbrush, rub it in, rinse and dry.
I have not heard of using it for strengthening nails.
I am definitely going to try this.
I have tried everything else, and nothing has ever worked.
Fingers crossed 🤞
I would like to receive your
newsletters. These toothbrush hints are wonderful. I would be interested in any helpful secret’s you want to share.
Thank you,
Susan.
Interesting & useful tips! Thanks