Genius Toothpaste Hacks You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner

It turns out the usefulness of toothpaste extends far beyond your toothbrush! Check out these clever new ways to put toothpaste to work all around the house.

Cool things to do with toothpaste - dress shoes
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Use toothpaste to remove scuffs from shoes

A little toothpaste does an amazing job of removing scuffs from leather shoes. Just squirt a quick dab on the scuffed area and rub with a soft cloth, then wipe clean with a damp cloth. The leather will look like new.

Use Toothpaste to Prevent Fogged Goggles
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Prevent fogged goggles with toothpaste

Whether you’re doing some woodworking, going skiing or scuba diving, nothing is more frustrating (and sometimes dangerous) than fogged goggles. Prevent the problem by coating the goggles with toothpaste and then wiping them off.

Psst—here’s how to keep your glasses from fogging up while wearing a face mask.

Things to do with toothpaste - washing hands
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Clean smells from hands

The ingredients in toothpaste that deodorize your mouth will work on your hands as well. If you’ve gotten into something stinky (mincing garlic, for instance), wash your hands with toothpaste and they’ll smell great.

Find out how to get rid of household odours using items in your pantry.

ironing board
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Clean your clothes iron

The mild abrasive in non-gel toothpaste is just the ticket for scrubbing the gunk off the bottom plate of your clothes iron. Apply the toothpaste to the cool iron, scrub with a rag, then rinse clean.

Here’s how to wash “dry clean only” clothes at home.

Things to do with toothpaste - diamond ring
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Polish a diamond ring

Put a little toothpaste on an old toothbrush and use it to make your diamond ring sparkle instead of your teeth. Clean off the residue with a damp cloth.

Here are 13 clever tricks to clean silver.

Things to do with toothpaste - foggy bathroom mirror
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Prevent bathroom mirrors from fogging

Ouch! You cut yourself shaving and it’s no wonder—you can’t see your face clearly in that fogged-up bathroom mirror. Next time, coat the mirror with non-gel toothpaste and wipe it off before you get in the shower. When you get out, the mirror won’t be fogged.

These simple home hacks can save you as much as $500 a year!

How to clean everything in your kitchen, according to Charles the Butler
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Shine bathroom and kitchen chrome

They make commercial cleaners with a very fine abrasive designed to shine up chrome, but if you don’t have any handy, the fine abrasive in non-gel toothpaste works just as well. Just smear on the toothpaste and polish with a soft, dry cloth.

Find out how to clean absolutely everything in your kitchen, according to The Marilyn Denis Show‘s Charles the Butler.

Things to do with toothpaste - clean the bathroom sink
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Clean the bathroom sink

Non-gel toothpaste makes quick work of a scummy bathroom sink. The tube’s sitting right there, so just squirt some in, scrub with a sponge, and rinse it out. Bonus: The toothpaste will help neutralize any odours emanating from the drain trap.

Discover more brilliant bathroom cleaning tips.

Things to do with toothpaste - little girl drawing on wall with crayons
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Remove crayon from walls

Did crayon-toting kids get creative on your wall? Roll up your sleeves and grab a tube of non-gel toothpaste and a rag or—better yet—a scrub brush. Squirt the toothpaste on the wall and start scrubbing. The fine abrasive in the toothpaste will rub away the crayon every time. Wipe down the wall a damp cloth.

Check out more cleaning hacks for hard-to-remove stuff.

Things to do with toothpaste - woman doing laundry
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Remove ink or lipstick stains from fabric

Oh no, a pen opened up in the pocket of your favourite shirt! This may or may not work, depending on the fabric and the ink, but it is certainly worth a try before consigning the shirt to the scrap bin: Put non-gel toothpaste on the stain and rub the fabric vigorously together. Rinse with water. Did some of the ink come out? Great! Repeat the process a few more times until you get rid of all the ink. The same process works for lipstick.

Here are more brilliant laundry hacks that’ll save you time, money and effort.

Female sneakers. White female shoes on feet. Sneakers closeup.
Photo: Maksym Azovtsev/Shutterstock

Clean your sneakers

Want to clean and whiten the rubber part of your sneakers? Get out the non-gel toothpaste and an old toothbrush. After scrubbing, clean off the toothpaste with a damp cloth.

Try these smart tricks to keep your shoes smelling fresh.

Things to do with toothpaste - remove water marks from wood furniture
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Remove watermarks from furniture

You leave coasters around, but some people just won’t use them. To get rid of those telltale water rings left by sweating beverages, gently rub some non-gel toothpaste on the wood with a soft cloth. Then wipe it off with a damp cloth and let it dry before applying furniture polish.

phone call
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Remove small scratches from your phone screen

Rub toothpaste on the front or back of your phone (wherever there are scratches). The toothpaste will work to reduce the look of the scratches and make your phone screen look much better.

Now that you know these cool things to do with toothpaste, check out 20 brilliant uses for ammonia all around the house.

Originally Published in Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

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