If you follow standard dental health guidelines, you brush at least twice a day. Toothpaste is found in virtually every household, but that tube of toothpaste may come in handy in more ways than you think. It can sooth ailments and clean stains and furniture. The main component of toothpaste, sodium fluoride, is a strong compound that even has industrial uses. In your home, it makes toothpaste useful for a variety of alternative uses; five of them include:
1. Healing Sores, Blisters, Bites, and Pimples
If you have a painful blister or sore, or an itchy bug bite, don’t put away that tube of toothpaste so soon. Apply some toothpaste to the affected area and it should start healing it up in a few hours. Just a small amount is needed. Even some non-gel toothpaste on a pimple will dry out and absorb the oil from it overnight.
2. De-Stain Fabric and Clothing
Stubborn fabric stains can be removed using toothpaste, when it’s left on for 24 hours and then washed off. Non-whitening toothpaste on clothing can remove stains too. Just dab any affected fabric under water and rub in the paste. The garment is then ready to be tossed into the washing machine as usual.
3. Clean the Carpet
Believe it or not, toothpaste will get your carpet clean too. You can even scrub the carpet with a toothbrush, with toothpaste applied, but a scrubbing brush works well too. Scrubbing with mild pressure will get the toothpaste into the carpeting, and then you just have to rinse with clean, warm water. Repeat as often as it takes to get that stubborn stain out.
4. Polish Up Car Headlights
Car headlights can get dirty in a hurry, and leaving them that way can reduce visibility when driving. A simple solution is to squeeze out some toothpaste onto the lens, and spread it evenly with a cloth. The next step is to polish the surface with a moist cloth, and you have clean headlights.
5. Fill a Nail Hole
Holes in the wall can be filled in just as well with toothpaste as with a caulking agent. Just a dab will fill it. If the wall is not white, add a food coloring agent that matches the paint, and leave to dry. There’s more to toothpaste than meets the eye. Whenever a quick clean up or fix is needed, you don’t have to look any further.
