23 unexpected ways to use toothpaste

Toothpaste is actually an awesome cleaning aid, as well as a stand in for creams, beauty products and other expensive pastes.

It’s definitely not just for brushing your teeth and whitening.

Here’s some of our favourite ways to use toothpaste, do you have any others to add?

1. Get rid of carpet stains

Squeeze toothpaste directly onto the carpet stain and scrub it with a toothbrush. Rinse and repeat the process until the stain disappears!

2. Protect mobile phone screen

Unprotected mobile-phone screens become scratched over time. To fix this, lightly rub the screen with a touch of white toothpaste and your finger. Wipe over with a damp cloth and dry.

3. Clothing stain removal

Apply the toothpaste directly to the stained area with a bit of water and rub hard before putting in the washing machine. Be sure to use a gel toothpaste without whitening solution for coloured fabrics.

4. Whiten piano keys

Rub each key gently with a damp, cotton swab and a dab of toothpaste paste. Wipe dry and buff with a clean cloth.

5. Outdoor furniture

Apply some elbow grease, a brush and a mixture of toothpaste and water. Use a teeth-whitening paste on white furniture for a great shine!

6. Nail filler

Toothpaste is a poor-man’s caulking agent. If you don’t have matching paint, you can tint the paste with food colouring or eye shadow to match the wall. It’s even easier if the walls are white.

7. Clean your iron

Irons get built up grime over time, so to clean them, use a non-gel toothpaste to gently remove the gunk. Make sure the iron is cool and turned off at the power point. Wipe off and polish.

8. Polish your diamond rings

Who needs expensive ring cleaners when you have toothpaste? Simply put it on a brush, rub gently and wipe off.

9. Remove ink or lipstick stains 

Everyone dreads having to remove lipstick or ink from their shirts but it does happen from time to time. An effective way to remove the stain is to rub whitening toothpaste on the stain and then rinse and pop into the wash with stain remover as normal.

10. Prevent foggy mirrors

We all love a hot shower but it can be frustrating trying to see yourself in the mirror when it keeps fogging up. To prevent this, all you need to do is coat the mirror with toothpaste and wipe it off.

11. Shine bathroom and kitchen stainless 

Don’t waste money on a special stainless steel cleaner – you have one in your bathroom already. Polish the paste on with a dry cloth and wipe away to reveal shiny steel!

12. Clean headlights

If you’ve noticed your headlights are a bit dim, it could be because they are really dirty. They’re outside all day so they should get as much attention as the rest of the car. Remove the covers and rub the dirt off with a basic, homebrand toothpaste. The cheaper the better as the more expensive ones can leave streaks.

13. Nails

Run out of nail polish? No worries: you can use a dab of toothpaste and a nail buffer to shine your nails – they look great!

14. DVDs and CDs

If you have tiny scratches on a CD, pop a bit of cheap toothpaste on and rub gently…it will remove the marks. If there’s any residue, wipe over with a damp cloth and dry.

15. Remove watermarks from furniture:

To get rid of those telltale watermark rings left by drinks, 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.

16. Clear up blemishes

Dab a bit of non-gel, non-whitening toothpaste on the blemish and it should be dried up by morning. The toothpaste dehydrates the pimple and absorbs the oil.

17. Remove odours from hands

The ingredients in toothpaste will work on your hands, so if you’ve handled something smelly, simply wash your hands with toothpaste, and they’ll smell great.

18. Relieve skin irritation

Relieve irritation from bug bites, sores, minor rashes, cold sores and blisters with toothpaste by applying a drop to a bug bite or insect sting to stop the itching and decrease any swelling.

19. Heal a bruise

Before heading off to bed, apply a mixture of toothpaste and lotion to the bruise and wrap it in a bandage. Wash the paste off in the morning and reapply for two or three nights.

20. Remove hair dye from your hairline

If you’re dyeing your own hair and need to get the hair dye off your scalp, simply dilute a bit of toothpaste and scrub away any stains along the hairline.

21. De-scuff linoleum

Use toothpaste and a dry cloth to scrub scuff marks away on your lino. Keep scrubbing until no residue remains, then rinse.

22. Fill in holes

Toothpaste can fill in holes where you had pictures hanging on the wall. If you have white walls, white paste toothpastes are perfect for filling in the small holes left behind by removed nails.

23. Buff out scratches on leather

You can use toothpaste to remove scratches on leather. Use a dab of toothpaste and a soft cloth to rub it clean, wipe with a damp cloth and the scuffs will disappear.

Share your other uses below.