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Toothpaste is a must in everyone’s daily routine as an oral hygiene product to clean the teeth. It helps in sustaining your oral health by removing bacteria and food remains from the teeth. It also aids in concealing and preventing bad breath while also discouraging tooth decay and gum diseases.
The surprising news is that, besides strengthening your oral health, toothpaste delivers a broad spectrum of other unordinary uses and benefits. Read on to know more.
Surprising Ways of Using White Toothpaste
Here are some unheard but handy uses of white toothpaste you may not know about.
1. Helps deal with acne and pimples
In one study, applying toothpaste topically was found to be the most effective in treating pimples in 10 human volunteers.
However, fluoride, which is added to most toothpaste formulations, can cause dermatitis in some people, so it’s best to use toothpaste with the lowest possible fluoride content or no fluoride at all.
Also, normal toothpaste is better than gel toothpaste because the former acts like a mask for oily skin. When applied to a whitehead pimple, it dries it out and absorbs the oil, whereas gel toothpaste does not have the same effect. (1)
Note: Based on research, using toothpaste as a treatment for pimples may not be effective for all types of pimples. It only works well for pimples that have already developed into whiteheads.
It may not be helpful for blackheads or pimples that are still just red spots. Using toothpaste on such pimples may actually aggravate the skin condition and cause more redness because it dries out the pimple, which can be harmful if the pimple is not yet ready. (1)
How to use toothpaste for acne and pimples:
- Cleanse your face gently with water and pat it dry.
- Take a pea-sized amount of white toothpaste and apply it to the affected area.
- Rinse it off with water after a few hours.
- Repeat for a few days till the acne is resolved.
2. Helps deal with insect bites and bee stings
Some cases of insect bites and bee stings can result in a lot of distress. They can immediately present as redness, swelling, pain, and itching in the affected region.
There is an overload of conventional home remedies that have been recommended for insect bites and bee stings, and one of them is toothpaste, which can help resolve some of the symptoms. (2)
How to use toothpaste for insect bites and bee stings:
- Apply a small amount of white toothpaste to the affected region.
- Let it stay for a couple of hours.
- Rinse it off with water.
- Repeat, if needed.
3. Whitens nails
Experts explain how everyday use of nail polish can make your white and healthy nails look yellow, which can lead to dull-looking nails and hands and affect your confidence. They further suggest whitening toothpaste as a product or remedy for yellow nails.
This may be because of the presence of whitening agents in the toothpaste like hydrogen peroxide or activated charcoal.
According to research, it takes at least 7 days for hydrogen peroxide to show its whitening effects, so you need to be consistent with the remedy to see the results. (3)
How to use toothpaste for nail whitening:
- Apply a little quantity of white toothpaste to your nails.
- Let it stay on for around 10 minutes.
- Scrub your nails gently.
- Wipe away the toothpaste.
4. Helps deal with foot blisters
Toothpaste has drying properties, which make it fit for drying out and managing acne. (1) This property can also be helpful in dealing with the pain arising from blisters.
However, do not use toothpaste with a flavoring agent or fluoride as it can cause skin irritation.
How to use toothpaste for foot blisters:
- Apply a tiny amount of toothpaste to the affected area, i.e., the blister.
- Let it stay for a couple of hours or overnight.
- Rinse it off with water or wipe it off with a damp cloth.
- Moisturize and repeat, if needed.
5. Helps in polishing silver
When silver items or objects plated with silver come in contact with air or sulfur-containing things, they start to tarnish. This is because when silver combines with sulfur, it forms silver sulfide, which is a blackish substance.
So, as a thin coating of silver sulfide appears on the surface of silver, it darkens the silver and makes it look black.
Since toothpaste contains abrasives, it can help in making silver shine by rubbing off the silver sulfide. Abrasives are an important component of toothpaste because they give the toothpaste its cleaning power. (4)
How to use toothpaste for shining silver items:
- Mix your toothpaste with lemon juice and salt to form a paste.
- Use this paste to gently scrub and clean your silver items with an old discarded toothbrush.
- Rinse off the silver item with water and dry it using a clean cloth.
6. Removes stains from the skin and other common items
Toothpaste keeps your teeth clean by removing the stains from your teeth. Recently, there has been progress in creating toothpaste that has other functions apart from just cleaning teeth. Some toothpaste formulations now can remove stains and calculus buildup. (5)
Toothpaste removes stains using chemical and physical stain removers. Chemically, whitening agents such as sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and PVP are effective in removing external stains, whereas silica acts as an abrasive agent that physically removes stains.
Whitening agents allow cleaning of hard-to-reach areas that may be missed by abrasives alone. (6) So, using toothpaste as a stain remover is a valid option backed by scientific evidence.
Removal of dye stains from the skin
Even when you’re extremely careful, you may stain your skin such as with hair dyes. To remove dye stains from your skin:
- Apply a reasonable amount of toothpaste on the stained region.
- Let it stay there for 10 minutes.
- Gently scrub and clean the stained region of the skin.
- Rinse the area with water.
Removal of mirror stains
To clean mirrors:
- Use a clean cloth to wipe the fog off the mirror.
- Rinse the mirror with water.
- Apply a little toothpaste to clean the surface of the mirror.
- Wipe away the remaining toothpaste with a damp cloth.
Removal of iron plate stain
To clean any dirt off the iron plate of your clothing iron:
- Rub toothpaste on the bottom iron plate.
- Scrub it all over the plate using a cloth.
- Let it sit for a few minutes.
- Wipe it away with a damp cloth.
Cleaning your sneakers
To clean your dirty sneakers:
- Put a little toothpaste on an old toothbrush.
- Use the toothbrush to apply the paste and scrub it on the dirty spots.
- Let the toothpaste stay on the shoes for a few minutes.
- Wipe it away with a damp cloth.
- Repeat, if needed.
Cleaning hair straighteners and curling irons
To remove the gunk coating from your heat-styling tools:
- Put a little amount of toothpaste on a cloth.
- Use this cloth to clean and wipe your heat-styling tools to tackle the gunk.
- Wipe with a damp cloth.
What Kind of Toothpaste Should I Use to Clean My Shoes?
To clean your shoes, you should try using non-gel whitening toothpaste.
Final Word
The very toothpaste that you employ in your oral hygiene routine to clean your teeth can be very useful in cleaning a lot of other things around the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and even closet.
Toothpaste is a gentle abrasive that can help clean a lot of surfaces, even shoes! This abrasive action of your toothpaste removes gunk and stains on many things.
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