Toothpaste comes in a number of flavors, whitening strengths, and brands. Most of us buy it to get the whitest and brightest smiles possible. Brightening your smile however is just one thing that you can do with toothpaste. There are actually a number of other uses for this common household item, many of which may surprise you. The so-called toothpaste life hacks.

Check out these pretty awesome life hacks for toothpaste, aside from whitening your teeth. Keep in mind that the uses below are intended for plain, white toothpaste.

Update: I added 10 more super useful toothpaste life hacks to the original 20 collection -because it's never enough! 🙂

1. Remove Clothing Stains With Toothpaste

Toothpaste is an excellent ingredient for removing lipstick stains, ink and even grass stains from your clothing. You just have to put some toothpaste on the stain, ensuring that you cover it well. Then simply fold the fabric over and rub it vigorously. Rinse with warm water and then launder as usual.

2. Repair Scratched CDs and DVDs

Toothpaste can be used to safely and effectively remove scratches from CDs and DVDs. You just have to rub a bit of toothpaste on the CD with a soft cloth and then remove with a clean cloth. You can also just simply clean the DVD with toothpaste.

3. Toothpaste Life Hack: Clean Jewelry

You can clean everything from gold chains to diamond rings with toothpaste and make all of your jewelry sparkle. It is good to have an old toothbrush handy for jewelry cleaning. Just dampen the toothbrush and add just a touch of toothpaste. Scrub your jewelry gently and then rinse clear with warm water.

Related: 25 CLEVER WAYS TO ORGANIZE YOUR JEWELRY

4. Clean Fine Silver

If you have a fine silver teapot or any other silver, you can use toothpaste to keep it polished and looking brand new. Just dab a bit on a soft cloth and rub your silver, much like waxing your car. When you have finished, just wipe the toothpaste away.

5. Clean Walls

If you have a child who aspires to be Rembrandt and has chosen your walls as his canvas, you can easily remove those crayon marks with toothpaste. Just dampen a cloth and add a bit of toothpaste. Rub the stains and then should easily disappear. Then simply rinse clean with warm water to remove the residue.

Pro tip: involve your children in the cleaning process, it's a great way to teach responsibility and they might also enjoy it.

6. Remove Carpet Stains

Pet stains, wine, coffee or any other stain will easily come off when you squeeze a bit of toothpaste onto the stained area. Just take a cloth or sponge and scrub the area and then rinse with clear water. Allow the carpeting to dry before you attempt to vacuum.

7. Remove Scuff Marks

What a great toothpaste life hack! You can use toothpaste to get rid of those scuff marks on shoes, vinyl flooring or virtually anything else in your home. Just use a damp cloth with toothpaste or if you are cleaning your shoes, you can use a toothbrush to scrub away grime and scuff marks.

8. Toothpaste Life Hack: Clean Headlights

Your car’s headlights can get very dirty and hard to see after a while. You can add a bit of toothpaste to a bowl filled with warm water and use a buffer pad to clean the dirt and grime away. The toothpaste will help to brighten up the glass from the headlights so you can see much better when driving.

9. Clean Your Refrigerator

The seal around the door on refrigerators can get very dirty and it can be very difficult to clean. Simply add some toothpaste to a toothbrush and scrub away the grime, making your refrigerator sparkle like new.

10. Eliminate Odors

Toothpaste is an excellent odor eliminator and works great in the car. If you want your car to smell a bit fresher, just put a quarter sized amount of toothpaste onto a paper towel and fold the towel in half. Leave this in your car and the sodium bicarbonate that is in toothpaste will make your entire car smell wonderful.

11. Defog Mirrors

Don’t you hate it when you step out of a steamy shower and your mirror is all fogged up? You can use toothpaste to eliminate that fog even before you shower. Just spread a bit of toothpaste onto the mirror and wipe it away with a clean cloth. This will work as an anti-fogger and keep your mirror from fogging during your hot shower.

12. Toothpaste Life Hack: Repair Walls

Okay, so you can’t use it like nails but you can repair small holes in the wall with toothpaste. Just use it like spackle by spreading it over the damaged area and then sanding it down a bit whenever it dries. If you need to repaint the walls, you can paint directly over toothpaste with no problem.

13. Deodorize Your Dog

Dogs and skunks do not get along. In fact, dogs can find all sorts of smelly things to play with. The next time Fido gets into something smelly, just wet down his coat and rub in some toothpaste. Massage his coat for about five minutes and then rinse him clean. Skunk smells will be eliminated and he will smell minty fresh.

14. Fix a Hair Color Faux Pas

The next time you color your own hair, have a bit of white toothpaste on hand for those color stains on your face, ears and neck. If your color runs and leaves a stain, just rub a bit of toothpaste on it and scrub the stain away. You can also use toothpaste to get hair color stains out of clothing.

15. Deodorize Hands

Cutting onions, bathing the dog and any number of other things can make your hands a bit smelly. Use toothpaste to remove those odors by simply rubbing a bit on your hands and rinsing them clean. You can also deodorize dishes, baby bottles and other items using just a bit of toothpaste on a damp rag or sponge.

16. Toothpaste Hair Style Hack

Believe it or not, toothpaste contains the same ingredients in part as hair gel. The water soluble polymers are the same so you can actually use toothpaste as hair gel if you should be facing a hair emergency. Some moms even use just a dab of toothpaste to hold hair bows in their little ones’ hair when the baby does not have enough hair to keep the bow in place. Toothpaste will not stain or damage your hair and it rinses clean away.

17. Relieve Burns and Bites

Insect stings and light burns are no match for the eucalyptus that is a main ingredient in toothpaste. Use toothpaste to relieve those burns and bites. It provides a cooling sensation that works wonders for taking the sting and burn away.

18. Toothpaste Hack For Pimples

Diy you know you can treat pimples with toothpaste? How awesome is that?! Forget those expensive acne treatments. You can get great results with a cheap tube of plain white toothpaste. Just use a small amount before going to bed and when you get up in the morning, you should see a major improvement. The toothpaste dries up the pimple and leaves you with smoother skin. As you can see even influencers use this life hack.

19. Clean Your Iron

Again, toothpaste offers a wonderful cleaning property and works wonders for pulling the grime and gunk off your iron. Just use a mild cloth and dab a bit of toothpaste onto the iron. Scrub gently and then rinse with clean water.

20. Remove Water Marks

If you have trouble getting people to use coasters and your furniture has water marks, you can use a bit of toothpaste to remove them. Just rub toothpaste onto your wood furniture with a soft cloth and then wipe clean. You can use furniture polish afterwards to really give it a shine.

21. Toothpaste Hacks for Travel

One of my favorite toothpaste tube life hacks is travel related. Because toothpaste is one of the toiletry items that need to be travel-sized, you won't be able to take along your favorite full-sized tube of toothpaste on your vacation. And, you just cannot find as much variety in travel-sized toothpaste as you can in full size. So, rather than settling for a brand or flavor that you don't like, you can make tiny toothpaste dots to take along with you.

All you need to do is to squeeze a small amount of your favorite toothpaste on to a sheet of aluminum foil. Then, let the dots dry completely. Carefully remove the dried dots from the foil. Place them in a plastic bag or small pill bottle. When it's time to brush your teeth again, just take one of the dots and put it in your mouth. Chew it until it feels like toothpaste again. Then, use your toothbrush as you would normally to brush your teeth.

This is one of the best toothpaste hacks I've found for traveling. You have completely eliminated the need to bring along another toiletry.

22. Toothpaste Hacks to Clean the Toilet

Have you ever tried using toothpaste to clean the toilet? It really works. Of course, if you have a toilet bowl cleaner, that's what you should use. But, if you are all out of toilet bowl cleaner and can't make it to the store, toothpaste is a great alternative. Just squeeze a few inches of toothpaste into the toilet bowl. Using a brush, swish, swirl, and scrub as you would normally. The toothpaste will clean away stains and leave behind a fresh scent. Toothpaste won't kill bacterial like bleach will but it will make your toilet bowl clean again.

23. Toothpaste beauty hacks

Of course, I've mentioned that you can use toothpaste to help get rid of a pimple. But, there are other beauty life hacks for toothpaste you should try. If you use a plain white toothpaste (not gel) and mix it with a bit of Vaseline petroleum jelly, you can create a facial mask. Just apply it to your face and wait for about two to three minutes. Then, using warm water and a washcloth, gently remove it from your skin. You won't believe how soft your skin is after using this beauty hack.

I have even heard of people using this toothpaste for whitening their skin. So, you might want to give that a try as well and see if it helps with your age spots.

24. Clean your shoes with toothpaste

Have your favorite pair of tennis or athletic shoes started to look a little dirty? If the white rubber part of your shoes has gotten scuffed, you can fix it with this simple hack. Just take a small amount of regular white toothpaste and put it on an old toothbrush. Scrub the white rubber part of your shoes gently to remove any dirt, grime, or scuff marks. Then, wipe the toothpaste away with a soft, damp cloth. And, you'll notice that it looks much cleaner than before.

25. Remove stains from your nails

One of my favorite toothpaste hacks is using it to remove stains. If you love to polish your nails, you may have noticed that darker colors of nail polish leave behind stains on your nails. While this isn't a problem if you'll be using another dark nail polish color. It is a problem if you want to paint them with a clear polish or leave them unpainted for a while. Thankfully, you can scrub in a little bit of white toothpaste and let it sit for two to three minutes. Then, rinse the toothpaste away and the stain will be gone.

26. Remove coffee stains from mugs

If you like cleaning toothpaste hacks, you will love this one. Does your favorite coffee mug have coffee or tea stains on it? If so, you can just use a bit of white toothpaste on an old toothbrush and scrub the stain until it's gone. Then, just wash the mug as you would normally and it will be completely clean. It's much better for the environment than using bleach as a cleaner.

27. Toothpaste Life Hack: Shine your kitchen sink

Yet another great cleaning toothpaste life hack. If you have soap scum on the bottom of your kitchen sink and it's lost its shine, just use a scrub brush and a bit of toothpaste. You can use white or gel toothpaste for this cleaning tip. Just scrub away the stains on your stainless steel sink and it will look like new. But, remember to be gentle so that you don't scratch it in the process.





28. Clean your piano keys

If you have a piano, organ, or keyboard, you might have noticed that the keys can get a little bit dirty over time. A little bit of toothpaste can remove stains from both ivory and plastic piano keys. Just use a cotton swab to clean each keyboard with a bit of toothpaste. Then, use a soft cloth to wipe it clean. You won't believe the improvement.

29. Make a homemade stress ball

If you're looking for something creative to do with a tube of toothpaste, this is one of my favorite toothpaste hacks. Just get a small balloon and very carefully squeeze a tube of toothpaste into it. Double knot it closed and you have made your very own homemade stress ball. Don't squeeze it too vigorously or it may pop. But, if you're careful this is a great way to get rid of anxiety the next time you're frustrated about something.

30. Waterproof your matches

For those that love to camp, you have probably brought along a pack of matches with you to start your fire. But, if the weather is bad it can be a challenge to keep them dry. Just carefully pour toothpaste onto the striking edge of your matches. Allow it to dry completely. When you need a match, carefully peel off the toothpaste to reveal the striking tip. Then, use it as you would normally. This will work well provided the matches don't get completely soaked.

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These were the best toothpaste life hacks I know of. Do you know another life hack with toothpaste? Share it with us in the comments below!