OH THE MAGIC OF TOOTHPASTE!!

If you have been couponing for a while then you have enough FREE toothpaste to care for an army.  If you are just starting out in the coupon world check out my Stockpile Prices and you will see that toothpaste is one thing YOU WILL NEVER PAY FOR AGAIN!!

I personally have not even taken advantage of a free toothpaste deal in so long because I have so much already.  GASP!  I know what you are thinking “it’s free, get it anyways and donate it”.  Yes, I could do that but the way I see it is I rather leave it on the shelves for others that are trying to do the same thing as I am…….take care of our families on a minimal budget! 

This brought up an interesting discussion between my Husband and me.  The last two weeks we have been able to not only get toothpaste for free but make money on it.  I love making money using coupons; I never miss a money maker deal because I can use the overage to buy the things we need regardless of a coupon like milk, meats and produce.  So, the million dollar question….what do you do with all that toothpaste?  I put my internet to work and this is what I came up with.   

Toothpaste: it whitens, brightens, deodorizes, removes stains, and restores and protects enamel.  Oh the magic of toothpaste, who would have known that it was capable of so much more. Try out these top fifteen tricks with a white, non-gel toothpaste (unless otherwise noted), and watch that cavity-fighting, breath-freshening tube of wonder work its magic.

1.      Crayon on Painted Wallsso, the kiddies decided to express their artistic side all over the walls, huh? No worries. Rub a damp cloth and some toothpaste on your marked-up wall and rinse with a clean wet cloth.

2.      Cleaning Running Shoessimilar to above, scrub away (especially on those scuffed up white rubber soles), wipe with a damp cloth, and watch your tootsies gleam.

3.      Cleaning Piano Keysa well-used piano usually means some darker piano keys after a while. Scrub with toothpaste and a toothbrush, then wipe dry with a damp cloth, and you’ll be tickling some ivory ivories again.

4.      Make Chrome Gleamran out of your bathroom or kitchen cleaner? Use some toothpaste in a pinch, and watch your taps shine.

5.      Jewelry Cleaneruse a soft toothbrush to scrub lightly with a dab of toothpaste, rinse it, and polish it dry with a soft towel. You’ll discover a whole new shine to your precious accessories.

If you are dealing with a lot of grunge, dab some toothpaste on and let it sit overnight. Or better yet, dissolve some toothpaste in a small amount of water, and drop the jewelry in it for an overnight soak. Then follow up with the steps above.

Note: Do not use this technique on pearls, as you may damage the finish.
 

6.      Bug Bite ReliefAaahh. Instead of scratching those pesky bites until they swell up and become unbearable, dab a little toothpaste on it and forget about your itchy worries.

7.      Decrease the size of a facial blemish. Want to speed up the healing of a zit? Apply a tiny dot of toothpaste to the affected area at night before bed. Wash it off in the morning.

8.      Clean up your fingernails. Our teeth are made of enamel, and toothpaste is good for them, so it stands to reason that toothpaste would also be good for our fingernails. For cleaner, shinier, and stronger nails, simply scrub the underneath and tops of fingernails with a toothbrush and toothpaste.

9.      Remove stains. Toothpaste can make tough stains on both clothing and carpets disappear. For clothes, apply toothpaste directly to the stain and rub briskly until the spot is gone, then wash as usual. (Note that using a whitening toothpaste on colors can sometimes bleach the fabric.) For carpet stains, apply toothpaste to the stain and scrub it with an abrasive brush, then rinse immediately.

10.  Remove scratches on DVDs and CDs. This remedy has been used with mixed success rates, but it seems to work fairly well on shallow scratches and smudges. Apply a thin coating of toothpaste to the disc and rub gently, then rinse clean.

11.  Deodorize baby bottles. If baby bottles develop a sour-milk smell, a good cleaning with some toothpaste and a bottle scrubber will clean away residue and deodorize. Always make sure to rinse well.

12.  Soothe a stinging burn. For minor burns that don’t involve an open wound, toothpaste can deliver temporary cooling relief. Apply it delicately to the affected area immediately after a burn develops; it temporarily relieves the sting and prevents the wound from weeping or opening.

13.  Scrub away stinky smells. Garlic, fish, onion, and other pungent foods can permeate the skin cells on our hands. Scrubbing hands and fingertips briefly with toothpaste removes all traces of smelly odors

14.  Remove the burned crust on irons. For those of you who still use an iron, you may find that after time, the plate of the iron develops a burned crust. The silica in toothpaste gently grinds away this rusty-looking layer.

15.  Defog goggles. Scuba divers, swimmers, and triathletes may already know about this handy little trick: Rub a small spot of toothpaste into each lens of your goggles, then rinse thoroughly, and voila! There’ll be no need to ever buy expensive defogger gels again. Avoid rubbing too vigorously, though, as the abrasive ingredients in toothpaste could scratch the lenses.