We Tested It: Cleaning the House with Toothpaste

By Chaya Goodman Kurtz, Hometalk

The one lie that I told my husband while we were dating was that I am a good housekeeper. The apartment of my carefree single days (and by carefree I mean working 60 hours a week at an internet startup) was barely furnished and had plenty of storage space. Housekeeping was easy: I washed my dishes when I dirtied them and every Friday afternoon I swept and mopped. Marriage, of course, contradicts all previously held beliefs about oneself. It turns out that living together in my husband’s Brooklyn apartment, which for instance has no closets, does not lend itself to easy cleaning ― until now. I have discovered the cleaning power of toothpaste, and I no longer have any excuses (except that I prefer indolence and sloth to cleaning when I am not at work).

You, intelligent reader and savvy consumer, probably want to know why someone would clean with toothpaste in the first place. The answer is that some people like to do weird things ― like juggling fire, sleeping in oxygen chambers and cleaning with toothpaste. Just assume I am a weirdo and stop reading now.

Actually, I did it because even though I can make a room disorderly as soon as I tidy it, I try to only clean my house with non-toxic substances. I’m a “green cleaner.” Aside: I learned the absolute best way to clean a bathtub from Bonsai Aphrodite’s Sayward Rebhal. Squirt castile soap around your bathtub and sprinkle baking soda on top of the soap. Then spray it with vinegar, and scrub. It works as well as any chemical I’ve ever used. I promise.

Toothpaste as Silver Polish

I started by polishing silver, which I read about on ShelterPop. Daring woman that I am, I went for the jugular and polished the silver candlesticks that my mother-in-law gave me as a wedding gift. I put a dab of Trader Joe’s brand natural mint toothpaste on a dry washcloth and started polishing. About one minute into the operation I knew I had hit a jackpot: Six months of tarnish had rubbed right off onto the washcloth and the silver was gleaming.

And now for a massive word to the wise: Every blog I have ever read where they advise cleaning with toothpaste suggests using regular toothpaste, not gel. I did this experiment with natural toothpaste that is mostly made of calcium carbonate. I cannot vouch for the results if you’d use one with a stickier texture or different ingredients than the toothpaste that I used. The obligatory “You can’t sue me if you ruin your silver” statement has concluded.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Kirsten B.

10:18AM PDT on Apr 10, 2012

I wish I'd taken before and after pictures! Hard work and my hands are sore, but a great tip.

send a green star

6:00AM PDT on Apr 10, 2012

I'm about to try the toothpaste on some silver trinkets I inherited years ago and which I want to give on to a home where they will be used. I'm looking forward to it - will post the results when it's done. :)

Chinmayee J.

3:01AM PST on Feb 13, 2012

Thanks for sharing - I use natural vegan ayurvedic toothpaste (which is a very old brand from India) so I'm not sure if it would work, but I can give it a try!

Nancy C.

11:33AM PST on Jan 19, 2012

Has anyone tried toothpaste, or any other non-toxic cleaner to clean guns?

New G.

9:33PM PST on Jan 12, 2012

Thank you.

Andrea A.

2:36AM PST on Jan 7, 2012

What a funny idea, thanks for the tips.

Patricia C.

12:35AM PST on Jan 7, 2012

Cleaning with toothpaste is something I discovered several years ago when I encountered a stainless steel kitchen sink which was desperately in need of cleaning, it was really stained. Not having a cleanser handy, I decided to use my Crest toothpaste. It worked and shined up that old sink beautifully. I'm anxious now to try it on several other items. Thanks.

Margie B.

11:04PM PST on Dec 30, 2011

Very Interesting

Danuta W.

12:16AM PST on Dec 4, 2011

Thanks for the information.

rene d.

10:04PM PST on Nov 30, 2011

Goosh then we use it in our mouth's.