Buzz
While toothpaste is widely known for its household uses, its outdoor potential often goes unnoticed. Keep a tube in your shed or garage for spring and summer tasks. Discover how it can help you prep and maintain your yard during the warmer seasons.
Revitalize Your Plastic Furniture
Toothpaste is a trusted solution for cleaning indoor plastic surfaces, thanks to its mild abrasiveness that polishes away dirt-trapping scratches. This trick works wonders for your outdoor furniture too. After retrieving it from storage, rinse it with a hose or damp cloth. Apply a dab of toothpaste with a fresh cloth, using circular motions to clean and buff the scratched areas. This will restore its shine, eliminate scratches, and leave it looking refreshed. Rinse once more, and your furniture is good to go.
Polish Metal Surfaces
To restore the shine to a dull metal table, bucket, or tool, toothpaste is your go-to solution. As noted by Balcony Garden Web, a small amount of toothpaste on a soft cloth can effectively polish metal, copper, and silver. After removing any loose dirt, apply the paste in circular motions and rinse thoroughly. Its mild abrasiveness and foamy texture make it ideal for cleaning and restoring surfaces.
For Your Garden
Many gardeners rely on toothpaste as a natural pest deterrent due to its potent aroma. Apply a small amount around the rim of large potted plants to repel slugs and insects. Self Sufficient Projects suggests that dabbing toothpaste on berry stems can also deter birds, not because of the scent, but because the white paste resembles mold, keeping them at bay.
Additionally, you can mix leftover toothpaste or rinse water into your compost pile, where it will contribute calcium as it decomposes over time.
