40+ Clever Uses For Toothbrushes That Have Nothing To Do With Our Teeth

Dentists tell us to change our toothbrushes every 3 or 4 months. One thing your dentists won’t normally tell you, though, is that your toothbrushes are more than just teeth cleaners. Frankly, limiting their responsibilities to keeping your pearly whites nice and healthy is simply robbing them of their full potential, especially after you think it has fulfilled its responsibilities to your teeth. Instead of kicking it to the bin, your toothbrush would actually do better with a second life helping you around your home. Just give it a good soak in some antibacterial soap or a good spin in the dishwasher, and you can use your old toothbrush for a variety of tasks. You might even discover that it can do a lot of things better than your usual tools. Here are some smart reasons to keep that old toothbrush around. 

Cleaning Your Keyboard

We all know that our keyboards are quite nasty, right? We eat in front of our computers, and we don’t exactly wash our hands every time we touch the keyboard, and we also don’t wipe them down every time. Again, nasty. 

If you happen to be in the mood to clean up your keyboard, though, a toothbrush would be a pretty handy tool to have. It can scrub the surface of the keys pretty nicely, plus it can get into those nooks and crannies that are pretty hard to reach. 

Keep Your Eyebrows Nice And Neat

Nice and neat eyebrows definitely help us look a lot more put together and in control of our lives. Unlike celebrities, not all of us exactly have the time to visit the salon to have somebody keep them in check for us. Fortunately for us plain folks, there are toothbrushes. 

If you’re in a pinch and don’t have those fancy eyebrow spoolies, a toothbrush would do just as good a job to keep your eyebrows in place. Simply brush it over your brows a few times like you’d do a comb to your hair, and voila. 

Cleaning Your Hairbrush

For people with long or thick hair, hairbrushes that are always brimming with clumps of hair are just a part of everyday life. That doesn’t mean it gets any easier or less frustrating to get a clean hairbrush every time though. 

To help with that, use a toothbrush to get a hold of any stray strands on your brush and lift it out instead of manually having to pry apart the brush bristles with your fingers just to pick the strand out.  

Smoothening Out Flyaways

People don’t always notice, but it actually takes so much effort to style hair. Unfortunately, it only takes a little bit of sun, wind, or sweat to bring out those dreaded flyaways and ruin the hairstyle you worked so hard for. 

Before that can even happen, take a toothbrush, spray it with a bit of hairspray, and brush it over the parts where your flyaways normally are. This will secure them in place and make sure that your hairstyle stays nice and neat throughout the day. 

Help Remove Stains From Your Clothes

A stain can ruin a good day at any time. Not only will it bug you the rest of the day, but there’s also the problem of getting it off completely. One hack is to put baking soda right on it. To make it more effective, though, you would need a toothbrush.

Instead of just letting the baking soda soak, use your toothbrush to scrub it in and really work it into the stain. This will ensure the stain is completely removed once you pull out your clothes from the washing machine. 

Removing Splinters

Splinters are pretty painful and can be pretty hard to remove, especially the tiny ones. No amount of pinching would get them out properly, so the next time you do get a splinter, get a toothbrush and some baking soda instead. 

First, create a paste with some baking soda and water. Then, pat it onto the spot where the splinter is and wait for a few minutes. After that, stroke the toothbrush’s bristles on your skin in the direction you want the splinter to come out. 

Softening Up Your Lips

If you want nice, soft, and plump lips every day, it’s important to be consistent in your lip care routine. An important part of that routine should be exfoliation to eliminate the dead skin and give way to that softness. With this, a toothbrush can be of great help.

First, wet your lips with warm water, then scrub them with your toothbrush in circular motions to get rid of any dead skin on the surface. Afterward, don’t forget to apply some lip balm to moisturize them. They will even have a little bit more color to them afterward!

Cleaning Corn On The Cob

Corn is great with some barbeque and a little bit of butter and salt, or even just all on its own. Unfortunately, constantly having to pluck out silk strands from your teeth can put a tiny bit of damper on the whole corn experience. 

Before cooking your corn, use a toothbrush to brush away any strands of silk that may still be on the corn or in those crevices. This way, when you’re getting down to business at the dinner table, you can chow down without worrying about getting anything stuck to your teeth. 

Cleaning The Stovetop

With all the grease, the food residue, and the dirt that can accumulate on your stovetop, it can be tempting to take one of those big brushes and muscle your way through all that gunk. However, your stovetops also need to be treated with some delicacy. 

Grab some baking soda and white vinegar, make a mixture, and use a toothbrush to scrub it into that stubborn stovetop gunk. This way, you can really get into corners and make sure that all that gunk goes away.  After, wipe it clean with a towel.

Declumping Mascara

Makeup users know well that you can’t just swipe on some color, tap on some powder, and call it a day for your makeup. There’s a lot that goes into creating a great look, and that involves a lot of hacks, like using a toothbrush for flawless mascara. 

Sometimes, mascara doesn’t apply as smoothly as we want it to, especially if we’re going for a thick layer and more volume. It can clump. To avoid that, simply use a toothbrush to brush the extra mascara away for those long lashes.

Cleaning Jewelry

The rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets you wear are dainty items, and oftentimes, it’s not enough to give them a good wipe with a microfiber cloth to get them really sparkling. There might still be some gunk in the crevices that can be leftover. 

With a toothbrush, you can make sure that every crevice of your jewelry will be left spotless and shining. The bristles are fine enough to reach those tiny corners, and make sure your jewelry is left looking brand new. 

Restoring Velcro

Thank the universe for velcro. More than buttons or zippers, that stuff makes many things more convenient, especially for kids. However, over time with all the lint, dust, hair, and thread that can get stuck in it, it can lose its integrity. 

You can reverse this damage, fortunately, with a good old toothbrush. Simply give your velcro a good scrub to lift away all the debris stuck in it, and it should gain back some of that old grip, just like when you bought it new. 

Cleaning Your Cutting Board

Many cutting boards, especially the plastic ones, become discolored after a while no matter how good their quality is, like any other kitchen item. Given that we use them every day for a wide variety of foods, it’s bound to happen over time. 

If you want to give your cutting boards some new life and a makeover, just grab a bit of baking soda and water and scrub away with a toothbrush. This will lift the stain, making your cutting board look better than before. 

Cleaning Carpet Stains

The carpet is one of the worst things to get a stain on. Not only is it so difficult to clean, but stains have a way of sticking to carpets like nobody’s business. Once it’s there, it’s almost impossible to get out.

The key with carpet stains is to work fast and smart. If your stain won’t go away with a little water and some wiping action, grab a toothbrush and scrub the stain with carpet cleaner or baking soda to loosen it up, making it gradually fade away. 

Clearing Up Your Air Vents

When we’re doing a general clean, we’d usually just pass a duster or a broom by the vents and call it a day. It’s a good idea. However, you should think about taking a moment every few months to really scrub that part of the house clean. 

Dust will gather and eventually build up on the grates of your vents over time, and more often than not, your usual dusters and brooms won’t be able to reach them. Instead, use a toothbrush to really get in between those gaps. 

Polishing Cabinet Handles

Most people always forget to clean one of the dirtiest parts of the house, and no, it’s not the toilet or the garbage disposal. It’s the cabinet handles. A lot of people touch these every day and are probably the home of many germs and bacteria. 

The best thing to do is to dedicate at least one moment of your general cleaning routine every month to treat these handles to a good toothbrush scrub. Not only will you be making them a lot cleaner, but you’ll also make them look a lot more polished too!

Cleaning Your Nails And Cuticles

Given that we use our hands to eat and touch our faces, it’s important to have clean fingernails every day. If you have some dirt stuck underneath them, you can use a toothbrush to really get in those crevices to get the dirt out. 

In addition to cleaning under your nails, toothbrushes are also good for cleaning your precious cuticles. Just make sure to be gentle when you’re trying to brush them underneath, and make sure that your brush is clean before you use it. 

Spreading Glue

When we were kids, playing with glue was one of the best parts of art projects. We won’t mind if it’s dripping everywhere, but as we grew older, we learned the importance of precision if we didn’t want dirty clothes or ruined projects. 

If you’re also one of those people who want their glue in just the right places, use a toothbrush. Not only will it keep your fingers clean, but you can also apply and spread the glue with more precision.

Deep Cleaning The Garbage Disposal

With all the food tidbits that often get stuck, it’s no wonder that the garbage disposal can sometimes produce smells that aren’t exactly welcome in the house. Make sure to prevent that by deep cleaning your garbage disposal once in a while with the help of a toothbrush. 

Dip your toothbrush into some antibacterial kitchen cleaner and lift one corner of the splash guard. Scrub off the debris stuck under there, then rinse with cold water and repeat it on all flaps until you’re sure it’s all nice and squeaky. 

Detailing Your Car

A car has numerous little crevices that need a good cleaning but won’t be reached in your regular car washing sessions. You’d really need to get in there with something small and fine like a toothbrush (But not the whole car, of course).

For starters, if you want to keep your head and taillights clean, you can dip your toothbrush in some soapy water and use that to scrub away the dirt and dust. If it’s your headlights you want to clean, use toothpaste instead to make it look brand new again. 

Scrubbing Baseboards

You’d think running a clean soapy rag over your baseboards would do the job, but no. Sometimes, a lot of dirt is still left behind. With a toothbrush, though, you can make sure that your baseboards are spotless down to the last crevice. 

Depending on how difficult the dirt and dust are, you can either clean with soapy water or without. Just use smooth and broad strokes across the baseboard to ensure you’re not just spreading around the dirt, making it worse. 

Removing Gum From Clothing

Trust us. Gum doesn’t just get stuck on the underside of your shoe. It comes at you from all many angles and gets stuck in all kinds of places. If you find one stuck to your clothing, one of your best bets to get it off easily would be to use a toothbrush. 

With the bristles, gently scrape the gum away. Be extra careful if it’s still a little fresh and sticky, or you might have a stickier situation on your hands. Just take it slow and have patience until you’ve scraped the whole thing off without leaving anything behind.

Applying Hair Dye

It’s fun to go to the salon and have a professional do the hair coloring for you. However, not everyone always has the time or budget to do that every time they want a new one. Fortunately, with a little hair dye and a toothbrush, you can get a decent new look without having to spend tons in the salon.

It might sound a little crazy, but all you need to do is dip your toothbrush in the hair color and brush it on your strands. The toothbrush will help you spread the dye evenly and precisely throughout your strands. It works best if you’re looking to do highlights or streaks. 

Removing Crayon Marks On The Wall

From an early age, it’s best to let your children’s creativity run wild. Not only will it be great for their growth, but you also never know what will come out of it. While doing that, though, you might want to gear up for a few years of crayon marks on your walls. 

If you don’t want these crayon sketches to become permanent fixtures on your wall, an easy hack would be to take some shaving cream and scrub it over the drawings with a toothbrush. Your walls will be clean again in no time.

Deep Cleaning Your Fish Tank

Clear waters, vibrant colors, pretty fishes – with fish tanks, it feels like you’ve bottled up a piece of the most beautiful parts of the ocean. As pretty as that is, they require great care if you don’t want to be looking through algae and slime buildup on the walls. 

To get rid of this buildup, take your good old trusty toothbrush and scrub down the walls. You can also use your brush to scrub down any fixtures in your aquarium to make sure your little fishes will return to a comfy and spotless home. 

De-Pulping Your Juicer

Making juice out of fresh fruits and veggies is a hundred percent healthier than buying all that stuff from the store packaged in bottles, no matter how fresh they claim it is. Cleaning your juicer afterward, though, can be quite a difficult task. 

To remedy that, first, soak your juicer in some warm water. Then, use a toothbrush to scrub it down to fully get rid of the pulp and particles stuck in the small crevices of the device. Remember, give it an outstanding scrub to remove everything on it as well as the bacteria it might have. 

Brushing Your Tiny Pets

Little pets like hamsters and tortoises also need some pretty good scrubs now and then to keep them clean. Unfortunately, there really aren’t any brushes made specifically for them. That’s where toothbrushes come in. They ate the perfect size for your little furry friends.

You can use your toothbrush to scrub away dirt from shells or fur gently and even give your tiny pet a bit of a massage for some love and relaxation. Just make sure to be gentle and wash your toothbrush before using it on them. 

Cleaning Tile Grout

There are plenty of tile grout cleaners out there that do a great job at ensuring your floors shine. However, you’d have to give up a few bucks, of course. A toothbrush could do the same thing without you having to spend too much. 

If you don’t want to wear yourself out too much, you can attach the head of a toothbrush to a screw. Then, place the screw into the drill and use that to scrub your tile grout squeaky clean in half the time.  

Adding Texture To Hairstyles

You may have styled your hair for hours on end, but if it looks flat, all that effort may actually go to waste. Adding a bit of texture is key. And guess what? Toothbrushes are a great tool for that. 

After finishing your braid or any other hairstyle, take a toothbrush and gently brush in the opposite direction. Your hair will immediately get that tiny bit of roughed-up, bedhead look that gives your hairstyle a little bit of flair. 

Cleaning Appliances

For most of us, running a soft rag over the surface of our appliances is good enough to declare them clean. However, they also have all these little nooks and crannies that need a good deep clean every once in a while. 

For home appliances like toasters, microwaves, a Keurig, and the like, you can take a toothbrush to reach all those small spaces where dust, dirt, and food might have been built up. You could also use a bit of cleaner to really make sure it’s clean inside and out. 

Polishing Faucets

Our faucets are regularly exposed to water and soap. With that kind of regular exposure to those items, it can be easy for mold to grow and soap scum to gather in a short amount of time. To avoid that, you mustn’t neglect to scrub your faucets.

To really get in there and get rid of whatever is sitting on top of your faucets, take a toothbrush, dip it into some white vinegar or baking soda and water, and scrub away. Trust us; this will really make your faucet area sparkle. 

Cleaning Your Vegetables

More than soil, there are a lot more things you have to worry about with your vegetables. They may look clean and shiny, but there may still be bacteria and remnants of chemicals resting on their skin. That’s why it’s always a good idea to give them a good wash before cooking. 

If you really want to make sure they’re extra clean, you can use a toothbrush to scrub away anything on the skin and in those hard-to-reach corners. It’s gentle enough not to scar your veggies but effective enough to make them squeaky clean. 

Painting

We know a lot of things on this list involves a lot of cleaning and scrubbing, but there is another area where you could use a toothbrush: art. You can use it in so many different ways with different art forms, such as paint.

For instance, you can experiment with textures and different kinds of strokes with a toothbrush and paint. You could also use it to give your clay or Play-Doh sculptures more texture and definition. It’s all basically up to your creativity. 

Cleaning Your Screen Doors And Windows

Screen doors and windows are excellent at keeping flies, mosquitos, and other pesky little creatures out of the house. However, they’re also very good at attracting and keeping dust and dirt. They are not very easy to wipe down either. The solution? A toothbrush. 

A toothbrush may be small, and you might be hesitant because of all the space you have to cover, but it’s definitely worth it. Plus, you only have to do it once every few months to get rid of all that unwanted grime. 

Cleaning Your Toilet Rim

The toilet rim is probably one of the nastiest parts of your toilet. You can’t see it, so you don’t always realize just how much of a breeding ground for bacteria it is. Unfortunately, it is also one of the hardest to reach places of your toilet. 

A toothbrush can help, but you’ll have to do a little bit of tweaking with it. Take a lighter and light it about an inch and a half below the underside of the bristles. Once the plastic softens up, bend it to a 90-degree angle and let it harden. This way, you can scrub all spots of your toilet rim clean. 

Cleaning Your Bike Chain

Bikes can take you through woody mountains, muddy plains, and grassy fields, but they must be kept in good condition to do so. If you want to keep it that way, making sure every part of it is maintained and clean, even your bike chains. 

To do that, take two toothbrushes and tape them together by their handles with their bristles facing and touching each other. Then, place your bike chains in between and spin the pedals to run the whole chain between the brushes, nice and easy. 

Cleaning Your Can Opener

Is your can opener not doing its job properly, or has it stopped working completely, making you grip it for your life when you open a can? Chances are, the teeth in the gears are stuck or dulled down because of all the gunk stuck in it. 

Take a toothbrush and use that to reach those small and hard-to-reach spots in your can opener without injuring yourself. Don’t forget to do it a few times every few months to keep your can opener in tip-top shape as well. 

Removing Stains From Tile And Linoleum

Things like tomato juice, wine, and other fruit juices can easily stain your immaculate tiles and linoleum. A little bit of bleach can easily get them off. However, if you’re one of those people who isn’t a fan of bleach, or if you don’t have any available, here’s a hack for you. 

Instead of using bleach, use a non-gel whitening toothpaste. Use a toothbrush to scrub that into the stain, and you’ll be left with spotless tiles and linoleum. This hack also works just as well with countertops made of the same materials. 

Getting Rid Of Blackheads

We all love a good skincare hack, right? Well, here is another one to add to your arsenal. If you notice some pesky blackheads on your nose, don’t fret, and don’t immediately go running to the store for some blackhead strips. 

Grab a toothbrush, some baking soda, and toothpaste. Create a paste with the baking soda, toothpaste, and a bit of water, then rub that onto your skin with a toothbrush. After a couple of seconds, wash it off with some warm water. This will help get rid of those blackheads fast. 

Cleaning Children’s Toys

Children’s toys are the perfect breeding ground for germs and bacteria. They end up everywhere, like under the couch, outside, and in the dog’s mouth. Plus, kids don’t always wash their hands before they play, so it’s important to always stay on top of cleaning them if you don’t want the kids to get anything from them. 

Clean them up with a little bit of soap and warm water. For the ones with smaller parts, nooks, and crannies, take a toothbrush and get into those corners. Also, make sure to do it regularly to avoid any germ or bacteria buildup. 

Fixing Your Phone’s Charging Port

There are so many things that can prevent your phone from charging properly. It may have to do with something in the system, the battery, and in some cases, it might have something to do with a dirty charging port. 

If it’s the latter, it might be because of lint, dirt, and dust. Use a toothbrush to get in there, get those nasty things out, and then try charging it again. Hooray if it works, but if it still doesn’t, it might be time to take it to a technician. At least you crossed off a possibility.

Cleaning Your Waffle Iron

Thank heavens for waffle irons, right? They allow us to get all the yummy, wonderful goodness of waffles right in the comfort of our homes, and it gives us the satisfaction of making our own custom waffles. Cleaning them, however, can be a little tricky. 

Instead of trying to pluck out little bits and pieces of waffle stuck to the iron with your fingers or a toothpick or whatnot, simply use a toothbrush. It would also help make the process easier if the waffle iron was still a little warm. 

Removing Dirt From Shoes

White shoes have become a staple in everyone’s closet. They go with almost anything, so it’s easy to wear them and go with any outfit. The only problem is they easily get dirty. One little mud splash can easily ruin their look. 

If you’re like us and you’re always finding your white shoes with a little dirt, a toothbrush and a little bit of toothpaste would be your best friends. Put a little bit of toothpaste on your toothbrush and do some scrubbing to bring your white shoes back to their former glory. 

Cleaning Your Refrigerator

Keeping the fridge clean is very important. It’s where we keep our food. Simply wiping down the shelves and getting all the food crumbs out though, isn’t enough to truly get it clean. Like any other appliance, fridges have nooks and crannies where germs and bacteria can fester and grow. 

To reach those nooks and crannies, take a toothbrush with you every time you clean out your fridge. This will help you get into those hard-to-reach spaces and remove buildups of dirt, bacteria, food particles, and whatnot that you may not usually see. 

Cleaning Your Blinds

It’s often easy to neglect cleaning the blinds. However, they are actually one of the easiest places for dust to gather. And if someone in your home is prone to allergies, this can be one of the main causes for it to flare up. 

To eliminate all the buildup of dust in your blinds, remove them and submerge them in some soapy water. Leave them for a few minutes, then scrub them clean with a toothbrush. Remember to wipe them a couple of times a month to prevent any more dust buildup.