Stop! Before you throw away your old toothbrush, check out our list of 39 things you can clean with this humble but mighty little scrubber. Prior to re-assigning it to new jobs, soak the bristle part in vinegar for 30 minutes, then run it through the dishwasher a few times.
Here are ways to repurpose your old toothbrush:
In the Kitchen
- Baking pans. Toothbrushes are great alternatives to brushes, particularly with unconventionally shaped or smaller, more detailed pans.
- Dishwasher detergent dispenser. Pour too much powdered detergent into the dispenser and now you can’t shut the flap? Just brush it out.
- Blender parts. The long handle of the toothbrush is perfect for reaching down the narrow shaft of some blenders. Make sure you are moving slowly and be especially careful around the edges of the blades.
- Cutting board. After each use, scrub your plastic, wood or granite cutting board using an old toothbrush and dish soap. To remove strong odours like onion, garlic or seafood, squirt a couple drops of lemon juice concentrate onto cutting board and scrub.
- Garlic press. Contrary to popular complaint, cleaning the garlic press is easy-peasy with an old toothbrush.
- Kettle.
- Kitchen sink grout. Easily clean the grout behind the kitchen faucet.
- Fine mesh strainers.
- Potatoes, squash and pumpkins.
- Reusable drink container. Forgot to wash your smoothie and protein drink containers and lids right away? Just rinse messy things with hot water, then scrub away with a toothbrush.
- Waffle maker.
Around the House
- Bathroom sink grout. Toothbrushes are incredibly handy on any grout work.
- Dryer lint trap. After each and every use, brush the dryer lint trap clean.
- Computer keyboard. Remove crumbs, fluff and dust from your computer keyboard.
- Floor and wall tile grout. Toothbrushes can clean grout, no matter how narrow it is.
- Plastic weave chairs. Once upon a time, a tiny brother and sister pressed moulding clay into all the outdoor plastic weave chairs. The only thing that removed the mess was patience of steel and a toothbrush.
- Shower door. Scrub mould, slime and water stains from the translucent vinyl seal on the shower door.
- Soap dish.
- Staging the house. Brush around light switch panel, baseboards, door knobs, stove door handle, control panel and around knobs.
Beauty Essentials
- All-things-hair. To deter lice, wash brushes, combs and hair accessories on a weekly basis. First, remove hair strands. Next, make a cleaning gel with a couple squirts of liquid soap and a couple drops of tea tree oil. Scrub paste in with your old toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly. Air dry.
- Dirty nails. Gardeners, no need for fancy manicure tools after a day in the garden. A soft toothbrush will remove dirt and grime from your cuticles and under your nails.
- Razor.
Detailed Clean
- Backpacks. The rough bristles can get in the smaller jagged area of a zipper or larger rougher areas such as the canvas.
- Barbies and dolls. If dolls have been dragged through the mud, get your kids to scrub their tiny hands, feet and faces clean with a kid-sized toothbrush.
- Bike helmet, straps and foam.
- Flip flops. From footstraps, footbed, to sole, get it all gleaming with a toothbrush.
- Lego. Dried pudding, oatmeal, stickiness begone(!) with a couple scrubs of the brush.
- Outdoor string lights. Dead bugs, dirt and pollen be gone!
- Paint brush. Too rainy for outdoor play? Turn your kitchen into an art garage – no fancy tools required. Dip old toothbrushes into the paint for fab effects.
- Rollerblades.
- Sailboat. No matter how big your boat is, everything on it is small. Nothing scrubs the bathroom (“head”) sink as clean as a toothbrush!
- Shoes and boots. The soles of our shoes tend to track the most offensive things into the home (dog doo, pigeon poop, mud, salt, etc.). Get treads clean with a toothbrush.
- Skateboards.
- Snowshoes.
- Stain remover. Spill marinara sauce all over your favourite tablecloth? Rinse in cold water, then with the lightest touch scrub stain with toothbrush and mild liquid soap.
- Suitcases.
- Vehicles. Nothing scrubs away crumbs on upholstery, dried mud off carpet, and Jello out of car seats, like a toothbrush.
- Yoga mat.
- Zippers.
There are many items in and around your home that requires an in-depth cleaning. For professional cleaning services, contact MOLLY MAID to get a detailed clean.
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski
