7 Things Around the House You Can Fix or Clean With Just Toothpaste

You use toothpaste several times a day to clean your teeth, but did you know it can be used for so many other household chores? It doesn’t matter what your favorite brand is for minty-fresh breath, you can use toothpaste to clean your house, remove stains, fix scuffed shoes and scratched phones, and even polish your favorite jewelry. Here’s how:

To make your jewelry (yes, even diamond rings) sparkle and shine more, Reader’s Digest suggests putting some toothpaste on an old—but clean—toothbrush and gently scrubbing away any dirt and grime. When you’re done, clean off excess toothpaste with a damp cloth.

You know that weird buildup that forms on your iron after a while? Huffington Post suggests rubbing some toothpaste on the plate of the iron and wiping it off with a damp cloth to get it as good as new. Just make sure the iron is unplugged and cooled down before you attempt it.

If your headlights are looking dull and grimy, you can use toothpaste to clean them up. According to LifeHack, as long as your headlights aren’t glass (toothpaste won’t be abrasive enough) you can scrub your headlights with some toothpaste and a rag, using slow and steady motions. Rinse off with water when you’re done.

There’s nothing quite like the smell that cooking fish or chopping onions leaves behind on your hands—even the sweetest-smelling hand soaps just can’t cut it sometimes. Good news: your breath isn’t the only thing toothpaste can freshen up. It can deodorize your hands too, according to WikiHow. Just rub it on your hands and rinse it thoroughly, and you should be good to go.

To get scuffs and marks off of canvas-covered shoes, Huffington Post says you can apply a little bit of toothpaste to a clean cloth and gently polish them away. Wipe off any residue with a clean damp cloth, and let dry when finished.

It makes sense—your toothpaste helps keep your teeth looking white and shiny, so why wouldn’t it be great at getting out stains? According to TreeHugger, all you have to do is rub toothpaste into stains on your carpet and then rinse or wash as usual, and you can say goodbye to any gross spots.

To bring your scratched up phone screen back to life, Mashable says you can dab a little toothpaste onto a soft cloth or cotton swab, then gently rub it in (in circular motions) until the scratches seem to be gone. Then, use a slightly damp cloth to wipe off any excess toothpaste.