Uses of old toothbrushes

Dental experts say a toothbrush should be replaced every three to four months. This, I am told, should be regardless of the appearance of the bristles of the toothbrush.

For fear of toothache, many oblige, but the toothbrush looks too good to be thrown away. I recently used an old toothbrush to polish shoes because my boys at home misplaced the shoe brush. The results were amazing. The toothbrush was taking lesser shoe polish paste and the size of the toothbrush bristles made it possible for me to apply polish even in the hard to reach parts of the shoes.

That is the first use of the old toothbrush I feel can be helpful for frequent travellers because it will take lesser space in the bag.

The second advantage is what I saw when of a man who was using an old toothbrush to apply dye to his grey hair.

At a radio repair shop a few years ago I saw a technician who was using an old toothbrush to dust internal parts of a radio before commencing the fault finding process.

The old toothbrush is an amazing accessory that should not go straight into the trash can. I discovered many other uses of the old toothbrush when I visited www.care2.com, where I found a dozen uses of the toothbrush.

Among those that caught my eye was the use of the toothbrush to clean dirty fingernails after working in the garden. I found this timely because this is the time of the year when many gardening activities make our hands dirty.

The other usage I learnt from the site is that the toothbrush can be used to clean a computer keyboard and jewelry.

For those with cars or are charged with cleaning cars, the toothbrush can be used to clean the interiors. Such places like knobs and cup holders can be cleaned thoroughly using an toothbrush.

An article by California-based freelance writer Katie Waldeck recommends the toothbrush as the final solution to the nagging strains on tiles. She writes: “The tile in my bathroom is of that wonderful ‘never looks clean no matter what you do’ variety. That is, until I used a toothbrush on it. It works wonders in the way a mop or a sponge never have.”

The list of uses of the old toothbrush is endless so, before you throw away the old toothbrush, think about what other uses the toothbrush may have.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas. As you are enjoying, remember, if you want it perfectly done, do it yourself. n