It is recommended that you dispose of your toothbrush and replace it with a new one every three to four months. When the bristles start to fray, that can be a cue that your brush isn't as effective as it should be.
Before using the old brush as a cleaning utensil for any of the ideas below, be sure to disinfect it by soaking it in a bleach solution or hydrogen peroxide, and then rinse it in hot water.
In addition to giving you a mouth full of pearly whites, here are some other toothbrush techniques:
1) Rid your lips of dead skin by swirling the brush on the perimeter. Pucker up!
2) Groom your eyebrows - the bristles can control every stubborn hair better than a makeup comb.
3) Clean underneath your fingernails, especially for the ladies with manicured tips. Add a little soap and water and start scrubbing. It will help to eliminate dirt that is missed by simply washing your hands.
4) Apply hair dye or mascara (a toothbrush can be the ultimate beauty tool). Toothbrushes can serve as a quick way to spread dye over returning gray hairs. It can evenly apply mascara better than the wand that comes in the tube.
5) Tame your flyaway hairs. The name says it itself - toothbrush.
6) Put your art skills to work - paint with it!
7) Remove permanent marker, pen or crayon marks from skin or walls. Use water and shaving cream for walls, toothpaste for skin.
8) Cleaning: Jewelry, fish tanks, bottles with small openings, toilet seat hinges, floor tiles, car headlights (use baking soda and water to create paste), computer keyboards, bike chains, piano keys, shoe bottoms (cleats, sneakers) etc.
9) Brush your pet's teeth or groom their fur.
10) Eliminate dust from hard-to-reach areas (air conditioners, window sills)
11) Remove splinters: works best with firmer bristles. Rinse brush with hot water and gently rub splintered skin and the debris should come closer to the surface.
