8 Uses for Old Toothbrushes

Time to replace your toothbrush? Good oral hygiene includes making sure you aren’t brushing on bristle fumes. But why throw the old ones away if there are uses for old toothbrushes?

Always looking for ways to recycle and reuse, I started saving my old toothbrushes about a year ago. And since then I’ve found a number of ways to use them — after they’ve lived out their initial purpose. And you get to save money by not spending on extra doo-dads.

Plastic combs — Simple as it may sound, old toothbrushes are great for cleaning between the teeth of plastic combs of any size. I used to try getting inside using Q-tips or a scrubbing cloth. But it wasn’t easy. Then I tried using an old toothbrush, and now it’s a snap.
Drain strainers — My bathroom and kitchen sinks have drain strainers. And they like to collect bits of black stuff that I did my best to scrub clean. Old toothbrushes to the rescue!
Bathroom sink drains — The same is true for the bathroom sink drain. I used to find this black goop deep inside, that my cousin assured me was normal. But it led to clogged drains. Now I hold the end of an old toothbrush and swish around. Then I clean it well, and use again. But be careful to hold the handle tightly or it will get stuck!!

And if you do get a clog:

⇒ Fixing a Clogged Bathroom Sink Drain With Cheap Shampoo

Bathroom sink faucets & handles — Yup. You another one of the many uses for old toothbrushes is simply cleaning those hard to get into areas of your faucets and handles.
Refrigerator splotches — Had some hardened spills in my refrigerator and just used my old toothbrush to get them off. (First placed pieces of wet paper towel on them to loosen them up. )
Bathtub stains — With the help of a little baking soda, your old toothbrush makes a great targeted cleaning tool.
Can opener — As with the other items, some good old toothbrush power will do the trick. Wet it first with hot water to help lift the grime.
Portable fans — Also found my old brushes good for cleaning fan blades and corners. Probably best to do this in your tub, though. A lot of old dirt and grime can splatter.

Need more? Other uses for old toothbrushes include any nooks, crannies, and corners. Let your imagination run wild!

One caution – test first!

Check to see if something you’re using it on might get scratched. You don’t want to find out afterward that the bristles hurt more than they helped.

Please clean toothbrushes afterward

If you do plan to reuse them, please clean them before putting away for next time. You don’t want anything growing on them while they rest.

And I actually isolate the brush that I use for the black sink drain sludge. Not sure you have to, but just felt right. And figured it can’t hurt.

Feel free to add your own tips!

8 Uses for Old Toothbrushes