I've found that the small heavy rubber bands that come on bunches of Broccoli work perfectly to 'hold' the end of your tooth paste tube when you start to roll it up. Fold over the used portion of the bottom of the tube and slip on one of the heavy rubber bands over the rolled end. This holds it perfectly, and doesn't cost a thing!
By Pam from Orange Park, FL
Tips for saving money on toothpaste. Post your ideas!
Cut your toothpaste cost down by only adding a pea sized amount to your toothbrush. My dentist told me that he doesn't even use toothpaste, just warm water and soft toothbrush. The brush is what cleans your teeth, the agents that claim they fight cavities and tartar are not in your mouth long enough to do anything. Just plain warm water does the job, but if you are like me, I couldn't get past the unclean feeling I had. So in the morning, I just use a very small amount, for freshening. Then at night, I just use warm water. At night it doesn't bother me to not have a clean feeling.
By Andrea from MI
Back in the 1950s, toothpaste manufacturers enlarged the size of the hole on the toothpaste tube.
This proved to be one of their greatest profit making ideas. Be very careful when squeezing that tube to insure only a pea size amount comes out.
You don't even need a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. I put as thin a layer as possible across my whole toothbrush, and the toothpaste foams up just as much.
Peroxide and baking soda....tastes terrible but helps gingivitis!
To keep from chasing your toothpaste to the end of the tube place a large rubber band ( like the ones that come on fresh broccoli) at the end and gradually fold up the empty tube containing the used portion in the band.
When I have used as much toothpaste, hand lotion, etc. as I can get out of the tube, I cut the tube into sections and keep it in a zip-lock baggie.
When I can no longer get any more toothpaste out of the tube, I cut the tube into 2-3 inch sections and store them in a baggie. When I need toothpaste, I wet the brush and swipe some toothpaste from the cut sections.
To save money on toothpaste for your family, follow the directions on the tube and not the advertising. You are supposed to only use a pea size amount of toothpaste, and not the overloaded brush that they show you in the ads.
If you have toothpaste that can be tipped over, put it upside down and squeeze the bottle with the toothpaste in there. There would be a lot of toothpaste coming out if you can squeeze the bottle.
Squeezing a tube of toothpaste in the middle can make it difficult to get all the paste out later. Rolling the tube from the bottom and clipping it in place is a great way to ensure you use all the product with minimal mess.
I use Biotene toothpaste and it is not cheap. When it gets down to where it's hard to squeeze out of the tube, I cut the end of the tube off. This makes the toothpaste, that is left in the tube, easy to dip out and enables me to get every smidget of tooth paste out of the tube. To keep it fresh, I fold the open end over and put a clamp on it. By doing this, I can get 10-12 more brushings out of the tube of toothpaste.
All adverts for toothpaste show a large amount of toothpaste spread right along the length of the toothbrush. They do this so you will copy and use more of their product than you need to.