I've tried toothpaste on headlights too, and yeah, it was okay-ish but definitely not a long-term fix. Funny enough, I actually had better luck using toothpaste on something totally unrelated—my scratched-up watch face. I had this old plastic-faced watch that got pretty scuffed from daily wear, and someone suggested toothpaste as a quick fix. I figured, why not? It wasn't like I could make it much worse.
I rubbed a tiny bit of regular white toothpaste (nothing fancy, just the basic stuff) onto the watch face with a soft cloth, gently buffed it in circles for a couple minutes, then rinsed it off. Surprisingly, it actually worked pretty well. Didn't completely erase the deeper scratches, but it smoothed out the smaller ones and made the watch face noticeably clearer. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely good enough to keep me from tossing the watch or paying for a replacement face.
I guess toothpaste is mildly abrasive, so it makes sense it'd help polish out minor scratches. But yeah, for headlights or anything bigger, I'd probably stick with a proper restoration kit or something specifically designed for that purpose. Toothpaste seems more like a quick fix or temporary solution rather than something you'd rely on long-term. Still, it's handy in a pinch when you don't have anything else around.
"I guess toothpaste is mildly abrasive, so it makes sense it'd help polish out minor scratches."
Yeah, toothpaste can help with small scratches, but I'd be careful using it on anything valuable. Tried it on my glasses once... ended up making the lenses cloudy. Definitely wouldn't risk it again.
Toothpaste definitely has its place for polishing, but glasses lenses are tricky since they're usually coated with anti-glare or scratch-resistant layers. Toothpaste abrasives can strip those coatings, leaving lenses cloudy or even more scratched. I've had good luck using toothpaste to buff out minor scratches on porcelain sinks and even jewelry, but for anything delicate or coated—like glasses or screens—I'd stick to specialized products just to be safe...
Yeah, totally agree about glasses lenses—learned that one the hard way myself. But have you tried toothpaste for cleaning tarnished silverware? I've had pretty solid results polishing up old spoons and forks. Just rub a bit on, let it sit a minute, then rinse and buff dry. Works surprisingly well in a pinch, especially if you're out of regular polish. Anyone else notice other household metals it works well on?
"Just rub a bit on, let it sit a minute, then rinse and buff dry. Works surprisingly well in a pinch..."
Haha, sounds like my nightly dental routine! But seriously, toothpaste is pretty versatile stuff. I've actually used it to buff out minor scratches on my watch face—worked better than expected. Just gotta be gentle and patient with it. Tried it once on some brass handles too, but honestly, results were kinda meh... maybe depends on the metal or finish? Either way, it's always handy having a tube around for random polishing emergencies.
