Yeah, toothpaste saved my retainer more than once—especially after coffee mishaps. One thing though, careful with jewelry. Tried cleaning a silver ring thinking it'd shine up nicely... ended up dull and scratched instead. Guess toothpaste has its limits too. But screens? Been there, done that, learned to stick with proper screen cleaners the expensive way.
Toothpaste is definitely handy for retainers, but yeah, jewelry can be tricky. Did you use a soft cloth or brush when you cleaned your ring? I've found that using a super soft toothbrush and only gently rubbing helps avoid scratches. Also, was it regular toothpaste or one of those whitening ones? The whitening types usually have more abrasive stuff in them, so they're harsher on metals.
Another thing I've learned the hard way—never use toothpaste on glasses lenses. Thought I'd save myself a trip to the optician, ended up with lenses looking foggier than before. Guess some hacks are better left untried...
Yikes, I feel your pain on the glasses lenses thing. I did something similar a while back—thought toothpaste would buff out some tiny scratches on my sunglasses. Ended up with lenses that looked like they'd been sandblasted. Had to replace them entirely, which was definitely not what I was going for, lol.
About jewelry though, I'm curious—does it matter if the ring is silver or gold? I've heard silver is softer and scratches easier. Maybe that's why some people have better luck with toothpaste cleaning than others? And yeah, the whitening toothpastes are definitely harsher. I avoid those now for cleaning anything other than teeth... learned that lesson the hard way.
Speaking of retainers, have you ever tried denture tablets for cleaning them instead of toothpaste? I was super anxious about damaging mine at first, but my dentist reassured me they're gentle enough. Turns out they work great—just drop one in water with the retainer overnight, and it's fresh by morning without any scrubbing or worrying about scratching it up.
Honestly, though, I appreciate posts like yours because these hacks always sound great until you actually try them. It's comforting knowing I'm not the only one who's accidentally made things worse trying to DIY fix stuff at home. At least we're learning from each other's mistakes, right?
I've definitely seen mixed results with toothpaste on jewelry too. Silver can be really soft, so even regular toothpaste might leave tiny scratches if you're not careful. Gold usually holds up better, but personally, I just stick to mild soap and water now. Totally agree on denture tablets for retainers though—I discovered those a few years back and never looked back. Glad I'm not alone in the DIY mishap club... we've all been there at least once, right?
Has anyone tried toothpaste for foggy headlights? I've heard people swear by it, but I'm skeptical—wouldn't it scratch the plastic lens, similar to silver jewelry? I've been tempted to test it out on my old car, but honestly, I'm worried about making things worse. Curious if anyone's had success (or disaster) with that particular hack...
