I remember Beth mentioning this in her journal but never saw how you can solve it. What Im wondering is how do you avoid getting toothpaste on your clothes once in awhile? Do you have a separate breakfast outfit or do you keep your pyjama on until your teeth are clean? And the most important question of all how do you remove a toothpaste stain when its dried?

Sus (blueocean.to)

-- Anonymous, July 11, 2000

Answers

There's NO avoiding getting toothpaste on your clothes, or shaving cream for that matter - eh, guys? And you came up with the answer yourself already: get dressed after you've brushed your teeth. For removing the stains, I bought this really neat device which works like a charm. You might have heard of it. It's called a washing machine.

Hmm, that sounds a little sarcastic. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Toothpaste stains just make me cranky.

-- Anonymous, July 11, 2000

Lean way over the sink when you brush. Any flying globs of toothpaste fall conveniently in the sink.

Then you get to fight over who cleans the sink out.

Or, you could do what my boyfriend does--brush your teeth in the shower. Toothpaste fall on you? Rinse it right off. He's so efficient.

-- Anonymous, July 11, 2000

I agree with all the suggestions for avoiding the stains in the first place ... because once they happen, nothing works except putting the whole shirt in the washer. I don't know why, but you can't dab toothpaste out, not even with stain remover.

-- Anonymous, July 11, 2000

Yeah, just don't brush teeth or shave face with shirt on....

I use a electric toothbrush, and while messier, uses less toothpaste.... I tend to get it fewer places when there is less go spread around.

-- Anonymous, July 11, 2000

Do you think putting said item of clothing in the freezer would work? (Like you do with chewing gum?)

-- Anonymous, July 11, 2000

I'm a klutz, but this has never happened to me. Perhaps you're using too much toothpaste. Unlike the commercials, it's only necessary to put a wee dab on the brush. Covering the brush with product is just another version of the "lather/rinse/repeat" scam.

-- Anonymous, July 11, 2000

There is no way to avoid getting toothpaste on clothes....there's actually an attraction at the sub-atomic level between flouride and clothing.
Sometimes to avoid the problem I just brush my teeth while I'm in the shower in the morning (this is especially helpful if I wake up 10 min before I need to leave the house).

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

I thought about this the last couple of times I brushed my teeth, because I can't say I've ever gotten toothpaste on my clothes.

I think Joy is right that you don't need to put much on the brush - the ads always show a huge amount, but you really don't need much. And, lean over the sink. That seems like the natural way to do it since you kind of have to spit a couple of times during the process. I think it's odd when someone comes into the living room to talk to me while brushing their teeth.

Then if you rinse the sink right out there's nothing to clean up later.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000