Forever brushing bubbles
While we’re in the bathroom, let’s talk toothpaste. Commercials show a tube being squeezed onto a new, extra-white toothbrush in a long, multi-colored (ooh, pretty) stripe, curling under at the beginning of the glob and gracefully upwards at the end. All the bristles are covered, ensuring that all your teeth will be bathed in luxurious cavity-fighting goodness. Right?

No. You only actually need a pea-sized amount. Toothpaste is essentially soap for your teeth, and what does soap do when you scrub with it? It foams up. The amount of toothpaste on your brush is not relative to how clean your teeth will be. Brushing correctly is. For instructions on how to brush properly, you probably have a dentist who would be delighted to show you. If you’d rather not go that route, however, a good site for technique is here. Using too much toothpaste can actually cause your brush to slip, resulting in a less-effective brushing.

Bright idea: “Serving sizes” are important in other instances too. Try washing laundry with half as much detergent as the cup dictates; your laundry will still be clean and fresh, and your machine will last longer. Use less cleaning solution in your kitchen too. Experiment with how much is really necessary to produce a clean result. You can always use more if you haven’t used enough.