How to Use Toothpaste for Painting

How to Use Toothpaste to Clean Plastic
Written By
A.J. Hawkins
A.J. Hawkins
Published: May 3, 2011
Updated: Nov 20, 2021
1 minute read

Things You Will Need

  • White toothpaste
  • Paintbrush
  • Construction paper

Children can use simple white toothpaste as finger paint or with a brush on many different surfaces, such as construction paper. If it does happen to spread to the wall or furniture it can easily be cleaned up, unlike many paints.

  1. Mix about 2 tbsp. of toothpaste with a small amount of water, around 1/4 of a cup. More or less water may be needed to get a consistency similar to paint. Alternatively, you can mix about 1/2 cup of any color tempera paint with the toothpaste. Tempera paint can be cleaned up with warm water and hand soap, and it can provide children with different colors to paint with.

  2. Spread the construction paper out for the children to paint on. Craft paper can also be used, and can be purchased in large rolls. This can cover any furniture that may get paint on it, helping with the cleanup effort later.

  3. Paint a picture using a paintbrush, your fingers, cotton swabs or even a toothbrush.

Photo Credits

Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images

Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images

A.J. Hawkins

A.J. Hawkins began writing professionally as a U.S. Army journalist in 2006. His writing has appeared in numerous military publications, including "Soldiers" magazine, the official publication of the Army. He is pursing a Bachelor of…

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