Does Toothpaste Go Bad? (And How You Can Tell)

Morning routines vary from person to person, but brushing teeth with toothpaste should be a part of everyone’s morning and evening ritual. There are many types of toothpaste on the market, from generic brands to high-end organic toothpaste. If you are one of the many people who likes to buy your toothpaste in bulk to save some money, you might wonder if toothpaste ever goes bad.

Toothpaste has a shelf life of about two years. This means it begins to lose much of its cleaning and cavity-fighting abilities two years after it is manufactured. While it is generally not dangerous to use expired toothpaste, it is not effective. Where you store it, the temperature, the manufacture date, and the ingredients in the toothpaste all impact how quickly it expires.

Toothpaste doesn’t last forever. Therefore, while it’s great to buy in bulk and save, you shouldn’t buy so much toothpaste that it goes bad before you use it. To know exactly how long you can hold on to toothpaste before it expires, you need to know the factors that impact its longevity. Keep reading to learn all about how long toothpaste can last, as well as how you can use up your expired tubes.

How Long Does Toothpaste Last?

If you have an old tube of toothpaste or an old travel-sized version from the dentist, you are likely wondering if it is still fresh, or if it’s gone bad. The general rule is that toothpaste expires about two years after its manufacture date.

It’s important to remember that a manufacture date can be months, or even more than one year before you purchase toothpaste. If you are a fan of discount stores and sale prices, you should know these low prices are often offered when a product has sat on a shelf or in a warehouse for a long time.

Make sure you check the manufacture date on your toothpaste before purchasing it to ensure you have time to use it up before it expires.

Is It Safe To Use Expired Toothpaste?

You may wonder if it is safe to use toothpaste after its expiration date. The answer is that expired toothpaste is unlikely to harm you, but it is also unlikely to help you. Expired toothpaste generally doesn’t mold or have tons of bacteria that will get you sick (unless it is poorly stored and very old). 

Unfortunately, toothpaste that expires quickly becomes less effective. Active ingredients like fluoride, which is instrumental in preventing cavities and cleaning your teeth, start to break down. This means expired toothpaste might remove plaque with the help of your brush, but it won’t actively strengthen, whiten, or clean your teeth.

Since expired toothpaste doesn’t help your teeth, it’s important you know all the factors that impact how long your toothpaste will last.

Five Factors That Impact How Long Your Toothpaste Will Last

1. It’s Manufacture Date

The date your toothpaste was made is by far the most impactful factor when determining how long your toothpaste will last. You can’t control when your toothpaste is made. You can, however, make it a point to always check the manufacturing date before buying your toothpaste. Look for products that were made within the last month or two. This helps ensure you will use up your toothpaste in time.

2. The Temperature It’s Stored At

Toothpaste, like most cosmetic and cleaning products in your bathroom, likes to be stored at room temperature, or even slightly cooler. If you store your toothpaste in hot and humid weather, it can break down and also form bacteria, much quicker. 

If you live in a warm climate, make sure your extra tubes of toothpaste are stored in a cool and dry place to maximize their longevity.

3. The Ingredients In The Toothpaste

Not all toothpaste is the same. Some toothpaste have natural ingredients like charcoal and baking soda, others are completely organic, and some are filled with man-made chemicals. The ingredients in toothpaste significantly impact how long it will last.

Organic toothpaste with natural ingredients tends to expire much faster (sometimes within six months). Other brands can last longer than two years.

4. How Long It Has Been Opened

Once you break the seal on a tube of toothpaste, you decrease its lifespan. Air, bacteria, and dirt all break down the ingredients in the tube, and make it more vulnerable. This is why it is important to use one tube of toothpaste at a time. If you find a half-used tube of toothpaste and have no idea when you opened it, then it is best not to use it to brush your teeth.

5. How Well It’s Maintained 

Lastly, the way you treat your toothpaste once it’s opened will impact how long it lasts. Most importantly, how often and quickly you put the cap back on your toothpaste matters. If you frequently leave the cap off your toothpaste, it should come as no surprise that your toothpaste will go bad faster. 

Keeping a tube clean and covered, however, is a great way to ensure it lasts as long as possible.

Six Ways To Use Up Your Expired Toothpaste

1. Clean Your Headlights

If your headlights don’t shine the way they used to, you’ll be happy to know your expired toothpaste can help. To remove the yellow stain on your headlights, simply apply expired toothpaste with a cloth and use a bit of elbow grease. After two to five minutes of scrubbing in a circular motion, you will notice the toothpaste turn yellow, while the headlights look clean and new.

2. Buff Your Fingernails

The grainy paste in many types of toothpaste is great for buffing up dull fingernails. You can use a toothbrush, or even just a finger to rub toothpaste on your nails and cuticles. After you wash away the expired toothpaste, you will notice your nails look clean and shiny.

3. Remove Gunk From Your Iron

If you have some black residue stuck to your iron, you must remove it right away. This residue can stain clothes, so you must get rid of it before ironing any garments. Luckily, you can use your expired toothpaste to remove this stubborn gunk. 

Apply a small dollop of expired toothpaste to the area, and scrub using a kitchen sponge. It should come off without much effort. Then wipe the iron clean with a damp cloth before using it again.

4. Polish And Clean Your Leather Shoes

If you have dull or scuffed-up or moldy leather shoes but no polish, then consider reaching for your expired toothpaste. Apply the toothpaste with a soft clean cloth and buff your shoes the same way you would with shoe polish. Make sure your toothpaste doesn't have any bleaching ingredients, as this can stain the leather.

5. Remove Strong Smells From Hands

If you just handled a bunch of seafood or smelly meat, you can use toothpaste to help get rid of the smell. Some smells linger on the skin, and minty fresh expired toothpaste is great at capturing and removing these smells. Apply toothpaste as you would hand soap, and rub it on your hands for upwards of one minute before washing it off.

6. Polish Copper Appliances

If you have copper cookware but no copper cleaner, don’t fret, you can use some old toothpaste. Toothpaste is great at buffing up copper to remove its tarnish and bring out its resilient shine. Apply it to copper just as you would a copper cleaner, and wipe with a damp cloth to remove the minty residue.

Summing Up How Long Toothpaste Lasts Before Going Bad

Toothpaste is one of the few products we use multiple times every day. Since it’s used so frequently, whether or not it ever goes bad is a thought you might not consider often. If, however, you buy toothpaste in bulk, or have old tubes you’d like to use, you should know toothpaste lasts about two years. 

The date it was manufactured, where it is stored, and the ingredients in the toothpaste all impact how long it will last. If you have expired toothpaste, you can still use it to clean various household items, including leather, copper, and even your fingernails.

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