Until now (I'm a septuagenarian) I've generally tried to squeeze the last bit of toothpaste from the tube by rolling, pressing hard etc.
On the last tube, after doing that, I thought I'd cut the tube partially open. I got three more weeks of use (brush morning and night). I'm now thinking of all the Kgs of toothpaste I've discarded over my lifetime.
As a fellow tube cutter-opener, I'm surprised you found so much toothpaste was still left inside. I place the tube on a flat surface and massage the paste towards the top; I push up into the shoulders with my thumbs and after I've got out as much as I can, I only find a couple of days worth left behind. Even then, by the last day, the remaining paste has become pretty dried up and unpleasant: what's it like after three weeks?
Nick
It's about time we went back to the old style toothpaste tubes made of lead/tin... Or maybe not.
I do the same, but I roll the tube flat using a handy spray-can that lives on the shelf nearby, before cutting it open. As you say, get an extra two or three brushfuls that way.
I have a one of those electric Oral-B toothbrushes, and I find that it makes an excellent tube-squeezer.
Cut (say) a 1 inch section off of the end of the tube. Once you have scooped out some toothpaste, you can slip the cut-off piece of tube back over the truncated tube. It won't make a perfect seal, but should be good enought to stop it drying out.
If the toothpaste tube's shoulder was less stiff, it would be easy to get all the paste out without all this fuss and bother. I doubt if the manufacturers would find this a 'Good Thing'.
Mr Colman got rich on the mustard people left on the side of their plates.
Bring back tooth powder, I say!!! At least you knew when the tin was empty.
Nick
I'm using Sensodyne and the tube is very plasticy unlike those tubes which have some metal in them and can be squashed very flat. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough.
It was fine.
The story has been attributed to a cleaner/worker who told management that people just pushed out a certainl length (toothbrush length) of toothpaste leading to:
"The story goes that in the 1950s, Colgate increased its toothpaste sales by subtly increasing the diameter of the tube's hole from 5mm to
6mm. This tiny change was imperceptible to consumers but resulted in over 40% more toothpaste being dispensed with each squeeze, causing tubes to be used up faster and sales to increase significantly. "
The graphic they use for toothpaste on a toothbrush also IMO encourage the use of far more than is necessary. You want to think about what toothpaste is supposed to do, and how it works. I only use a smidgen each time.
Interestingly (FSVO) the Asda toothpaste I'm currently buying[1] comes in a tube with a regular hole down the middle but if you use the flip-top lid, the cap dramatically reduces the diameter of the squeezed out paste.
Nick [1]Different so-called sensitive toothpastes use different formulae for the sensitive bit and some people will get on better with one type vs another. Asda works for me.
Uniliever, who owns Colmans, also makes Marmite.
I wonder how many bottles hit landfill after the first taste.
Must be their 'fastest' FMCG brand...
I still have a pot of Vegemite left behind by some Australian nephew that I will never ever touch.
They also do flavoured crisps and cheese. Yummy, but in small quantities.
The Oral B electric toothbrush ads annoy me to the extent that I'd never buy one. The graphic of the brush surrounding a tooth and brushing evenly down to the gum is simply a lie.
Tim Tams are on special offer in Waitrose (said to be better than p p p penguin biscuits).
The Food Programme last Sunday evening
It's the sort of programme which, if I had seen it coming, I would probably have changed stations to listen to something else but I didn't see it coming and I heard the start and carried on listening. I found it captivating, inspiring and - dare I say it? - uplifting to hear about what they have been doing since.
Nick
Thanks for the link. It was a very interesting programme to listen to. The Colmans approach of cradle to grave support for its workers was quite similar to the Cadburys Bournville village outside Birmingham.
Jim
If I didn't buy anything that had been shown to have a dubious TV commercial, my cupboards would be bare! It does what it's supposed to do, and very well, in our experience.
But following this thread, and having been at the end of my current tube of toothpaste, this time I also cut off the tube, just below the last remaining paste storage, under the nozzle. So far, I have had 7 brushings from there, with more to go. I use an upside-down large eggcup to keep it fresh.
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