Bamboo Toothbrush Dye Job.

Nadine Hartman Bourne
by Nadine Hartman Bourne
2 Materials
$12
20 Minutes
Easy
So I was reading an article about simple things we can do to eliminate plastic in our every day lives. Some I already do like take fabric bags to the grocery store. Being in California we now have to pay for store bags, so I carry my own. Ok one plastic usage eliminated. what else can I do? How about the tooth brush? Did you know there are alternatives to a plastic toothbrush? I didn't. I found a 4 pack of bamboo toothbrushes on Amazon for about $11. The problem is they all look the same. That can be a little confusing if you have more than one person in your home and you all keep your toothbrushes in the same place. Typically a cup in the bathroom. So using my noodle I thought up an idea to color the bamboo toothbrush… food coloring.
First attempt. I mixed my food coloring. The green was 1 drop food coloring to 1 tsp water, and orange was 1 drop red, 1 drop yellow and 1 tsp water. I painted it on the handle purposely avoiding the head and bristle area. Let that dry.
Next up I painted on a coat of coconut oil in the hopes of sealing in the color. The top tooth brush was left natural for comparison. Let that soak in a while and you are good to go test out your tooth brush.
After about 2 weeks I did a comparison check. I can still see a color variation but the green one was fading bad. I'm not sure if that is because it is mine and gets more toothpaste foam dripped down the handle. The orange one is my son's, He has Down Syndrome so I brush his teeth. His doesn't foam as much and it doesn't get the chance to drip. Either way I really wanted color. So I tried again.
Attempt #2. I mixed the colors the same as before only this time I also added a teaspoon of vinegar to the mix. I also sanded the flat bit on the end of the handle. The hope was being plant matter that the cells would suck up the dye much like doing carnations in school for mothers day. Remember that sticking a white carnation in food color and the petals would change color?
After 24 hours I didn't have much height on the color so I added more water and let sit another 24 hours. This is after that second 24 hours.
I let them sit over night to dry.
And once again coated with the coconut oil.
And this is after about another 2 weeks of use. The color is holding up better. when the bristles start to fall out you can put these in your compost bin and they will eventually decompose. The packaging that came with it was cardboard and recyclable/compost-able too even the little cellophane windows on the toothbrush boxes were made of vegetable stuff that is somehow made into a biodegradable plastic . So there you have it environmentally friendly color coded, toothbrushes.
Suggested materials:
  • 4 pack bamboo tooth brushes   (Amazon)
  • Food coloring   (kitchen cabinet)
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4 of 6 comments
  • Wendy Wendy on Jul 17, 2017

    Feeling very inspired- thank you!

  • Linda Holland Linda Holland on Jul 25, 2017

    That is cute Idea, but wouldn't a little Nail polish or paint work too..

    Less work!

    • Nadine Hartman Bourne Nadine Hartman Bourne on Jul 25, 2017
      I am sure it would but I don't think I'd want nail polish in my compost when I am done with the tooth brush. The whole point to these tooth brushes is to have no waste. even a plastic tooth brush that gets recycled has some parts that are just trash and cant be used. this type off tooth brush can be composted or if you don't do that kind of thing can be tossed in the green waste can with the yard clippings to be composted by the city.
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