Simple Life Hacks To Achieve Your Brightest White- From Teeth To Clothes

Momma Told Me: White doesn't just stay white- someone's got to clean it!

Even though Momma exclusively shopped at second hand stores for my clothes, I was forbidden to wear white, as a child. My father's work uniforms were a thin white polyester-cotton material, which wouldn't have been nearly as much of a pain to launder, if it wasn't for the fact that he worked as a technician on restaurant equipment. Seldom did an evening pass where Momma didn't hang her head in dismay over the grease stains littering his clothes, and she wasn't about to clean up stains on the clothes of her daughter.

With such strict order to wear anything but white, it's easy to see how I adopted my alias as a 'living rainbow,' when I embraced every hue, pattern, and print I could find. Even as an adult, today, I still cringe at the thought of wearing white clothes, and the thought of them not being their whitest white. But every good rainbow knows that color pops best when next to the most radiant whites, and my best, my smile, is always at it's whitest.

Only recently, on a trip to Walmart, did I truly stop to contemplate the brighter things in my life. Spotting a display for a new whitening toothpaste I was immediately intrigued by the notion of seeing my pearlies glimmer just a little brighter in as few as 3 days with no added effort. I was already familiar with the brand name, but this new formula featured 2 times more of the professionally recommended whitening ingredient and the powerful professionally recommended ingredient hydrogen peroxide to whiten faster. Talk about helping a girl out- this was one addition to my beauty routine that would require NO additional time or upkeep on my part, all I had to do was brush!

You never really know what you're getting into when you switch toothpastes, so I'll admit I was a bit hesitant.  I'll be honest, I was blown away with the brushing experience of this new oral care system- not only did my teeth feel amazing from the whitening cups and polishing bristles, but the cheek and tongue cleaner helped me provide a full mouth clean that had me smiling in no time.

And why not smile? With the power of hydrogen peroxide and this new toothpaste system my teeth were sure to sparkle like they never had before. And I was ready to take all the credit for absolutely none of the work! But as I tossed my old, ordinary, toothbrush in the wastebasket I felt something wash over me, a need to extend this whitening to every aspect of my life. Maybe that boring old toothbrush was good for something after all!

As it turns out- there were several things in my life that had begun to lose their luster, and the grout on our kitchen counter was the first I would tackle. My goal? To make whitening that old, dirty, grout almost as painless as refreshing my teeth with whitening toothpaste! My trick? A simple solution of 3 Cups warm water, 1/8 Cup Ammonia, 1/8 Cup White Vinegar and 1/4 Cup Baking Soda, mixed in a spray bottle I'd also picked up at Walmart, made for a powerful (but pleasant to work with) stain fighting formula. After just a few minutes of allowing a spritz to soak into badly stained grout the grays wiped right away with hardly any scrubbing. I'd definitely put more elbow grease into brushing my teeth that morning!

Next on my list of off-white offenses was an old pair of Converse canvas sneakers I've worn to the annual Color Run twice now. But rainbow corn starch, sweat, and scuffs proved no match for a bowl of warm water with shampoo and that old trusty toothbrush. To properly clean sneakers outside a washer use a brush to scrub rubber soles with a shampoo water solution, then gently wipe fabric with a cloth dipped in the cleansing formula. Be sure to remove your laces or pull the tongue out to get any tough, hiding, stains. When your sneakers have been restored to former glory stuff them with crumpled newspaper to maintain their shape and expedite the drying process. And, if you're like me, Express Colgate® Optic White® was still working on keeping those teeth white while you worked!

By now my kicks were sparkling and my counters rivaled that of a new home, so I turned my gaze in boredom to the dog. Oh yes, my friends, you can whiten pets too! While whitening (or bluing, as they're known) shampoos exist for pets, hypoallergenic animals with hair, rather than fur, require extra upkeep to maintain a white coat. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts dog shampoo and water and wipe your dog down with a damp, warm, towel once a day to stay vibrant. Dust your pup in a light coating of corn starch in between grooming to help absorb oils that attract dirt and stains (and odors too!)

Perhaps the most dreaded of whitening tasks is fabric found on everyday clothing. I try not to wear large amounts of white, because I am not only a living rainbow but a color magnet- stains run to me. When I launder my whites I try my best to keep them white by pre-treating any discoloration or stains with dish soap and a gently scrub. Next, I add 1/2 Cup 3% Hydrogen Peroxide directly to the wash with my laundry detergent. We already know that hydrogen peroxide is helping to keep our teeth white with Colgate® Optic White® Express, and it will boost your white clothes just as much! Wash whites on a Warm rinse cycle and give yourself a pat on the back for becoming a whitening warrior.

When you're as fabulous as you, you don't have time to spend scrubbing, bleaching, or treating- you're too busy being your radiant self to fuss with all of that. And that's why these simple life hacks to a brighter life are sure to have you smiling.  What do you struggle with keeping white, the most?

What Daughter Says: Use these simple life hacks for the 'whites' in your life- Don't worry, you can still take all the credit for the 'work.'