If you hate throwing things away and love to wear special accessories, then turning your old toothbrush into a bracelet is a dream for you. It's easy to save toothbrushes from the landfill and give them a place in your jewelry box! All you need is an old toothbrush, tongs, a pot to boil water in, and a jar.
Steps
Step 1. Find an old clear plastic toothbrush, or get a new one recently
Those with children's drawings are great. It is better that they are made entirely of plastic, and that there are no rubber handles. It should also be roughly the same width from top to bottom. Very thick toothbrushes do not bend easily.
Step 2. You will need boiling water to warm the toothbrush until soft
Boil some water in the microwave or put half a pot of water on the stove and light it. Make sure that when you boil the water you leave your toothbrush in it for 8-12 minutes. You may have to leave it there for a longer amount of time depending on how hot the water is and how thick the toothbrush is.
Step 3. If you are boiling water in the microwave, be aware that it may not bubble as it does on a fire
If that's the case stay away from the water and let it cool down, because it is very hot and could explode if disturbed. Place a rod or other wooden object in the container to 'break' the surface tension of the water. So it won't 'explode'.
Step 4. While you wait for the water to boil, cut the bristles off the brush as short as you can, or it also works very well to pull them off with fine-tipped tweezers
Step 5. When the water boils, quickly remove it from the microwave or heat
Throw the toothbrush in it. Wait until the plastic begins to soften. This will take more or less time for this depending on how wide your toothbrush is at the end, but 5 minutes is a good "base" time to start working from.
Step 6. Remove the toothbrush from the water with kitchen tongs, and place it on a dish cloth
Let it cool from boiling to hot, but don't let it cool down completely.
Step 7. To avoid burning yourself, grab the toothbrush using the cloth
Fold it into the shape of a bracelet. An easy way to do this is to squeeze it against the outside of a glass or jar of the same diameter as you want for your bracelet.
Step 8. Fill a bowl with ice water
Remove the toothbrush from the jar and dip it in. After about 5 seconds, the plastic will have hardened again, and you can try it out. If it doesn't fit, or it doesn't look right, put it back in boiling water for about a minute, and repeat the steps to shape it until it reaches the shape you want.
Step 9. The holes in the bristles will spread out with the heat, so you can now use tweezers to remove the bristle residue
Step 10. Have fun wearing your new toothbrush bracelet
Advice
- You can pick up clear toothbrushes in assorted colors at any supermarket.
- You can decorate your toothbrush with stickers and buttons.
- With a thin wrist you can make multiple attempts to make it more even.
- Inexpensive toothbrushes are better suited than expensive ones.
- Sometimes you can't fold the bottom, uniform widths are best.
- Try using an aluminum pan. Heat the water and pour it into the pan. Put the toothbrush in the pan and then proceed with the instructions.
- You can also glue beads, buttons, or whatever onto your new toothbrush bracelet.
- Sometimes toothbrushes that have a thick bottom and a thin top take longer.
- Use a pot that is large enough for the toothbrush to sit flat on the bottom.
- Common clear plastic toothbrushes work best. Try the Oral-B. Some toothbrushes just don't bend, so some do better than others. Typically the cheapest toothbrushes are the ones that fold best. The thinner the plastic the better.
- If you can do it by touch and not by eye, you can fold it better after taking it out of the pan by placing the dish cloth between your fingers and the toothbrush, and fold it like this, while it is warmer.
Warnings
- Don't use your toothbrush when you're done!
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DO NOT melt an electric toothbrush.
- DO NOT wear long fake nails, keep them short and remember them at all times; forgetting about them could cause you to tear them off by mistake.
- Do not drink the remaining water: Dissolving plastic can release toxic chemicals.
- DO NOT touch the toothbrush when it is inside, or just out of the water, because it will be HOT !!! Remember that a hot toothbrush looks the same as a cold one.
- Do not try to brush your teeth with a modified toothbrush. It could be dangerous and put you at risk of throttling.
- Be careful when folding your toothbrush. If it doesn't fold easily in all places, let it sit in the water for a longer time. Not doing this can get you seriously hurt too.
- Do not try to force the toothbrush to bend more than it can, some toothbrushes can bend little or not at all. Forcing the toothbrush could cause it to break into sharp pieces, or damage your fingers and nails.
- Be very careful with boiling water. Children should NOT do this activity without adult supervision.
