How can kids get toothpaste everywhere? I don't know, but I do know I've found toothpaste in some strange places in my home once I had kids.

Generally, you want to treat stains as quickly as possible.
This is fine to do with stains caused by toothpaste on washable fabric, because you will launder it anyway.
However, toothpaste is one of the few exceptions where you want to let the toothpaste dry before you attempt to remove it from upholstery, carpet or anything not washable.
That is because it is less likely to smear and grind into the carpet fibers and upholstery fibers if it is dry when you remove it, which makes your job a lot easier for stain removal.

Step 2: Pretreat the stain with a laundry prewash stain remover.
Step 3: Launder as usual.
Hint: Make sure the stain is gone after washing, but before you place in the dryer or you may set the stain. Repeat if necessary.
Step 1: Scrape off as much toothpaste as possible from the upholstery.
Hint: Generally it is not better to wet the toothpaste to get it off upholstery, but instead to scrape it off while dry.
Step 2: Mix a solution of two cups cool water and one tablespoon dishwashing liquid.
Step 3: Using this solution, sponge the stain from the toothpaste with a clean white cloth.
Step 4: Next, blot at the stain until the liquid is absorbed.
Step 5: Repeat steps 3-4 until the stain is removed from the upholstery.
Step 6: Now that the stain is removed you should get plain cold water and a new white cloth and sponge the area to remove the cleaning solution, and then blot dry.
Hint: Be sure to get the upholstery only as wet as necessary to remove the stain from the toothpaste.
You can get more information on how to clean upholstery here.
Follow the same directions as for upholstery above to remove stains caused by toothpaste from carpet.

In addition, a reader provided a suggestion for using baking soda to clean toothpaste from your sink.
Although this page is about removing toothpaste stains, toothpaste can also be used to help clean some things in your home, since it is mild abrasive.
You can read tips, and even submit your own ideas and uses for toothpaste here.
Are you a stain magnet like me? If so, check out the A to Z Stain Removal Guide which gives directions for how to remove over 100 types of stains from all kinds of surfaces.
Below are examples of the most common stains discussed in the Guide.
First photo by mauren veras

I update this site all the time with tips, tutorials, cleaning recipes, reviews of products from readers like you, and tests I've done on various cleaners, stain removers and laundry supplies.
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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only, and Stain-Removal-101.com provides it as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some stain removal methods can harm your item, so if the stained item is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.
See the A-Z Stain Removal Guide for even more types of stains.
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