I knew about sunscreen losing its effectiveness after expiration, but that apparently goes the same for toothpaste and mouthwash. It isn’t really a ‘best before’ situation for these things as much as a use by date.
It can still be used after expiry. ie. toothpaste will still be a mild abrasive cleaner and mouthwash may remain antiseptic.
However the fluoride will no longer be effective or protect against cavities. (And the sunscreen will let you burn.)
Anyway. I just had the thought that as belts tighten there might be more people resorting to bulk buying or other cost effective measures, and wanted to share for others that didn’t yet know.
Generally toothpaste is good for two years from the manufacture date so buy accordingly. Or if an older tube is given to you by a friend, food pantry or shelter you might want to throw it away and buy a fresh one.
The other one that got me recently was hand sanitiser.
I assumed that because it’s mainly alcohol, that it would be fine. Alcohol doesn’t go off, right? But apparently because the container isn’t airtight, alcohol will evaporate over time making it not at the required concentration to kill off bugs.
I ended up chucking a heap of stuff I’d stockpiled from covid days …
Aldi’s Tricare Hand Sanitiser was easily the best value at the 250ml size. I pump this into smaller 60ml bottles to carry around, leave one in the car etc
Yeah, this was prompted by me chucking a few bottles of hoarded mouthwash