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How do the stripes get into toothpaste? |
Everyday Marvels
Companies who make toothpaste have been putting colorful stripes in it for several decades, using the design of a very clever toothpaste tube!
Even though you might never guess, the secret behind your striped toothpaste is a special little pipe that lies inside of the toothpaste tube. If you were to cut open an empty tube of toothpaste, you’d see that a short distance before the tube’s nozzle was a small piece of another tube. This inner tube separates the toothpaste into compartments – a larger compartment where the “main” toothpaste is kept (usually white) and one or two other compartments holding the specially-colored additions that make up the stripes!
In order to squeeze out of the tube in nice, uniform stripes, the special inner tube is made with two small holes in either side, connecting the compartment of the white paste to those with the colors. When the toothpaste tube is squeezed, the inner tube directs the flow of all two or three colors out the nozzle and onto your brush at the very same time!
Toothpaste trivia!
Before toothpaste could be purchased in tubes, people used all kinds of other things to brush their teeth! In the early 1900’s, for example, some people brushed their teeth with a mix of baking soda and salt.
Today, it’s estimated that Americans spend about $2 billion a year on dental hygiene products like toothpaste, dental floss, and mouthwash!
