My landlord in Albany told me to just 'patch the drywall with toothpaste'

I had a small hole from a doorknob and my landlord said to use toothpaste as filler. Tried it and it cracked and fell out in two days. Switched to a $5 tub of spackle from the hardware store. That stuff holds up way better and you can sand it smooth. Now I just keep a small container for any little wall dings before move-out. Has anyone else gotten weird DIY tips from their landlord that backfired?

2 comments

2 Comments

hall.ruby6d ago

That $5 spackle tub probably saved you more than just the wall repair too. I had a guy tell me once that toothpaste works because it "has the same pH as drywall" which is utterly false and honestly a little dangerous. Left a weird yellow stain on my white wall that bleach wouldn't touch. Had to paint over it anyway, so the spackle ended up being cheaper in the long run since I didn't have to buy a quart of paint to cover the stain.

sandra7156d ago

Ugh, the toothpaste trick... that's such a classic landlord special. I tried that once for a tiny nail hole and it just crumbled out like you said. It's honestly a shame they'd rather give bad advice than just let you use the right stuff from the start.