Posts tagged ‘stain’
White Wine also Stains Teeth
By Kaye Nemec
We’ve long been told that coffee, marinara sauce and red wine will leave our teeth stained and in need of whitening. Dentists have warned us about letting these foods sit on our teeth for too long without brushing. But, it turns out we also need to be cautious when drinking white wine if we want our pearly whites shiny and bright.
It’s not just the color of red wine that affects our teeth, it is also the acidic nature of wine that helps stain and darken our teeth. In fact, red wine and white wine are equally acidic. The acids erode tooth enamel, which is there to protect your teeth.
Because red wine contains dark pigments that will stain your teeth, you get a two-for-one deal when drinking it. Not only will the acid rough up the surface of your teeth, but it will also clear an immediate path for the red pigments to settle in and stain. White wine, on the other hand, will simply make way for stains and is more dangerous if paired with or consumed in a diet that also contains red sauce, coffee or cola.
Apparently, citrus drinks like orange and grapefruit juice, sodas and energy drinks also contain enough acid to have the same, damaging effect on the enamel of teeth. Because coffee, sodas, juices and energy drinks have become so popular, whitening agents and toothpastes have also increased dramatically in popularity over the last few years. It seems that dentists agree, it is OK to use a toothpaste with a whitening agent in it; however, it is recommended that you do not brush your teeth immediately after drinking wine. As mentioned above, the acid in the wine will weaken the enamel on your teeth. The weakening process will last about an hour so if you brush before that hour is up you risk brushing away bits and pieces of your weakened enamel causing further damage.
Broken Secrets
Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Email | Kindle
Sources: ToothMingle.com, NPR, DentalHealth.org
Photo: Danielle Bauer (cc)
You Shouldn’t Use Fabric Softener on Towels
I have a love-hate relationship with fabric softener.
The hate comes from all of the embarrassing moments they are responsible for. I remember being at work when a co-worker pointed out in front of a bunch of other people that a dryer sheet was hanging out of the bottom of my pant-leg. They all thought it was pretty funny of course, and I think most people have been there. I have a few other embarrassing dryer sheet stories, but the great things about them are more interesting.
Fabric softener is really useful in your laundry and understanding what it does and how it affects fabric is important to knowing when to use it.
Most modern washing machines have a reservoir that can automatically add fabric softener liquid to the load during the rinse cycle. Of course, fabric softeners are also available in my favorite form: dryer sheets. (more…)
Casino Carpets Are Ugly So You Gamble More
The same goes for the ceilings. Look at the carpet and ceiling in the photo below.
The carpet is so busy and obnoxious, it’s actually hard to stare at — so you look up. The ceiling does the same thing with bright lights and focusing shapes, so you look down. What do you see? People gambling. That’s the only thing they want you to think about.
There is even a professor at the University of Nevada who wants casino carpet hermeneutics as a legitimate academic discourse.
Fitting a bland or unsightly carpet, along with bright, sterile lighting allows the player to focus on any number of games, whether it is a bit of Texas hold’em or even a spot of Omaha Hi. Garish flooring designs of this kind have also been proven to offer players something of a ‘wake-up’ effect without the need for coffee or other less natural stimulants.
It all adds to the bright lights and big inviting noises that make casinos such a great place for poker games, slots and familiar games like roulette and blackjack. This assault on the senses not only ensures that players remain alert, engaged and enthralled but that they also keep coming back for more.
The effect of this combination of lighting and carpet is further enhanced by the lack of windows within the majority of casinos – with proprietors eager to confuse players into not knowing what time it is and how long they have been gambling.
The busy carpet has another advantage, it camouflages stains. Casino carpets get vacuumed once a day, usually between 3am and 6am so they need to hide dirt the rest of the time. In fact, anytime you see really busy fabrics in high traffic areas (office buildings, hotels, malls, theaters, etc.), they’re often selected for their stain hiding abilities.
Big thanks to Todd M for submitting this secret!
Photo: Old Shoe Woman (CC) | Sources: AC, SFGate, MeetingsNet
Broken Secrets 