14 Surprising Household Cleaners

From minty fresh breath to shiny silver jewelry, here are all the ways you can use toothpaste around the house:

• Polish bathroom faucets and hardware.
• Get rid of shower door soap scum.
• Prevent mirrors from fogging up.
• Scrub away build-up on curling irons and hair straighteners.
• Make leather and vinyl shoes scuff free.
• Shine silver jewelry.
• Make piano keys sparkle.
• Save a cell phone screen by buffing away light scratches.

Outside of the kitchen, lemon juice goes to work to act as a natural stain remover, furniture polish, and glass cleaner:

• Polish aluminum, chrome, stainless steel, and copper.
• Remove stains from marble countertops.
• Clean coffee makers and tea kettles.
• Remove food stains from plastic containers and dishes.
• Kill bacteria and odors on wooden cutting boards.
• Get rid of yellow underarm stains on clothes.
• Whiten clothes.
• Remove rust and mildew stains on clothes.
• Mix with olive oil to make a great furniture polish.
• Make glass vases, windows, and mirrors sparkle.

We've all heard about the endless magical properties of coconut oil. See for yourself just how versatile this miracle product really is!

• Quiet a squeaky door hinge.
• Remove labels from glass jars.
• Make wooden furniture gleam.
• Restore leather furniture, handbags, and shoes.
• Polish away streaks on stainless steel appliances.
• Get rid of tree sap, bird droppings, and dead bugs without damaging the paint on your car.
• Mix with baking soda to scrub away soap scum on shower stalls.

Love it or hate it, ketchup is good for more than just a hot dog.

• Shine silver, copper, and brass cookware and jewelry.
• Neutralize skunk odor on human and animal hair and skin.
• After washing your car, give it a quick shine with ketchup and a good buffing.

Our favorite way to use coffee grounds is in the garden. Learn about all the benefits of this eco-friendly product and never toss your grounds again!

• Sprinkle grounds inside and outside to keep away unwanted pests.
• Deodorize the garbage disposal with just a tablespoon of grounds.
• Boost the growth of acid-loving plants like azaleas, blueberries, and roses.
• Get rid of onion odor on hands and cutting boards.

Prefer tea over coffee? Here's what to do:

• Add a shine to hardwood floors with a tea solution.
• Get rid of refrigerator and cooking odors with dry tea bags.
• Freshen and clean the inside of a microwave with wet or dry tea bags.
• Steep away toilet bowl stains.
• Use brewed unsweetened tea to make mirrors and windows sparkle.
• Absorb odors in stinky shoes with dry tea bags.

If you're missing a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from your medicine cabinet, now's the time to stock up!

• Whiten white clothes with hydrogen peroxide as a less harsh alternative to chlorine bleach.
• Remove blood, berry, dye stains, and mildew odors from clothes.
• Disinfect a clothes washer by adding one cup to an empty washer and run a hot water wash cycle.

Do you like to wear rubber gloves when tackling particularly big messes? Grab some corn starch and thank us later.

• Absorb grease stains on clothes, carpet, and upholstery.
• Polish silver with a water and cornstarch paste.
• Freshen and remove stains from stuffed animals.
• Make rubber gloves more comfortable and keep them fresh smelling.
• Remove oil stains from concrete floors and patios.
• Clean glass cooktops with a paste made from one part water and two parts cornstarch.
• Freshen mattresses and pillows.

Kill bacteria, remove stains, and boost normal cleaning all with a bottle of rubbing alcohol:

• Remove ink stains from fabrics and leather surfaces.
• Clean washer and dryer door latches so they operate smoothly.
• Kill bacteria and clean cell phones, keyboards, and remote controls.
• Cut through hairspray buildup on mirrors.
• Make bathroom sinks and faucets shine and kill bacteria. No need to rinse, the alcohol simply evaporates.
• Quickly defrost icy windows with a quick spritz.

As all home cooks already know, a bit of olive oil goes a long way.

• Scrub cast iron cookware with a paste of olive oil and salt. Rinse in hot water and dry well.
• Remove paint from hands and even window glass with a bit of oil, followed by soap or window cleaner.
• Lighten scratches on leather furniture with a drop of oil on a cotton swab. Buff with a soft cloth.
• Shine stainless steel appliances with a bit of oil, then buff with a soft cloth.
• Create a great furniture polish with two parts olive oil and one part lemon juice.
• Make patent leather shoes sparkle with a drop of olive oil and a quick cloth shine.
• Unstick a zipper with a drop on a cotton swab rubbed along the zipper teeth.

Some people swear by baking soda as an all-purpose cleaning product. Once you try it, you'll never go back to commercial cleaners.

• Sprinkle on a small cooking fire to quickly prevent a more serious disaster.
• Scrub away soap scum on shower stalls that could easily scratch with harsher cleaners.
• Remove tough odors like sweat, mildew, and perfume from laundry.
• Freshen your car's interior.
• Soften fabrics naturally by removing soil and detergent residue by adding one cup baking soda to the rinse cycle.
• Make your iron glide smoothly by removing gunk from the iron's soleplate.
• Mix equal parts baking soda and distilled white vinegar to clean a garbage disposal. You'll love the bubbling action!

Vinegar to the laundry room is like peanut butter to the pantry. Find out all the ways you can clean with this product:

• Brighten white clothes and cut through tough odors by adding a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
• Unclog a showerhead.
• Lighten or erase hem lines after altering clothes by dabbing fabric with vinegar before ironing.
• Cut through grease on countertops, cooktops, and small appliances.
• Spritz on weeds as a natural weed killer.
• Clean away residue from inside an empty dishwasher by adding one cup of vinegar to a bowl and running a wash cycle.
• Safely remove a bumper sticker by soaking it in vinegar.
• Eliminate paint fumes by placing bowls of vinegar in a freshly painted room.

Not everyone uses dryer sheets in their laundry, but you might want to start once you discover all the other ways you can use them.

• Safely scrub non-stick pans to remove stuck-on food and grease.
• Lift away pet hair from clothes and furniture by rubbing briskly with a dryer sheet.
• Stop static cling by rubbing legs or arms with a dryer sheet.
• Dust electronic equipment and window screens with used sheets.

Just like coffee grounds, coffee filters are multi-purpose products that will have you skipping the Keurig from now on.

• Use when reheating food plates and bowls to prevent splatters inside the microwave.
• Leave windows and mirrors lint-free by using a filter to clean glass.
• Keep china dishware scratch-free by placing a filter between each plate or cup.
• Save wine drinkers from broken cork by using a coffee filter to strain the wine.
• Make gardening easier by placing a coffee filter in the bottom of a planter to stop soil from escaping the drain holes.