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May 16, 2023

28 Ways To Clean Things, Instead Of Replacing Them

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Time to take a pumice stone to the horror show toilet in your new house that you've been trying to ignore.

BuzzFeed Staff

Enhances the natural beauty and depth of grain on finished *and* unfinished wood. For use on antiques, dining tables, kitchen cabinets, wood doors and trim, etc.

Promising review: "Very impressed so far. Just tried this stuff on one of our kitchen cabinets and it really did a nice job. The cabinets are 15-year-old cherry-stained hard work cabinets (oak, maybe?) and are scratched deeply in certain parts from the previous owner's dogs. Twenty minutes after applying this product and wiping it off, I can't complain at all about the results. It looks great in the picture, and even better in real life, where you are not focusing on staring at imperfections. In addition to helping tremendously with the blemishes, it also leaves a nice glossy shine on the cabinets, making them look clean and fresh (not over-the-top glossy and fake). For the minimal price, I can't complain at all. Finally, I used about a 1/3 of an ounce to do the 36" double base cabinets and the 36" wide drawer, so I believe the 16-ounce bottle will last quite a while." —Patrick Gallagher

Get it from Amazon for $11.08.

Saving a piece of furniture is well worth the (small) price tag IMO, but it's also reusable!

Promising review: "Worked wonders! I spilled nail polish remover on my nightstand. This worked like magic! Just rub lightly with the cloth." —JMac

Get it from Amazon for $8.17.

Promising review: "I have a seasonal home with an oven that I thought was so far gone that I'd have to replace it. I had to do a little scraping off the bottom with a spatula, but you can see how bad it was." —Jilly Bean

Get it from Amazon for $8.98.

To understand just *how* versatile this product is, check out Bar Keepers Friend review, and prepare to be amazed!

Promising review (for the pics on the left): "I’ve been using this to clean up my truck. It works great on rust and scratched-up windows and foggy headlights." —C. Baker

Promising review (for the pics on the right): "With a little elbow grease and this product, your pots/pans will come back to life. This took me about eight minutes. Amazing results at a fair price." —Alyssa Hinojosa

Get it from Amazon for $8.38.

Seriously, a swipe of this stuff made the goo leftover from a magnet wipe away like magic — of course, after I'd ruined a manicure unsuccessfully scratching away at it.

Promising review: "I used this on my JBL LSR4236P Studio Monitors, and it worked very well. For some reason, JBL decided to put some kind of weird adhesive on the front of these monitors, which caught every piece of cat hair and dust that touched it over the years. Used this with some paper towels and a little elbow grease, and the adhesive came off quickly. The picture I added: (Left) After Goo Gone; (Right) Before Goo Gone." —Andrew

Get it from Amazon for $8.13.

Promising review: "Used it on our tubs, toilets, sinks, and shower. Compared it to the It Works Bathroom you can get at The Dollar Tree. It took one bottle of this stuff to achieve the same result as three bottles of the It Works. I will buy this again hands down. I tried the powder, which was good for scrubbing and soaking the tub, but the spray was fantastic for the shower and sink. Just spray, walk away for a few minutes, and wipe/rinse." —Carrie D

Get it from Amazon for $6.98.

Promising review: "I wasn't sure if this was a gimmick or not. Turns out it works really well. I have four metal thermos-like containers that are used to keep tea warm every day. Over time, the tea stained the insides and was very difficult to remove. I added one of these tablets to the container, filled it with hot water, and let it sit for a few hours. When I came back to rinse it out, I was literally amazed at how clean it was. I think it looked cleaner than when they were new. I called my wife over to show her, and she was equally impressed. Awesome product!" —Robert A Moreno II

Get 12 tablets from Amazon for $8.

Psst, this will work on porcelain sinks too! Just please buy a separate one than the one you use on your toilet. Eek.

Promising review: "We rented a home, and the toilets were disgusting. Someone suggested a pumice stone, and let me tell you — it was amazing!! The picture is after just five minutes with the stone. I tried bleach, every toilet bowl cleaner available, and countless hours of scrubbing to no avail...but this stone worked instantly! I will be buying several more!! The stone does dissolve when scrubbing, so you need a couple. I was able to do almost two toilets that looked awful completely with one stone!!" —CristaCross

Get it from Amazon for $11.99.

Promising review: "This cleanser is great! It fully removes all makeup from the brushes without leaving them feeling beat up (I'm not the most gentle when it comes to cleaning brushes). I use a thick foundation that soaks heavily into the bristles, but this removed it all. At first I thought it was a bit thin, but after using it, a little bit goes a long way. It has a nice lather, but very nicely and easily rinses out." —Kryssy

Get it from Amazon for $7.99.

Promising review: "I was able to clean up a tea set given to my grandfather 40 years ago. This stuff worked amazingly!" —Kristi Lane

Get it from Amazon for $10.95.

Package includes 20 saturated wipes that are each 5.5” x 7.9”.

Promising review: "It was so satisfying to watch the tarnish wipe right off! I'm no silver snob/don't know a lot about taking care of it, so I'm not sure if this product is the best for your high-end silver, but for me it definitely does the trick! It took me three to four wipes for the pitcher and two for the cream and sugar bowls. It looks like I probably used a third of the container. (Though the wipes were still very saturated, they had so much black/tarnish, I would start a new rag. I'm not sure if it's recommended to just keep using it even when it gets all ruddy?) So this might not be the most reasonable option if you have a large amount of silver." —Lauren

Get a container of 20 wipes from Amazon for $9.97.

Gently removes dirt, dust, and grime from jewelry, eyeglasses, and watches in five preset cleaning cycles without damaging them.

Promising review: "I just used this, and I am IN LOVE!! I paired it with the Blitz jewelry cleaner. My rings were gross from lotion, sunscreen, hand soap, sweat etc. I don't have time to run to my jeweler to get them professionally cleaned. This does the trick, and same exact results! In three minutes 💕" —Rebecca Morea

Get it from Amazon for $39.99.

Promising review: "I worked several years in a fine jewelry store that sold this product. We used the Dazzle Stik from time to time to add a quick shine to merchandise that was just tried on, and on days our jeweler was not there to professionally clean items. I was always impressed with the instant shine the diamond stick provided. The brush tip is very helpful for getting under the stones and in the setting where gunk builds up, reducing that brilliant shine. I recently got engaged and immediately purchased a Diamond Dazzle stick of my own. It's the perfect way to quickly give my ring some shine before leaving the house. You simply brush, rinse, dry, and go. I don't feel this product replaces the need to professionally clean your jewelry every now and then, but it does help with the maintenance of that new shiny sparkle." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $6.84.

Check out our full review of Diamond Dazzle Stik here!

Promising review: "OK, so I am somewhat of a clean freak, and I run bleach through the jets prob twice a month on top of my daily weekly cleaning. And I was skeptical about how this product could get it any cleaner than I thought it was. Well I am here to tell you this pic is after the second cleaning with this cleaner!!!! I am a believer and would highly recommend this product to anyone with a jetted tub!!" —Momof2greatboys

Get it from Amazon for $16.99.

Useful Products is a US-based small business established in 2007 by car wash owner, electrician, and former bodybuilder Anthony LaPolla that specializes in drill-cleaning brushes and attachments.

Each of the different brush colors indicates which tasks the brushes are meant for based on their bristle type, so be sure to check which one is best suited for whatever you need to for! Yellow is the “all-purpose” medium bristle, but some are softer and harder depending on what types of surfaces you’re cleaning (but none of them will scratch!).

Promising review: "I’m in love with this. I manage many apartment properties, and finding people to do the cleaning has been tricky business, so I end up having to get in and clean these horrendous filth pods tenants lived in and left me to deal with when they move out. The ovens and stove tops are usually the worst, and I absolutely hate cleaning. I came across this drill attachment set, and let me tell you, it helped me tremendously! I still had to get in with a putty knife on some of them, but it really cut down my elbow-grease time. If it wasn’t for this drill attachment, I think my arms would have just fallen off trying to clean it as good as I did! My only con would be that it doesn’t have any extension of any sort, so I really had my drill all up in that oven, but well worth it." —alicia haats

Get it from Amazon for $14.95+ (available in five color combos).

Promising review: "Wow! After YEARS of elbow grease and zero results, I tried this stuff before giving up and stripping the old caulking from the top of my shower. I’m so glad that I did too! I mean, look at these results! Granted, it was on for about eight hours instead of six because I forgot about it, but the black mold/mildew just rinsed away — no scrubbing at all! STOKED! Super easy to use too!" —Nice marmot!

Get it from Amazon for $14.99.

Also, built-up lint is a fire hazard! Make it a part of your weekly cleaning routine.

Promising review: "This is exactly the same type as the one used by the appliance repairman who repaired my dryer last week; easy to use inside the dryer filter holder as well as the outside vent." —ab

Get it from Amazon for $6.99.

Promising review: "I have a pair of minimalist sneakers that just reeked during this past summer. They were starting to make my entire hallway smell. So I gave these a try. I continued wearing the sneakers daily and put these in them each night. It took a few days before the odor started to go away, but after about a week the sneakers were much fresher. I'm still using them, and they are still working just fine. Just leave them in the sun for a day if they start to smell." —Joshua

Get a pack of two from Amazon for $9.99.

Promising review: "We have ridiculously hard water. The Culligan guy who tested it was surprised it doesn’t come out of the faucet as a solid. My dishes, especially my Pyrex bowls and casserole dishes, were almost white from the buildup. Nothing ever seemed clean. I tried this, and it’s an absolute miracle. My dishes are clean again. See the comparison in the picture — bowl on the left is 'clean'; it was washed without the Finish booster. The bowl on the right was washed with. I’m totally not kidding — it completely does what it says!" —CB

Get it from Amazon for $7.24.

Promising review: "Moved into a new house and thought the dishwasher was broken. We avoided using it for SEVERAL MONTHS while we saved for a new one. Called a repair service, described what was wrong, and they suggested using Affresh first. After two uses, the dishwasher was good as new — never replaced it. Thank you!" —Mojito

Get a six-pack from Amazon for $8.98.

Designed to penetrate, dissolve, and remove odor-causing residue. Tablet dissolves slowly, lasting throughout the entire wash cycle and breaking up residue better than bleach. Safe to use with front-load washing machines, top- load washing machines, and high-efficiency (HE) and conventional washers. Recommended for monthly use.

Promising review: "This is really the only HE washer cleaner I buy. It leaves my washer with that fresh smell — not that it stinks — and clean after each use. How do I know it's clean? I can see some the residual gunk on the inner wall of the washer drum when the cleaning is done. I just have to wipe it off of course. Using other brands, I can't even tell if the appliance has really been cleaned or not." —AES

Get a five-pack from Amazon for $10.99.

Promising review: "I bought this because my AirPods case got stained from the pockets of my black scrubs. I saw online that people have used Mr. Clean Magic Erasers safely and efficiently to clean it off. And no lies were detected. LOOK AT THIS 😭. Looks almost brand new." —Daneal

Get a nine-pack from Amazon for $5.44.

Promising review: "This stuff is magic! Works in seconds! I highly, highly recommend." —Diane Harper

Get it from Amazon for $7.95.

It can remove oil, grease, ink, grass, and blood stains for all my vampires out there. Psst, a few months ago I recommended this to a friend who fell in a puddle of motor oil on a sidewalk and then accidentally wiped it on her camel coat. It got the stains out!

Promising review: "This stuff is so amazing. I'm a witness. My 2-year-old baby wrote all over my white leather couch. I tried multiple things and nothing worked but Grandma's Secret Spot Remover. I love this stuff." —L. Nix

Get two bottles from Amazon for $9.14.

Promising review: "I probably bought the product without reading much into it. The important thing to know is that you need to buy sandpaper separately. I wet-sanded with 400, then 1,000, then 2,500 and skipped the compound/polish step to achieve the results you see in the images." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $11.75 (sandpaper sold separately).

It has four sides: one to clean heavier scuff marks and stains, one to gently clean fine suede and light scuff marks, one to clean rounded corners, and one to clean hard-to-reach crevices and grooves.

Promising review: "I was really sad when I thought my bucks were at the end of their road, because I had always heard that suede couldn't be cleaned. With this brush and a little elbow grease, my bucks are looking great again! I didn't use any water or cleaner; I just kept wiping the brush off on my jeans to keep the brush clean, then hit the shoe again with a clean surface. It even brightened the leather up a bit." —Roberto

Get it from Amazon for $6.99.

Promising review: "I have had my Nike Roshe runs for about a year now, and I don't go easy on them. I play sports and run in the dirt with them all the time, but I also like to wear them for fashion purposes. Pink Miracle helped restore my daily shoes to look like I just bought them — now I can wear them for even longer. Very pleased with Pink Miracle. I will buy it again when I run out of my bottle." —Romario

Get it from Amazon for $17.97.

Promising review: "Amodex took ink out of my expensive scrubs. A pen leaked in my pocket and made a thick glob of ink stain on the scrub jacket and a little on the pants. After using the Amodex and washing in cold water, there is no evidence of a stain, and the fabric looks exactly how it looked before the stain. There was no damage or discoloration of the fabric. Thank you, Amodex. This product just saved me the $75 that it would have cost to replace the scrubs." —Michelle hammer

Get it from Amazon for $17.94.

Note: Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.