Ketchup to polish brass and liquid Ivory soap to recondition leather. The ketchup is only so-so on brass, but I brought a dry leather topped table back to life with liquid ivory soap (it must have been diluted; I no longer remember).

Check Pinterest these days for a gajillion crazy tips, some that seem plausible and others that seem downright nuts.

white toothpaste for cleaning white shoes. It's slightly abrasive and gets them very clean.

Also, canola oil for dirty crankcase oil and/or grass stains. You really rub it in, then wash in hot water with lots of detergent. The oil dissolves the grass/crankcase oil and the detergent lifts it out of the fabric. Obvs the fabric must be washable.

Hand sanitizer for removing ink stains - great instant fix in the office if you happen to swipe your clothing with a ballpoint pen.

White strong spirit (vodka or similar) to remove fruit (and wine) stains on fabric. BEFORE washing put some kitchen paper under the stain and with a finger dipped in spirit wet the spot. And watch the stain disappear. I removed from cotton peach and red wine stains. I tried on already washed red wine stains but the improvement was minimal.

I use denture cleaner for a lot of things. To clean the drains in sinks and showers, to clean brushes (especially the ones I use for cleaning), small objects with difficult to reach corners and obviously vases.

@ Dardi
That's really interesting about the vodka - is it the alcohol that does the trick? Would denatured alcohol work the same way? I hate to waste my designer vodka and stain removal.

@Dulcibella
I'm not really sure....I do use denatured alcohol (when I can find it) to remove ink but I never tried with fruit stains. I just used few drops of vodka (and I think I once used rum) to remove fruit stains. And I never tried vodka to remove ink...good question yours!

Thinking of white toothpaste: Do you have cloudy headlights on your car? Buff them with white toothpaste. The effect lasts about 6 months. You can get it permanently done for about $70, but I'd much rather use 2 cents worth of toothpaste.

Regarding fruit stains: I have two small children, so stains are my life. I find plain white vinegar works for may fruit stains. It is especially good for strawberry and blueberry. It doesn't work for orange stains, though. Maybe vodka works on that? For red wine, I was told to take hot water and pour onto the stain from a height of about a meter--sounds crazy, but it works. I might try the vodka on the orange stains, but if you want to save the vodka, you can use vinegar for strawberry and blueberry ; )

I had an idea born out of frustration during a team mass house clean out a few months ago. After I tried sweeping with 2-3 different ratty, plastic bristles sticking every which way and ruining my clean sweep, brooms I grabbed a pair of heavy duty scissors and gave the broom a serious trim. I cut off all the wayward pieces and Viola! like new broom! I have since tried this technique with every misbehaving broom I have encountered! I even made an angled broom out of a straight one. I see myself buying less brooms in the future!

i used nail polished remover for some hard-to-get sticky sticker situations..

Rain-X on your home's windows on the outside and bath mirrors. Keeps them clean for a very long time-rain/steam just slides off and dirt doesn't seem to stick. If it works for car windshields, it works for other glass too.

My late mother had this 1920's home economics thing similar to the canola oil tip. She would rub vegetable shortning (Crisco) on oil stains and pour boiling water over them, then wash with mild soap. Worked like a charm.

Peroxide will remove blood stains from carpet. Once cut my foot on a shard of broken glass and managed to bleed on my bathroom rug (white, natch). I poured a bunch of peroxide on it; it bubbled predictably and I just picked up the bubbles with some TP. Did this a couple times, and then gave a little scrub with the last dose of peroxide. I still use that rug and even I can't tell you where the bloody spot was.

The real simple cleaning book is filled with lots of info. Like use dilute rubbing alcohol to clean glazed tile. I used the bleach pens to tackle moldy spots in the bathroom and kitchen, just remember to wipe it off. My other tip to make bathroom cleaning easier, dust and sweep, then wipe everything down.

I use a broom when cleaning the shower. Not only do you get your broom clean at the same time, but you don't have to crawl on your hands and knees scrubbing every nook and cranny. It's like a giant shower toothbrush!

Speaking of stickers, need to remove a sticker easily from new dishes or anything? Use a blow dryer, reheat the adhesive and watch it just peel away. Works much better than getting wet and scrubbing for 20 minutes in the sink.

@Hethyr - Thanks for that tip on cloudy headlights!! I may try that tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

em liquid. it seems to be huge everywhere but america, but it is amazing. plus, once you get some, you can make it yourself.

I use liquid dish detergent for food grease stains on clothing. got a grease stain out of a shirt that had been there for six months and at least 20 washes. apply liquid dish detergent directly on stain. use enough detergent so that it soaks all the way through to the other side of the fabric. let it sit for at least an hour before throwing in the wash. be careful using color detergent on light color fabrics.

Dishwasher detergent, like Cascade. Has to be the liquid form. I smear it inside things that have a white enamel on them, kitchen sinks, bathtubs, even toilets that have stains. Make sure everything is covered and let it dry. Then rinse it off with warm water. You won't remember the last time your sink looked so white! ;)