3 Surprising Uses for Everyday Cleaning Products

Every month in Good Housekeeping magazine, we feature what we call a "double-duty." It's an innovative or unusual use for a gadget or product that you have around the house. Here are my favorite alternative uses for three products likely stashed in your cleaning cabinet. Hopefully, you'll find them both surprising and helpful.

1. Remove Stickers with Laundry Stain Remover Next time you have to remove a stubborn price sticker or its gooey residue from a vase, glass, dish or other hard, non-porous surface, head to your laundry room. The same pre-treater that erases spots and stains from fabric will also dissolve the black, tacky adhesive and bits of paper that often get left behind when you try to peel off a label. Simply saturate the sticker with the spray and work it in with your finger. Let it sit about 30 seconds, then scrape the softened gunk off with your fingernail. Wash the item in hot sudsy water.

Related: Ultimate Summer Stain Buster

2. Clean Summer Espadrilles with Foaming Carpet Cleaner I discovered this tip while developing a story for my monthly "Speed Cleaning" column. Don't you hate it when the braided wedge on a great pair of summer espadrilles starts to look dirty and dingy? It really ruins the look of the shoe. And it's tough to clean the roping without damaging it. I needed a product that could pull dirt up and out of fabric. Then, voila! I thought about foaming carpet cleaner, like Woolite. It's formulated to grab onto and suspend carpet soil until you vacuum it away, so why wouldn't it work the same way on my shoes? And happily, it did! All you do is apply some foam to the braid and gently work it in with a soft toothbrush. Allow it to dry (about 30 minutes), and then carefully brush away any residue going with, not against, the braid. Your shoes will instantly look newer!

Related: Easy Ways to Clean With What You Already Have Around the House

3. Spiff Up Stainless Steel Sinks with Furniture Polish It doesn't take long after cleaning for a stainless steel sink to become water spotted and stained. To help it stay shiny longer, apply a light coat of furniture polish to the metal. First clean and dry the sink. Then, apply some of your regular furniture polish to a cloth and wipe the sink. A thin layer is all you need. If the metal looks streaky, you've applied too much. Just buff away any excess with a clean cloth. You can even give the faucet a quick swipe, too. The protective layer that the polish provides will help water drain and dry faster leaving fewer spots behind. Reapply the polish whenever you clean the sink.

Do you have any great double-duty uses for cleaning products? If so, I'd love to hear about them. Please comment below to let me know. For more speed cleaning and double duty ideas, check out our online Home Speed-Cleaning Guide.

-By Carolyn Forte

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