11 Great Household Cleaners You Never Knew You Needed

No matter what type of home you have—whether it's a three-story house or a three-room apartment—you're going to run into messes that you're not sure how to tackle. For me, it's wall scuff marks and a smelly garbage disposal. For you, it might be smudged stainless steel or water spots on your glassware.

To help you combat these unique messes, we've found the best specialty cleaning products on the market. These are specialist's tools, designed to help you keep every inch of your home sparkling clean. And with everything from copper cleaner to coffee maker descaler, there's something on this list for everyone.

Kitchen Cleaners

Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes

{{amazon name="Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes, 30 count", asin="B008RG4JTC", align="right"}} If you own stainless-steel appliances, you're probably all too familiar with how easily they can accumulate streaks and smudges. It's just a fact of life, especially if you're an avid cook.

To get rid of them, there are a handful of DIY methods you can try, but it might be easier to just pick up some Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes. These specially formulated wipes can be used on everything from sinks to grills, and will make any stainless-steel appliance shine.

CleanCup Descaling Liquid

{{amazon name="CleanCup Descaling Liquid for Home Coffee Machines (14 oz bottle)", asin="B00E1NPB3I", align="right"}} Just about every American household includes a coffee maker, and odds are most Americans rarely descale the lines in their machines (if ever). That's unfortunate, since coffee makers are actually quite dirty. To stay on top of things, we recommend finding a suitable cleaner for your machine.

One of the best-selling products for this purpose is CleanCup Descaling Liquid. This liquid will remove limescale from the interior of your machine and leave it clean and ready to safely supply your caffeine fix. The only downside? One bottle of this stuff is only good for three uses, so you'll have to stock up.

Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner

{{amazon name="Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner, 6 Tablets", asin="B002R0DXQE", align="right"}} You might think dishwashers clean themselves, but you'd be wrong. Many modern dishwashers have filters that need to be cleaned, and they can also develop water deposits that need to be removed to keep the appliance running smoothly.

Whirlpool's Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner is a best-seller that works in any dishwasher to remove hard water deposits and get rid of funky odors. Unfortunately, it won't take care of the filter for you. That one still has to be done by hand.

Finish Jet Dry Rinse Aid

{{amazon name="Finish Jet Dry Rinse Aid", asin="B004OB3FP8", align="right"}} If you're consistently getting spotty glasses and dishes from your dishwasher, you should probably try rinse aid. This liquid forms a hydrophobic coating on your dishes that repels water and prevents water spots from forming.

Finish Jet Dry Rinse Aid is easily the most popular rinse aid solution, reliably getting the job done and leaving your glasses with a spot-free shine.

Glisten Disposer Care

{{amazon name="Glisten DP06N-PB Disposer Care Foaming Garbage Disposer Cleaner", asin="B002E37158", align="right"}} If there's one appliance in your kitchen that's likely to go unnoticed, it's your garbage disposal. This handy device makes it easy to get rid of food waste, but that means it also comes into contact with all kinds of gross stuff. Even so, it probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you're cleaning your kitchen, since it hides under your sink.

You can always toss a few lemon wedges into the disposal to give it a pleasant smell, but if you want a really deep clean, you can try Glisten Disposer Care. The product is essentially a soap packet that you drop into your disposal and then grind up with the disposal blades while the water runs. It creates a foam that'll break down the gunk inside and leave your disposal clean and ready to work.

Bar Keepers Friend

{{amazon name="Bar Keepers Friend® Cleanser & Polish", asin="B000V72992", align="right"}} Every kitchen needs a good multi-purpose cleaner, and a favorite among Reviewed.com writers is Bar Keepers Friend. This versatile cleaner works on a variety of special surfaces, including stainless steel, ceramic, copper, porcelain, and more. For instance, ever find that your stainless-steel skillet has a weird hazy sheen? This stuff will take care of it.

If you have an item made from one of these more temperamental materials, it's likely that Bar Keepers Friend can clean it without causing damage. Regardless, there are still some materials that you shouldn't use this product on, including marble, gold, silver, and a few others. Read the packaging before slathering it on!

Home Cleaners

Method Wood for Good Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner

{{amazon name="Method Wood for Good Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner", asin="B015RZZR5K", align="right"}} Most people usually just vacuum, sweep, or maybe Swiffer their floors, but hardwood flooring should also be mopped every so often, just like tile. Doing so keeps grit from getting ground into the grain and destroying their shine.

Method Wood for Good Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner is a customer favorite that uses "naturally derived" cleaning ingredients, meaning the stuff both cleans and isn't super toxic. It has a pleasant almond scent, and will deodorize your hardwood flooring while helping it shine.

Howard Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner

{{amazon name="Howard Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner", asin="B001BKQYGW", align="right"}} In addition to a hardwood floor cleaner, you may need a good wood polish for furniture, wooden railings, and other natural surfaces. Howard Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner is Amazon's #1 best-seller for wood polishes. The cleaner is made with beeswax and orange oil, a combo that both prevents wood from drying out and protects it with a thin layer of water-resistant wax.

This stuff won't restore worn-out wood (the company offers a different product for that), but with continued use, you should be able to protect your wooden products and keep them looking good for years to come.

{{amazon name="Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, Original (16 Count)", asin="B016YWN5TU", align="right"}}

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

If you've never used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser before, hold on tight—it might just blow your mind.

When you get them wet, these soft white sponges release a chemical cocktail that will remove stains and scuffs from walls and other surfaces, making them look just like new. The only issue with these sponges is that they don't last very long, but considering what they can do, they're definitely worth the money.

Goo Gone Original Cleaner

{{amazon name="Goo Gone Original Cleaner", asin="B00006IBNJ", align="right"}} Ever peeled adhesive tape off of something only to find that it's still sticky? And if not, everyone knows what it's like trying to get gum off the bottom of a shoe. These common types of frustrations led our staffers to recommend Goo Gone Original Cleaner.

This supremely versatile cleaner works on pretty much anything that's sticky, along with things like candle wax and crayons. The product supposedly works on everything from carpet to hard surfaces. Still, there's no guarantee that it won't damage certain surfaces, so be sure to use it carefully (and maybe spot-test it on surfaces you're iffy on).

Lemi Shine Washing Machine Cleaner

{{amazon name="Lemi Shine Washing Machine Cleaner", asin="B00VRAIJ1Y", align="right"}} Lemi Shine is best known for its line of hard water–removing products, but the company also makes a variant of its cleaner specifically for washing machines.

Lemi Shine Washing Machine Cleaner will clean and deodorize your washer, as well as remove hard water deposits, which the company claims will help your machine perform better. Considering how easy it is for washing machines—especially front-loaders—to get stinky, Lemi Shine could be a big help in keeping your home odor-free.

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