10 Quirky Cleaning Tricks for Emergency Cleaning

You have to do a quick cleanup before your guests arrive tonight but there’s a teeny-weeny problem—you’ve run out of cleaning supplies. Oh, no. We’ve got an emergency situation here because your house really needs a serious cleaning. Hold up! Before you go to the nearest janitor supplies store in Manila, raid your kitchen and bathroom first. You badly need some cleaning paraphernalia, right?

The products you are supposed to find should be in the ranks of the famed white vinegar and baking soda as wonder cleaning agents. White vinegar, as stated by davidsuzuki.org, is a great disinfectant, cuts grease and removes stains. Baking soda, which also goes by its lesser known name ‘sodium bicarbonate,’ is used for “cleaning, stain removal, laundry, odor removal,” says Stain Removal 101. Do the unconventional cleaning products below stand a chance to be worthy rivals? Just read on to find out:


Coca-Cola

It isn’t just a thirst quencher but it fights tough stains as well. Wise Bread provided a list of its other uses as follows:

• Remove the greasy stain on your garage floor by soaking it with this and hosing it off afterwards.
• Clean kettle and burnt-on pans. Soak it in coke and rinse.
• Clean toilet bowls with it. Pour the coke and after a few minutes flush it.

Ketchup

This condiment is a delicious partner of fried dishes but it could also help you out on your household chores. Lifehacker unlocks its cleaning abilities such as it restores the shine of your copper and silverware (thanks to its high viscosity). Got wheels? Use it to shine your car and alloys.


Toothpaste

According to lifehack.org, toothpaste is a good abrasive that is why it is used to “clean grouts; polish metal; and defog mirrors.”


Mayonnaise

Another common condiment made it on this list. Lifehack.org describes it as white gooey foodstuff that can “clean spills, oil-based paint, food stains off your wooden floors/furniture, and removes certain types of glue.”


Kool-Aid

It has similar properties to soft drinks. Just pour a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid in the toilet bowl, let it sit for a few minutes and then flush it.


Gatorade

This is the certified thirst quencher and toilet bowl cleaner, too. HuffingtonPost.com shares its secret concoction. Pour two cups of it in the commode; leave it for an hour; brush the surface; and flush it.


Salt

Burnt-on food spill is an unsightly mess on oven floors and stovetop. Sprinkle salt on the spill and wipe it after.


Coffee Grounds

A household tip from allyou.com. Eliminate odors inside your fridge by putting a bowl of coffee grounds and replace it every two months.


Mouthwash
This is another surprising hack from allyou.com where your pour a cup of mouthwash on a gallon of water, dilute it, then use this to clean your vinyl or tile floors.


Lemon
Microwaves are difficult to clean but that mess is no match for this citrus fruit. DoItYourself.com suggests diluting lemon juice and water in a microwave safe bowl, and then run the appliance for about three minutes.


Cornstarch

This ingredient is as awesome as baking soda in terms of cleaning. DoItYourself.com says it “is a wonderful tool for removing both the smell… as well as the stain left behind.” How? Sprinkle it on the stain, let it settle for 24 hours and vacuum.

Surprisingly, the products we’ve mentioned above are as tough as the janitorial supplies in Manila. Its chemical composition can remove stains, polish metals and deodorize your home to make it inviting for guests and cozy for its occupants. It’s quite disturbing though, because we also put these inside our mouths and we even digest them.