1. Salt
Don't let dirty dishes turn your sink into an oil slick. Add a dash of salt – or more, depending on the mess – into pots and pans before you wash them to help absorb the grease.

2. Dish-washing brush
Why limit a long-handled brush's scrubbing powers to the sink? Take advantage of its reach to clean the coils on the back of your refrigerator and enjoy the added bonus of making your fridge more energy efficient.

3. Wax paper
Here's a great way to use up that impulse bulk wax paper purchase (it was a terrific price for 500 feet, I know): after giving your chrome fixtures their typical rubdown,buff them up with wax paper for a fingerprint-free finish.

4. Cornstarch
Good gravy! Did you know that a dusting of cornstarch on a soft cloth (plus a little gumption) is all you need to remove grease splatters from kitchen walls?

5. Rubber gloves
Give your rubber gloves a break from dish duty. Run your gloved hands over couches, chairs and other soft furnishings to pick up pesky pet hair.

For more home cleaning solutions, check out our natural cleaning products for spring cleaning story.