7 Tricks for Whitening Whites

Avoid stains and rings by spraying your tub or sink with oven cleaner. Let it sit for a few hours and then give it a thorough rinsing.

It happens to the best of us—after a while, white shirts kinda take on a yellowish hue. It may sound odd, but the way to counteract that is with blue, specifically liquid bluing detergent. Just one spin cycle and we bet you'll see a difference. (And now that you're a pro: Check out the eight white shirts you should add to your wardrobe.)

The hell with fancy whitening treatments. Sprinkle activated charcoal powder on your toothbrush and scrub away to whiten your smile. The powder is odorless and tasteless so you don't have to worry about gagging, but if you're still not sold on the charcoal idea, check out six more tricks for whiter-looking teeth.

Who doesn't love a bright red polish? What we we're not down with is the yellow stain it leaves behind post-manicure. Solution: Soak your tips in Grandma's denture cleaner for about five minutes. It works; we promise.

White dinnerware is gorgeous, but—unless it's the finest of china—it's bound to get gray and scuffed. To keep it looking like you just bought it, try Bar Keepers Friend (which you can find at hardware and grocery stores), an abrasive scrub long loved by restaurant folks.

Mold and mildew: Yep, it happens. Rather than waste your energy scrubbing, soak cotton coil (the stuff salons use to protect your skin while coloring your hair) in bleach, line the grout and let sit overnight. Awake to a bathroom that would make your mother proud.

Bet you didn't know that the stone you use to smooth your calluses can double as a toilet cleaner. Simply soak the pumice in warm water and then go to town scrubbing off the rust. (Just make sure both surfaces are wet to avoid scratching the bowl.) Flush and get on with your day.