Baking Soda

If you run out of toothpaste, you can use baking soda. Also, for the next science fair you can make a homemade volcano that explodes when you mix baking soda and vinegar. This is well known. For cleanliness and eruption, baking soda is your friend.

But baking soda can save your ass in other, less obvious ways. For example, you could accidentally leave a pile of potatoes somewhere and then they could rot and cause a huge stink. Baking soda to the rescue! Just throw out the potatoes and pour a small mountain of baking soda on the place they rotted. The odor will vanish. If your kitchen sink disposal starts to reek, again baking soda and a small drip of water will make it all better. If your vacuum smells, vacuum up some baking soda. But if you smell, don't roll in baking soda. Just take a shower.

What if you have a hard time getting stains out of your gas range's white porcelain top or a non-stick pan, but you don't want to scratch the delicate surface with a scary abrasive pad? Just pour on a lot of dry baking soda, add a tiny amount of water, a cloth rag, and a huge amount of elbow grease, and rub, rub, rub. That should do the trick. If it doesn't, do what I do and ask someone Hulk-like to step in.

Sometimes baking soda is good for, well, baking. But that's a story for another day.