You already knew that vinegar could be used to clean pretty much everything around your house, but did you know that baking soda almost always comes in handy too? You probably already use baking soda to take care of refrigerator odors or to boost your toothpaste's whitening power, but there's so much more you can do with it!

The next time that you need to clean any room in your house, grab a box of baking soda. Whether you combine it with water, vinegar or laundry detergent, you can use your baking soda to clean many items in your home.

1. Stainless steel
Whether you're shining your stainless steel appliances or scrubbing your stainless steel sink, you'll need a box of baking soda on hand. Mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quart of warm water to form a paste. Use a rag or old toothbrush to coat your stainless steel with this paste and then wipe it up with a damp cloth.

2. Coffeemaker
Don't worry about scrubbing all of the gunky residue out of your coffeemaker. Instead, fill your coffeepot with water, stir in 1/4 of a cup of baking soda and run a cycle as usual. The baking soda will help loosen all of the stuck-on gunk so that will easily rinse out.

3. Oven
Start with 1/2 cup of baking soda and add enough water to create a paste. Spread your paste all over the inside of the oven and let it sit overnight. In the morning, use a damp cloth to wipe out as much of the dried paste as you can. If there is still a little paste stuck in the oven, spray it with vinegar to loosen the baking soda. Wipe everything again with your damp cloth to finish the job.

4. Coffee & tea stains
If you drink a lot of coffee or tea, then you probably don't own any pristine mugs. No matter how well you clean them, your coffee and tea mugs are going to end up with stains from the drinks. But there is a way to restore your mugs to an almost brand-new condition. Fill them with 1 part baking soda and 2 parts water and let them soak overnight. In the morning, scrub them with a sponge and rinse them out.

5. Laundry
Next time you do a load of laundry, add 1/2 a cup of baking soda in with your laundry detergent or bleach. In fact, the baking soda will offer your detergent or bleach a boost, so you won't need to use as much as usual.

6. Stove top
Mix 1/2 a cup of baking soda with enough hydrogen peroxide to make a runny paste. Pour the paste onto any baked-on gunk on your stove top and scrub it with a paper towel or clean rag. Once you've scrubbed off the gunk, wipe everything down with a damp cloth and let it air dry.

7. Carpet stains
Before you spend a whole day shampooing your carpets just to take care of a few stains, try this idea. Pour a little vinegar onto the stains and then sprinkle some baking soda over it. Let the vinegar and baking soda fizz and bubble for a few minutes and then rub over everything with a damp cloth. Let the spot air dry and then vacuum over your newly clean carpet.

8. Hairbrush
For those of you with a lot of hair, pay attention to this tip! It can be annoying to have to constantly clean your hair out of your brush, but this tip makes it easier. Use scissors to cut between some of the bristles to loosen the hair. Then add 3 tablespoons of baking soda to 4 cups of hot water. Put your brush into the mixture and gently scrub between the bristles to remove the rest of the hair and any buildup. When you're finished, take your brush out of the water and let it dry.

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