10 weird, but useful cleaning tools for your home's secret dirty spots

Sure, you can toss in some lemon slices to freshen up the garage disposal. But to really sanitize the pipes, you'll want something stronger. These biodegradable lemon-scented foaming packets eradicate grime and odors from all parts of the unit — sidewalls, blades and under the splashguard — and leave behind a nice fresh scent.

"So easy to use! I just followed the instructions, and my garbage disposal is smelling wonderful and operating great! I use one of these once per month now, and have been for at least a year. Great monthly maintenance," said one Amazon shopper.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you scrub the toilet, stains just won't budge. That's because the spots are actually lime buildup or rust. This pumice stone on a stick works insanely well, but it's gentle, so it won't scratch your beloved bowl.

"Absolutely love this product. Where I live there is very hard water. Nothing worked on the hard water toilet rings until this," said a fan. "Make sure you get it completely wet before you use it so it doesn't scratch your bowl. Worked great when nothing else did. I will purchase more."

If you clean your sliding glass door tracks regularly, feel free to skip ahead. If you're like the rest of us, get this brush immediately! Use it to sweep away debris from door and window tracks; the scraper on the handle dislodges stubborn crud. Then grab a wet paper towel or hand vac to get your door back on track for good.

"This will be a huge help if you’re like me and cleaning the tracks of my windows for the first time in years," said one five-star fan. "It has a couple of huge features that will be better than using an old toothbrush. Toothbrushes will kinda work but they have short bristles and get kinda clogged with dirt and such rather easily. This has long bristles that is better for sweeping and pushing dirt around. The handle has a flat edge that is good for scraping stubborn dirt and gunk off without cutting or gouging surfaces."

Sometimes your morning sanity-saver (aka Keurig brewer) starts turning out odd-tasting joe or inconsistent pours. When that happens, run it with one of these schmutz-busting pods and then again with just water, and you'll be back to that yummy coffee you depend on in no time. They're nontoxic and biodegradable. 

"Especially during winter months, I like a variety of warming beverages — coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate. As I change from one type of beverage to another, especially to and from chocolates, I like to do a little cleansing," explained one shopper. "Quick and simple, this product keeps out residue and makes it easy to enjoy my varieties with full flavors! Good buy."

Bathroom sink clogged? No need to remove the stopper or call the plumber — just finagle this guy down the drain and give it a spin. The micro hooks on this literal pipe-cleaner-like gadget will dislodge all that nastiness. 

"I'm so glad I bought these little devices!" said a five-star reviewer. "They work amazingly well and pull a lot of gunk out of drains. My son's shower was draining slowly, and when Drano didn't do the trick, one quick sweep with this tool and bam — good as new! Easy to assemble, simple to use and seriously effective. If I can do it, anyone can! The water started flowing immediately, which is surprising because these guys are small."

If you thought picking out random hairs was enough to clean your hairbrushes, we have bad news: It's not. This mini rake-like gizmo gets every last strand. And if you want to thoroughly sanitize your brush, follow up with a hot, soapy rinse.

"No more torturously digging out hair from hairbrushes. This tool gets it done quickly and effectively! I had an expensive paddle brush that no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t remove all the hair. Enter this product and bam, all gone. So glad I got this!" said a reviewer.

Super-stiff nylon bristles and an easy-to-grab handle make light work of pesky grout gunk (think tubs, backsplashes, floors, anywhere tricky tile presents itself). The bright brush is designed to handle heavy-duty cleaners without bending or damaging the bristles. So go hard or go home.

"This is hands down the best grout cleaning brush I have ever used," said a shopper. "It gets right in there and lets you scrub mold and stains right off. I keep one in my shower and it is so easy to remove group mildew/stains before they build up. I don't even need to add a cleaning product, just this brush."

Your water bottle needs more than a mere rinse-and-go (yes, even Stanleys). This antibacterial long-handled silicone brush will get in hard-to-reach crevices while repelling mold and mildew, unlike standard sponges.

One reviewer said: "Love that these don't collect dish debris on them and are super easy to rinse clean after using. Bonus is you can toss them in the dishwasher for sanitizing. The smaller straw brush works with normal-sized straws, while the larger straw brush works with wide-mouth straws (boba, water bottles)... Super versatile and handy!"

Like a cozy mitten for your ceiling fan, this microfiber sleeve slides right over its blades, trapping dust so it doesn’t drop down onto your floor — or head! It's machine washable too.

"I like it because it works!" said a shopper. "Just hold the elastic end open and it slides right over your blade. Then, gently hold it as [you slide] it off... . Turn it inside out to shake all the dust out and it's ready to be reused or washed. I am thrilled with such an easy, non-messy solution."

Scary but true: Lint buildup in your dryer can cause fires. Eliminate the risk by cleaning those ducts with this tool that extends up to 12 feet. You can turn it manually or, for longer ductwork, attach it to a drill. And prepare to be shocked at the amount of gunk that comes out.

"Cannot give this enough praise," said a fan. "We had noticed that our dryer was taking at least one and a half to two cycles to dry a standard load of laundry. We weren't sure if it was our dryer going out or our dryer vent duct getting clogged. I'm sure glad I tried this instead of investing in a new dryer! ... I had to buy two of these kits to get enough rod lengths, but it was well worth the roughly $45 for the two kits. After a thorough cleaning, I removed so much built-up lint, and my dryer can once again dry a full load of clothes on only half a full cycle!"