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The before photos are... a lot... but the results are SO worth the jumpscare.

I'm Amanda Davis (she/her), a Shopping & Products Editor at BuzzFeed who specializes in many topics, including beauty, fashion, home decor, and my personal favorite — small businesses.

To say "the cleaning never ends" is an understatement. Whether you're cleaning the grout in your shower, the pans in your kitchen, or the shoes on your feet, the list will never truly be done. Luckily, there are some *extremely* effective cleaning products (enter: Grout-Eez, The Pink Stuff, and suede brushes) to make the job easier — and I've found the before AND after photos to prove just how effective they truly are. You're going to want to add these products to your cart asap!

Promising review: "Best, most affordable brush and sponge shampoo on the market! No joke, I have tried everything, even homemade hacks like dish detergent mixed with olive oil. Nothing works like this brush shampoo. Don't waste your money on the BeautyBlender soap and other big-name brands." —Lily

Get it from Amazon for $13.75 (also available as a pack of two).

The pointed end of the tool is ideal for picking out tangles, the stiff bristles work great at removing dust and dirt, and the bristles at the bottom end of the tool can give your hairbrush a deep clean.

Promising review: "When I bought this, I was really skeptical. I am grossed out by my hairbrush and clean it all the time. I've soaked it in vinegar and tea tree oil, used a toothbrush, scrubbed it with shampoo, picked it clean by hand — everything you can think of. Still, it's so hard to get the little lint that forms at the base of the brush — they don't dissolve off, and you have to pick them off the bristles one by one because a toothbrush won't even break them up. This thing works amazingly. I don't know why, it just does — the particular texture of the bristles on this really grabs everything. It scraped the little lint rings right off, and now my brush is cleaner, 10 times as fast." —HeartsofHavoc

Promising review: "Essential product for dishwasher maintenance! These Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner tablets are absolutely crucial for keeping your dishwasher running efficiently and effectively. I use them monthly and have noticed a significant improvement in how well my dishes come out. The cleaner powers away limescale, mineral deposits, and odor-causing bacteria that buildup over time. Without proper maintenance, dishwashers can become less effective and develop unpleasant odors, which Affresh prevents completely. The tablets are easy to use—just place one in the wash basin and run a hot cycle. The results are amazing; my dishwasher performs like new! These tablets have extended the life of my appliance and ensure sparkling clean dishes every time. If you want your dishwasher to remain in top condition and last for years, regular cleaning with Affresh is a must. Highly recommended for all dishwasher owners!" —Palmetto Dan

Get a pack of six tablets from Amazon for $8.99.

Promising reviews: "This has saved me so many times. I use it mostly for my carpet and the couch. I have a cat and dog with an almost white couch, so this has been SUPER helpful. It has yet to fail me." —Amazon Customer

"This little guy has been working pretty well for me so far. Raising my puppy from 8 weeks, I've had my share of things to try and get out of the carpet, from pee stains to puke to things he would knock over to the mud he would track in. This would get most of it out if I used it right away. I am happy with the way it takes out most stains." —Cece

Get it from Amazon for $99.99+ (available in two styles).

BTW, this tool comes with small bottles of ready-to-use cleaning formula, but if you need more, grab a bigger bottle for $10.97!

This includes the scrubber tool and two refills. 

Promising review: "I love this thing! The handle makes it so much easier to wash the walls in my shower. No more grinding my knuckles against the shower wall as I'm cleaning it. Just a handle and an easy glide. They are thick and sturdy and the normal size of a Magic Eraser. I was hoping they would be thicker, but I'm okay with it. I'm definitely a fan and will buy it again!" —Dawne

Get it from Amazon for $12.94 (available in three other pack sizes).

Check out a TikTok of the foaming pink drain cleaner in action. 

Promising review: "Wow! I don't think I've ever been more excited to use a cleaning product before. Who knew you could get so much satisfaction from a drain cleaner? I could probably make an ASMR video and post it, as it is that satisfying! Even though I had to angle this over my sink drain to avoid the low faucet, it worked perfectly. The foam went down the drain and up through the overflow, bringing lots of black, yucky gunk with it. I have used lots of drain cleaners before, but not one that actually came up through the overflow. I'd never even considered what stuff was in there. It did a great job of cleaning everything out, and it left the sink smelling fresh and clean as well." —Amazon Customer 

Get it from Amazon for $15.98 (also available as a two-pack).

Promising review: "When I pulled the orange plastic spiked strip from the package, I was immediately skeptical and felt like all those five-star reviews were from people who exist in an alternate universe. I was tempted to initiate a return on Amazon, but decided that I might as well gamble on a piece of $9 plastic before gambling $200 on a plumber. I slipped the plastic strip down my shower drain, and literally FIVE SECONDS LATER, I was pulling up gobs and gobs and gobs of hair. HOLY COW!!!!!!!! OHMYGOSH. I can't believe I still have any hair left on my head. SO MUCH REPULSIVE GUNK!!!! I saved my prize hairball on the shower floor to show my husband because I knew he would be as skeptical as I was. We both agree it looks like a small raccoon or a large squirrel lying helplessly on my shower floor. It's a grisly, messy, smelly, and oh-so-rewarding job." —Chocolate and Chips

Promising review: "I had tried everything to get the hardware stains off my shower. CLR, metal scrubbing pads, vinegar, and many other things. I thought I'd end up having to replace all the faucets. I saw this in a BuzzFeed article and thought, no way it's THAT good... It's that good. It's better than good. It's wild how good it is. My shower looks better than new. It took rust stains off the tile. It took years of hard water scale buildup off in seconds. It is literally a miracle product." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $5.97 (available in three sizes). 

BuzzFeed Writer Emma Lord (pictured above) swears by this thing!: 

"An embarrassing confession: my hair gets so ingrained in the carpet that a vacuum truly does nothing for it. In fact, to make matters worse, weird particles get stuck in the hair on the floor, which is stuck to the carpet, so I often was just unrooting clumps of hair from the floor with my hands (sorry for the visual). I bought this broom, and it immediately started pulling it up GOBS of hair. My carpet, like, genuinely changed color (turns out the pink was supposed to be much pinker, whoops). Anyway, do with that semi-horrifying information what you will."

Promising review: "I bought this broom two years ago, and it is still going strong! I have four large dogs, and we have fur EVERYWHERE! This works so, so well! I am always amazed at what this picks up, even after I just ran the vacuum. If you remove the head from the handle, you can use the head to do all the crevices along baseboards where fur gets trapped on the carpets. I also use it that way to do the carpet corners on the stairs. Lastly, I use it to get dust and cobwebs off the floors and ceilings. It truly is a super tool." —Roseann

P.S. These fizzing tablets work for Invisalign, retainers, dentures, night guards, and more.

Promising review: "I really loved this product. I am currently waiting for a new Invisalign set. My old Invisalign needed to be cleaned. I read the reviews and decided to purchase. OMG, it worked! There was a fresh taste, and they were clean. I wish I had found this product sooner. I did let them soak overnight only because I had been wearing them for the last four months. Nothing happened to Invisalign; there was no weakness or anything. Just very clean and fresh. If I could have given the product 10 stars, I would have." —Lisa R.

Get 60 tablets from Amazon for $15.81 (available in multiple pack sizes).

Promising review: "My 1-year-old has taco meat stains ALL over the sleeves of his shirt. The stains were 2–3 days old, too. I sprayed the shirt, let it sit for about 15 mins, and then washed the shirt with regular laundry soap. Almost every bit of the stains came out. Definitely buying bulk in this product!" —Sloan Avery

Get it from Amazon for $7.97 (available in two sizes, multipacks, and a refill pouch). 

Rocco & Roxie is a family-founded business specializing in all things pets, from treats and supplements to grooming products and toys. 

Promising review: “When we moved into our home four years ago, we found several small dog pee stains on the oatmeal-colored carpet. I tried everything over the years to get them up. My professional carpet cleaner tried his best as well, and between us, we managed to lighten them a little, but they were still obvious. I tried the Rocco & Roxie using my normal method of spraying the spot, working it in with my fingers, laying a half-inch of white paper towels on top, then putting a glass casserole dish on top of that with a stack of books to weigh it down. This is the only product I’ve used that has worked on eliminating those pee spot stains. You could see the pee soaked up in the white paper towels when I would pick them up to change them out. It takes a few changeouts, but I just keep working on them, changing the paper towel stack over and over until the spots are gone. Previously, I had tried the same method using the top enzymatic brand you see in the pet stores and several other carpet cleaning products. Nothing has worked like the Rocco & Roxie!" —Laurie B., CA

Get it from Amazon for $23.97+ (available in two sizes and two scents).

Promising review: "Works like magic. There's a reason for all the positive reviews. I've never seen any product work so effortlessly and live up to its claims. With just one round, no scrubbing, just spray and wait, this removed four years of deep rust stains from my bathtub, leaving it clean, bright, and spotless. Worked just as well on the toilet and sink. I'm beyond impressed. You can't go wrong buying this amazing rust remover." —Deadat57

Get it from Amazon for $6.88+ (also available in multipacks).

Just apply this to the stained surface with a damp cloth, leaving it untouched for a few minutes (or longer for stubborn buildup). Next, scrub it in using a circular motion and then wipe or rinse it off with water.

Promising review: "Wow. Don’t waste your time with any other formulation that you found online. I’ve literally tried EVERYTHING! The soap/vinegar/baking soda, the expensive store-bought 'hard water cleaners.' I’ve scrubbed for HOURS! But this…. This product is like magic. It’s kind of like a paste that you can rub on with a microfiber towel, and the hard water stains literally just RUB OFF. Like butter! Seriously, the easiest option I have tried yet. I stopped within the first five minutes of cleaning to do this review because I’m in shock lol. Coming from someone who never writes reviews! Take that as a sign to buy this immediately. What a game changer, I’m mad I’m just now finding this stuff lol!" —_kayla_carter

Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in three sizes).

You can also use it to detangle hair from the bristles of your hairbrush.

Promising review: "Between myself (medium long hair) and my overly fluffy cat, a lot of hair and fluff was continually getting caught up on the roller brush of my vacuum. I dreaded vacuuming because it took so long to pull and snip the hairs wrapped up on the roller brush out with scissors. Not anymore! This silly, little, inexpensive thing works great! Super quick to remove all the hair/fur — in virtually a minute, then back to vacuuming with my lovely Miele vacuum." —MKS

Promising review: "I never thought I'd be this excited about a clean toilet. I had largely given up on our first-floor toilet. Nothing would take out the ring along the waterline. But I saw this product in a BuzzFeed roundup and figured it was worth a shot. Tried it this morning and oh. my. goodness. It easily took out the ring, and with some harder scrubbing, the rest of the stains/buildup/whatever the term is for the stuff that made the bowl look gross. It looks just about brand new! Definitely worth the purchase." —Courtney

The kit comes with a wand, six refill heads filled with Clorox, and a storage caddy. The wand has a convenient button you can use to dispose of the used sponge heads in the trash, and the heads are uniquely shaped to fit under the rim of your toilet. 

Promising review: "So, we have a toilet that belongs to the cats. We don't use it, we don't look at it, we like to pretend it does not exist. Even with semi-regular flushing, cat waste is pretty nasty stuff that builds up quickly in the bowl. One of these wands cleaned it up in a single session (pictured above)!" —Whitney

Get it from Amazon for $12.98 (also available in two bundle sets). 

It can be used as a handheld brush, or you can use the detachable, long-reach handle that extends to 9 feet. The double-sided brush can be used wet or dry and is reusable! Just rinse it clean and hang dry between uses.

Promising review: "Our screens are on a second-floor balcony. There really isn't any good way to clean the outside of the screens. Luckily, the fibers on this screen cleaner are small enough that they seem to fit through the screen and clean both sides. I'm sure it doesn't clean the outside as well as it does the inside, but any help is always appreciated. I was actually shocked at how much dirt came off the screens with this very simple tool. I used it wet with a small amount of dish soap, and it worked really well. I also appreciated that after I was finished, I was just easily able to rinse and dry the screen cleaner for future use. A simple tool at an excellent price." —BonjourBeautyByAmy

Promising review: "I bought this RMR-86 spray with low expectations, even with the good reviews. I sprayed a small patch in the evening and let it sit overnight. The next morning, the grout where I had sprayed was as white as if it were brand new. I decided to spray the entire wall and part of the roof. The next day, everything I sprayed had no visible mold. By the third night, I was pretty much spraying everything left in the shower. This stuff is amazing." —John Werner

Get two 32-ounce bottles on Amazon for $25.99 (available in three sizes).

Promising reviews: "This brush is amazing. My daughter went puddle jumping in her boots [Uggs pictured above]. They dried out while I was trying to figure out how to clean them. Saw the reviews on this and ordered right away. Holy cow, they look almost new. I cleaned all my boots too because I was so excited. Even the ones I thought looked clean were much improved. I washed the brush with dish soap and water and let it dry between pairs." —TRW

"This brush saved my shoes! I posted before and after photos so you can see the difference. My shoes were light pink with big, noticeable stains on the sides. I just brushed it in the same direction until the stains wore off." —Lissette Castillo

Promising review: "Very satisfied. I tried everything to remove black mold with no success. This product actually worked to remove the black mold. I applied the gel on the mold and left it to sit overnight. I was amazed the mold wiped off with a rag." —Robin S. Johns

Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in three sizes).

This cleaning pen has soft bristles for gentle cleaning and is filled with a cleansing and polishing solution that removes dirt and oil and fills in scratches, making jewelry as good as new! All you need to do is twist the bottom of the pen and start brushin'.

Promising review: "Amazing sparkle!💍💎 I am obsessed! I have an heirloom diamond set high in a solitaire band, and it gets dirty quickly. This worked awesomely and cleaned my ring back to a sparkler in 30 seconds! It looks as good as it does when it gets cleaned at the jeweler! I love that it fits in my purse, too! Recommending it to all my friends!" —Shyan

Promising review: "I only WISH I had waited to use this until I could have taken a 'before' pic to go with the 'after' one of my 14-year-old sink. This cleaner is incredible. My cleaning person came on Wednesday, but the sink still looked dingy on Thursday with some persistent areas of discoloration and staining. It gets a lot of hard use. Now, five minutes following application of the product with a sponge, a bit of a scrub, and a quick rinse, it looks new. I’ve ordered this for both married kids for stocking stuffers. WORKS as promised. Not kidding. Wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t just done it myself and seen the eye-popping results. Quit reading reviews and BUY this stuff! (Read the cautions carefully regarding what kinds of surfaces are appropriate for use of product and which ones to avoid, but on regular stainless steel sinks, it’s honestly perfect.)" —EdUK8

Get the value size from Amazon for $29.95 or the smaller size for $9.95.

Pro Tip💡: Many reviewers suggest applying it with a microfiber cloth.

Promising review: "WOW is all I can say. WOW! I don't often write reviews unless I feel strongly about the product. This is one of those things. Both pairs of boots [I own] are close to 20 years old. I was close to getting rid of them until I put this conditioner on them. I now have two new pairs of boots, and they look AND feel absolutely amazing!! Also, no oily residue. The leather soaked up the conditioner, and I may do a second coat in a couple of days. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone on the fence. The reviews are real, as is this product. BUY IT!!!" —Adele

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in three sizes).

Promising review: "We moved into our house a year ago, and I’ve been on a quest to clean the grout next to the stove ever since then. I’ve tried everything — store products, DIY solutions, Pinterest recommendations, you name it. As a last resort, I got this, and holy cow! I left it on for three minutes as a spot test at first, and I could already see a huge difference. I then did two more rounds, letting it sit for five minutes each. The scent's not bad, it was fine if I had the window open, it was just being down close to it that got me. Seriously, stop looking and buy this." —Britney Phillips

Promising review: "This REALLY works with just one tablet!! A year’s worth of daily black tea stains disappeared overnight with a rinse-out. Before and after pictures to prove it. Made in the USA. Outstanding." —Roller Ball Guy

Get a 12-pack from Amazon for $10+ (available in three pack sizes).

Promising review: "Okay, so these cleaner pods are awesome! I didn't know how gross our Keurig was until today. The big mason jar on the left is when I actually ran the cleaner through, plus one rinse cycle. The middle one is another rinse cycle, and the last one, on the right, is the last one I did. So yes, I would suggest running two or three rinse cycles instead of the recommended one. But it's still an awesome product for the price! I have a Keurig 2.0, and I had no issues." —Mads0421

Get a pack of six from Amazon for $9.95 (available in three pack sizes).

Promising review: "Changed the oil on my girlfriend's car and some oil spilled on my NEW driveway...which I didn't notice 'til four days later. Four spots, all about the size of a dollar bill baking in the Arizona sun for four days. Found this searching on Amazon, and I thought, whatever. That's one less vodka soda tonight for dinner. Put the stuff on (sits on the stain like pancake batter — don't be afraid to pour liberally) and let it sit from 6 p.m. 'til about 9 a.m. the next day. It dried, and the instructions said to just sweep the stuff up (right, like I am not going to need a scraper and wire scrub pad for an hour. HA). Well, it broke apart with the broom, and the stains were gone, I just swept up the powder pieces — it took about a minute. I WAS SHOCKED! Something that actually works on oil and is easy. Absolutely NO sign of anything that was there. My driveway is smooth concrete, so I can't vouch for what would happen with a rougher surface, but whoever makes this stuff is a genius. If they tried to take on World Peace, Earth would be a better place." —AmazonBob

Get it from Amazon for $17.97+ (available in two sizes).

This carpet cleaner is from a family-run small business that specializes in cleaning products, especially ones for homes with pets!

Promising review: "I cannot believe how incredible this carpet cleaner is!! I have four dogs, five kids, and a large home with very light carpet. This carpet cleaner literally is magic. It has gotten out red wine, coffee, raspberry stain on white carpet, old urine stains that were found WAY after the fact, and the list goes on and on. I use it in a spray bottle as a pretreatment before shampooing, and most often, the stain is completely gone before I even shampoo it. When I say 'gone'…I mean, GONE! And that’s with no scrubbing. It disappears like magic! To say that I’d buy it again is such an understatement. I can’t be without it!!" —Angela Raab

Get it from Amazon for $22.99+ (available in two sizes and three scents).

Promising review: "It is very uncommon for me to write a review, but this product is amazing. My family's silverware had not been polished in the 15 years since I married my husband. The only time I ever polished anything before was  when it was messy and smelly and took forever. Therefore, I didn't have any interest in polishing something that we weren't using. I decided to try these wipes because the price was reasonable. They are easy to use and do a wonderful job! The silverware looks silver! I used four wipes to polish a service of eight, and it took me about 20 minutes. I highly recommend this product!" —Kehrli

Promising review: "I have two kids. They have destroyed my backseat. Spilled chocolate milk, vomit, melted chocolate, dropped fries, dropped ice cream, spilled Gatorade — you name it, it has been spilled in my backseat. I was to the point of accepting my backseat would forever be a disgusting wasteland. Then I stumbled upon this product, and y'all...Y'ALL, IT WORKS! I almost cried when I sprayed it on, ran a detail brush over it, wiped it away with the cloth, and the stains were GONE. No scrubbing for 30 minutes. No 'leave to set for 15 minutes.' No carpet cleaner required. Just spray, scrub, wipe, and it takes everything off. I am now cleaning EVERYTHING with this stuff. It is AMAZING!" —Rachel

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two sizes).

This cleaner comes with two brushes and works with various wheel finishes, including chrome, alloy, clear-coated, painted wheels, and more.

Promising review: "Great stuff! My truck has been through several washes that didn't remove the mud stains from my tires. Sprayed on, didn't scrub at all, and then used a garden hose to rinse. Cleaned about 90% of the mud stains...Worth it." —Shane Kukla

Get it from Amazon for $39.59 (available in multiple sizes).

Promising review: "I purchased this product to clean those little spaces in my car filled with random crumbs from my husband and dog hair, and it works amazingly. Picked up everything and didn’t leave a residue. The lemon scent was faint and didn’t overpower the vehicle while I was cleaning it. But this definitely got in all the little nooks and crannies." —Kimberly

Get it from Amazon for $7.99 (available in three colors). 

Promising review: "Unbelievable! My daughter just moved into her first home. She thought she would have to paint her brick fireplace because of the heavy soot stains that had been there for years. We applied the product twice and put in a whole lot of elbow grease, but what a difference! It’s a messy process, but well worth the time and energy." —MM

Get it from Amazon for $21.99 (also available in a two-pack).

Promising review: "This isn't just a cleaner; it's a magical potion that basically does the scrubbing while you sit back and enjoy a cold beer. Seriously, I watched in awe as it obliterated years of accumulated grill gunk faster than I can burn a burger. My grates went from looking like they'd survived a nuclear barbecue apocalypse to gleaming like they just rolled off the showroom floor...This cleaner works so effortlessly, I'm pretty sure it has secret cleaning ninja skills. One spray, and boom - goodbye, stubborn grease!... Bottom line: If your grill grates could talk, they'd be singing this product's praises louder than I sing in the shower. HIGHLY recommended!" —Jeremy

This pressure comes with five adjustable spray tips for versatile cleaning options that can work for everything from small clean-ups like washing down lawn chairs to huge tasks like cleaning years of dirt off your front porch. It also features dual detergent tanks, a 35-foot cord that makes things easy to move around, and an auto-stop feature that helps save energy when not in use!

Promising review: "My neighbors would rate this 0 stars because I'm running this bad boy at all hours. Car wash at 4 a.m.? You bet. Hose out the garage and all down the driveway? Consider it done. There's no longer any paint on my house; the layers of dirt from when dinosaurs walked the Earth have been removed from every crack of concrete, and the stubborn moss that engulfed my front steps has been screaming, 'No more, Daddy!' for days now. I'm a ruthless power washing machine now. It has become a part of me. I dream about it every night. Now I'm just figuring a way to power-clean my putrid, filthy soul." —b00mfox

It only takes 15 minutes to clean — just run the water, pour it in, and turn the jets on!

Oh Yuk is a family-owned small business based in Minnesota that specializes in PhD chemist-formulated cleaning products for home appliances, from dishwashers and washing machines to hot tubs and jetted bathtubs. 

Promising review: "This stuff is great! We just bought a house, and my hubby cleaned the jetted tub twice with a strong bleach solution. I bought this product based on the reviews and tried it after. Look at the crud that came out of the jets. Now, our tub is all sparkly and clean! 😊" —Becky

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two sizes).

Promising review: "Works amazing! I hadn't thoroughly scrubbed my glass cooktop in years... Only wiped down with random multi cleaners, which never seemed to do much. Then a friend recommended this product... AMAZING! The included scrubbers and scrapers really make the difference. As others have said, it will leave your cooktop shiny and new... Even marks that had been on there for years came almost completely off... 98% better. The key is to use very little product... Let dry to a haze and wipe with a clean dry cotton towel. (Just like waxing a car). If you aren't getting a mirrored finish, it's because you've used too much product and not enough elbow grease to polish off." —B. Swartwood

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $17.98.

OK, so the drill is NOT included. This is just a set of three brushes that attach to your drill, or check out this one you might wanna buy.

Useful Products is a US-based small business established in 2007 by car wash owner, electrician, and former bodybuilder Anthony LaPolla that specializes in drill-cleaning brushes and attachments. 

Promising review: "These brushes, paired with some liquid glass cooktop cleaner, MIRACULOUSLY cleaned soap scum and limescale deposits from the doors. It took a lot of work, but these brushes succeeded where everything else failed. My sister thought the doors were frosted glass, that's how bad the buildup was on them. After a weekend's work (with frequent breaks so I wouldn't burn out my husband's DeWalt cordless drill), the results are amazing." —Mary in Nebraska

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in six colors).

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* Cleaning And Organizing Products That’ll Make You Say “O-M-G” At Their Results

BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.