Your house is full of useful objects if you know where to look! Find new and unusual uses for the following everyday items.

Ice cubes are great household cleaning tools. Throw a few in your drain before running the garbage disposal to dislodge any stuck food bits. Combine ice cubes with salt to scrub the bottom of coffee pots/carafes—the salt will stick to the ice and act like sandpaper to remove coffee stains. To skim fat off the top of soups, place a few ice cubes in a metal ladle and drag the bottom of the ladle across the surface of the soup. The cold metal will harden the fat so it sticks to the ladle, making it easy to remove.

Dryer sheets can be used wet to remove soap scum and water spots from your bathroom faucets, shower doors, and tub walls. Dryer sheets are also great for removing deodorant marks from clothing.

Tennis balls have many uses off the court. Toss a few in your dryer with a load of towels to increase fluffiness and absorbency. Tennis balls also make great backyard pool/spa scum skimmers. Just let them float around in the water—they'll absorb any leftover body oils on the water's surface.