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Sure, it's great for cooking and making oobleck,
but did you know that cornstarch actually has some really cool, and
handy, uses around the house? It's time to get this ingredient out of
the kitchen and put it to work — because, let's face it, do you really
use more than a few tablespoons of it a year otherwise?
1. Removing fresh stains from carpeting
Apply a mixture of milk and cornstarch to ink and other carpet stains.
Allow them to dry completely before vacuuming up the mess, and your
stain should come right out! This trick also works on fabric and leather
(but skip the milk -- just use cornstarch and water).
2. Dry shampoo (for you and for Fido)
cornstarch is a great dry shampoo for greasy, slightly stinky hair,
no matter what species is involved. Dust some cornstarch in and then
brush it out, allowing this lightweight powder to lift away grease and
dirt.
3. Carpet freshener
cornstarch picks up odors well, so if your carpet is smelling a little funky, scatter cornstarch on it,
allow it to rest half an hour, and then vacuum to pick it up. The house
should smell cleaner, and the carpet will feel softer and silkier as
well.
4. Desqueaker
Have a squeaky floor or obnoxious step? Dust the offending area
with cornstarch, allowing it to penetrate the cracks. You should notice a
significant improvement!
5. Silver polish
As a gentle silver polish, a cornstarch and water paste will lift
stains and tarnish without scratching. Simply scrub, wash, rinse, and
hand-dry.
6. Soothe irritated skin
Have a baby crying with diaper rash, or sunburned skin aching at
every touch? Add a little bit of cornstarch to bathwater, apply
cornstarch between diaper changes, or use a paste of cornstarch and
water to relieve the sunburned area.
7. Cleaning cards
Are your playing cards a little too well-loved? Shake them in a bag
with cornstarch to lift dirt and grease and then wipe them dry to
remove the excess.
8. Too much furniture polish? No problem
If your hand slipped with furniture polish
or wood oil, don't panic. Dust the area with cornstarch and buff; the
cornstarch will absorb the fluid and lift it up, leaving a clean, shiny
surface behind.
9. Detangler
Stubborn knots can be a pain. Apply a little cornstarch to act as a
dry lubricant so you can more easily pull knotted thread, string,
ribbon, and other materials around while you're working to pull 
them apart. Handy for those of us who constantly seem to end up with our shoelaces in a knot!
them apart. Handy for those of us who constantly seem to end up with our shoelaces in a knot!
10. Destinker
If you have dirty shoes, you could try an enzymatic cleaner...or
you could bust out the cornstarch. Dust the shoes with cornstarch, allow
to sit overnight, and then knock the shoes clean. The cornstarch will
absorb the odor, leaving a much better scent behind! The same goes for
sports equipment and socks, too.
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