1. Carpet Cleaner

One of the best ways to use cornstarch is to keep your carpets clean. You can make a mixture of cornstarch and milk, and apply it directly on any fresh stains on your carpets. Leave the mixture there for a few hours, and once you feel it's dry, simply use your vacuum cleaner to clean up the mess. You can also use cornstarch without milk to remove ink and other stains from leather and fabric – you should use water in place of milk. It is also a good idea to use cornstarch to get rid of funky carpet smell – just sprinkle it all over the carpet and let it sit there for at least half an hour. Now, use your vacuum cleaner to have a silkier and softer carpet that will smell nice too.

2. Dry Shampoo

Yes, that's right – you can use cornstarch on greasy, stinky hair, and it will work better than most shampoos. You simply need to dust it in and use your brush to get it out – this will leave you with shinier, finer hair. Interestingly, the shampoo will work on all hair types.

3. Skin Relief

It is among the best uses of cornstarch, and works perfectly fine for grown-ups and kids; in fact, you can also use it when your baby's feeling irritated due to a diaper rash. It is equally beneficial for sunburned skin. All you have to do is mix a little bit of cornstarch into your bathtub water to feel great. Alternatively, you can apply cornstarch directly between diaper changes or make a watery paste of cornstarch to lessen the effects of sunburns.

4. Window Cleaner

Do you like to keep your windows clean and shiny? Of course you do, and there's an easy way to accomplish the task – make a cornstarch spray and put it on windows to make them shine. Simply put, one of the best ways to use cornstarch is as a streak free window cleaning solution. Just get 2 tablespoons cornstarch and add it to half-cup ammonia and half-cup white vinegar – mix them all in a bucket containing 4 liters of warm water. Keep mixing it until you see the solution has a milky appearance. Now, put this solution in a trigger spray bottle to use it whenever you want. For better results, don't forget to rinse with warm water after you have sprayed cornstarch on your windows. Use lint-free cloth to wipe it dry.

5. Shoe Refresher

If you're a sportsperson or an athlete, the chances are you always look for some solution to get that stink out of your athletic shoes. Of course, you can use an enzymatic cleaner, but using cornstarch is a great alternative. Simply sprinkle some cornstarch in your shoes and let it sit there overnight. Clean your shoes the next morning to make them look and smell much better. You can do the same for your socks and other sports equipment.

6. Mildew Remover

Do you start sneezing the moment you get some old books, magazines, or a newspaper out of your store? This could be due to the growth of mildew in your books. You can use cornstarch to make things better. The reason is that mildew needs dampness to survive, whereas cornstarch will absorb any moisture present in those pages. Just make sure to leave cornstarch there for several hours to get good results. Use a brush to clean all the pages.

7. Roach Killer

Killing annoying roaches is definitely one of the better uses of cornstarch. It is not difficult to make this effective mixture – you simply need to mix equal parts of plaster of Paris and cornstarch in a bottle. Mix it well and sprinkle the solution into cracks. The cockroaches can never resist the temptation of eating it, and they will eventually die. This is one safe way of getting rid of pesky roaches.

Don’t leave the cornstarch on the pantry shelf for cooking time. It has more uses than you might think. Have you ever used it for anything other than cooking?