I don't wear dentures, but I have worn a retainer, which I cleaned with Efferdent. The experience was valuable not just for keeping my teeth straight, but also for educating me on the wonders of denture cleaner.

After seeing how well the effervescent tablets cleaned tiny nooks, I started experimenting on other tough-to-clean items; believe it or not, they are great for cleaning the rubber casings on my earbuds. 

Trust me, these tablets are amazing at cleaning hard-to-reach spots, and they're cheap: 120 tablets of Efferdent costs less than $9, and the generic version is even cheaper. Check out five surprising ways to use denture cleaner around the house.

1. Clean the toilet. Drop two or three tablets into the bowl, let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then give it a scrub.
2. Remove burnt food. Get rid of the browned bits on your Pyrex by soaking the dishes in denture cleaner and warm water for half an hour to an hour. Follow with dish soap as usual.
3. Remove stains on ceramic. Whether it's a coffee-stained cup or a stem-stained vase, fill it with water, drop in a tablet, and let it soak for 15 minutes.
4. Unclog a drain. Break up a denture tablet (or several) so the pieces fall into the drain trap, then run hot water down the drain.
5. Clean tea kettles, coffee carafes, and thermoses. Get rid of the stains and mineral deposits on metal-lined carafes by filling one with water, dropping in two tablets, and leaving it overnight. Then clean thoroughly with soap and water.

Have you tried any of these? Found any other uses for denture-cleaning tablets?