I went through a phase where I had six different cleaning products under my sink. Glass cleaner. All-purpose spray. Degreaser. Stain remover. And none of them worked as well as the blue bottle of dish soap I was ignoring.

Dish soap is designed to cut through grease. That is its whole job. And grease is what makes most household messes stubborn — kitchen grease, body oil on pillowcases, fingerprints on walls, the film on your eyeglasses. So I started using dish soap for everything. Here is what actually works and what does not.

What Dish Soap Is Shockingly Good At

Pretreating Laundry Stains

Rub a drop of dish soap directly into a grease stain — collar ring, salad dressing drip, butter smear. Let it sit 5 minutes, then wash as usual. This has saved at least four of my shirts. Much better than those stain spray sticks.

Cleaning Eyeglasses

One tiny drop on each lens, rub gently with your fingers, rinse under warm water, pat dry with a microfiber cloth. No streaks. No film. My optometrist actually approved this one when I asked.

Washing Walls

A few drops in a bucket of warm water, sponge it on, wipe with a clean damp cloth. Gets the gray handprint zone around light switches and door frames. Especially good in kitchens where walls get that sticky cooking residue you can feel but not see.

Unclogging a Toilet (No Really)

Half a cup of dish soap into the bowl, followed by a bucket of hot water (not boiling — boiling water can crack porcelain). Let it sit 15 minutes. The soap lubricates whatever is stuck. I have avoided a plunger twice with this.

What Dish Soap Cannot Do

• Disinfect. It cleans but does not kill germs. For bathrooms and raw meat surfaces, you still need a disinfectant.
• Remove hard water stains. That white crust around faucets? Dish soap will not touch it. You need vinegar or a descaler for mineral buildup.
• Clean mirrors and windows streak-free. Dish soap leaves a film on glass. Use actual glass cleaner or vinegar-water for shiny surfaces.

I still have a few products under my sink but about half as many. Dish soap replaced the degreaser, the stain spray, and the all-purpose cleaner. Not bad for something that costs four dollars a bottle.