If you are a car enthusiast or boater, chances are that you spend a fair amount of time cleaning and maintaining these expensive possessions to keep them looking sharp and working properly. But you might not realize that many of the products you use on your car or boat can also be used around your home to keep it looking great and well maintained.

Here are some automotive and marine products that you might want to try the next time you are working around the house:

Two automotive products that can help keep your shower tile and shower doors free from soap scum for a few months are Unelko's Rain Clear and Invisible Shield, (800) 528.3149, www.unelko.com or Rain-X, (855) 888-1990,www.rainx.com. These products cause rain water to bead up and roll off a car windshield. The same principle applies when you put it on your fiberglass and ceramic tile shower walls and doors if applied after you clean off the soap scum and water spots.

Another automotive product that can be used to clean furniture and kitchen cabinets is Meguiars Mirror Glaze No. 9 Swirl Remover 2.0, (800) 347-5700, www.meguiars.com. This product is great for cleaning the sticky grease and grime off oak kitchen cabinets, or for getting rid of unsightly water rings on your dining room tables or living room end tables.

Meguiars also makes another cleaner product for the marine/RV category — Clear Plastic Cleaner Polish — that works to remove stains and deep clean Formica kitchen countertops and even plastic resin deck furniture.

If you own a fiberglass boat, chances are you have used Gel-Gloss, (800) 243-3272, www.gel-gloss.com, to clean and protect it from the elements. The same product is also great for use around the house to clean and protect fiberglass and ceramic tile shower walls. It can also be used on Corian countertops, porcelain and stainless steel sinks. It contains non-harmful abrasive cleaning agents that remove surface oxidation and light scratches, while leaving behind a protective carnauba wax coating.

Mother's Power Ball, (714) 891-3364, www.mothers.com, was designed as a buffing tool for use with the company's car polishes but can also help you put a shine on things around the home. This sponge ball attaches to any power drill and can be used with cleaners and polishes to buff a luster into your shower doors, faucets, sinks, kitchen countertops and even your toilet tank.

While the marine and automotive world is ripe with cleaners and polishes, the B'laster Chemical Company, (800) 858-6605, www.blastercorporation.com, has been making lubricant products for boats and cars for more than 50 years. Its products are also popular with the drag racing community. Two of the B'laster's products that can be used in a variety of maintenance projects at home include PB-50 All-Purpose Lubricant and the Dry Lube. Both can be used to loosen and lubricate sliding window and door tracks, hinges and locks.

Star Brite, (800) 327-8583, www.starbrite.com, is another company that has specialized products for both the marine and RV industry. Their NosGuard SG Mold/Mildew Odor Control Slow Release System #89950 is designed to remove and prevent mold, mildew and odors and maintain indoor air quality.

So the next time you are cleaning your car or boat, do a little label reading and find out if the products you're using list additional uses around the home. That's how you move to the front row of the home improvement class.

If you would like to suggest a question for this column, e-mail askglenn@masterhandyman.com. If you want to talk to Glenn Haege personally, call his “Handyman Show” on WJR-AM (760) at (866) ASK GLENN, (866) 275-4536 between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The “Handyman Show” can be heard on more than 130 radio stations nationwide.