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These four surprising tools get the job done—man-style.

Guy gear: A wet/dry vac
Manly use: Cobweb collector
“I tape together my two vac hoses, add a soft brush attachment and then secure everything to my skylight crank, so I can clear the spiderwebs that accumulate on our 12- and 16-foot ceilings,” says Chuck Miller, an editor who lives in Newtown, Connecticut.

Guy gear: A leaf blower
Manly use: Vacuum hose cleaner
“Remove the hose from your vacuum, then head outside and use the blower to clear out the inside of the hose,” says Lori Dolnick, an advertising executive from East Windsor, New Jersey, who got the tip from one of her male clients. “Whatever is stuck in the hose will come shooting out.” Another great use for a leaf blower: Sweep up your patio or deck with it. It cleans out all the corners a broom can’t reach.

Guy gear: Steel wool
Manly use: Pot scrubber
“Grade 3 synthetic steel wool pads from the hardware store, normally used to strip paint, can clean stainless steel and aluminum pots that are crusted solid with cooked-on gunk,” says Andrew Engel, a writer and father of two in Roxbury, Connecticut. “And it doesn’t clog as quickly as a normal green scrubbie.” What about scratching? Andrew swears it won’t, but to be safe, opt for a fine synthetic steel wool pad.

Guy gear: A tennis ball
Manly use: Scuff eraser
“Spray the ball’s fuzzy abrasive surface with an all-purpose cleaner to easily remove scuff marks from floors and walls and to clean patio furniture,” says Tom McNulty, author of Clean Like a Man.