Cheap 'n clean: Common household alternatives to name-brand cleaners

ConsumerReports.Org offers a list of seven common household products that can also be used to clean your home. These include ammonia, baking soda, borax, Castile soap, cream of tartar, lemon juice and white vinegar.

The article suggests that a mixture of rubbing alcohol and ammonia in a spray bottle is good for cleaning glass, which may be true, but I find the simpler solution to be vinegar and water.

Ammonia or vinegar are also good for removing sweat stains from clothes. You sponge the stain with the liquid of choice, rinse well and wash with a fabric-safe bleach.

Baking soda is right up there with vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner. Consumer Reports lists removing stains from tile, glass and china and loosening baked-on food from pots and pans among its attributes.