Resolved to reduce household expenses this year? Consider concocting homemade cleaning products, which will cut your costs for these supplies. Some of the cleaners you make will do just as well as products you buy at the supermarket or warehouse club, as was the case for a simple solution of ammonia, dishwashing liquid, and rubbing alcohol that equaled many well-known glass cleaners. 

Other household products are effective cleaners, as detailed in this article from our February 2009 issue. Baking soda, borax, castile soap, cream of tartar, and lemon juice can clean even some stubborn stains from a range of surfaces. And hydrogen peroxide can save expensive carpets from wine and soda stains, as the video at right shows.

Distilled white vinegar is especially versatile. You can use it as part of a second rinse for cloth diapers to help prevent diaper rash and on delicate fabrics. It's also good for cleaning wood floors and removing carpet stains.  Manufacturers recommend distilled white vinegar for clearing mineral-scale buildup from humidifiers and even to clean a coffeemaker. Just don't use it or a vinegar-based cleaner on a calcareous-stone countertop.

Baking soda shows its mettle as silver cleaner. Line a glass or plastic container with aluminum foil, add tarnished silverware, sprinkle on some baking soda, and pour in hot water. This will create a chemical reaction that transfers the tarnish from the silver to the foil. For antique or intricately patterned silver, a store-bought silver cleaner might work better. Watch our video on silver cleaners.

Essential information: Our Cleaning Supplies page offers reviews of traditional and green household cleaners.