Simple, dirt cheap white vinegar for me is the very best cleaner out there.  Its secret is its acidity, which is just strong enough to cut through dirt and fatty spills without damaging surfaces.  Vinegar is truly a cleaning wizard because it has got so many uses: cleaning windows, removing spots and smells, cutting grease and grime , and freshening the air.  Always use white vinegar because apple cider vinegar usually has a brown color that can actually stain whatever you are trying to clean.

That little box of baking soda is quite strong--and it does it just for pennies. Baking soda is a nonpolluting gentle abrasive and grime cutter that you can use to clean counters, pots, pans, and fixtures.  It also deodorizes carpets, refrigerators, shoes, and other smelly stuff around the house.  Baking soda is great for eliminating odors.  It doesn't just cover up odors, it actually neutralizes them.  Use a small box in the refrigerator for about 3 months, but don't just throw the old box away after you are done. Dump it down your kitchen sink drain to keep it smelling nice too.

Household ammonia is actually only about 10 percent ammonia; the rest is water.  But don't think of it as watered down and weak; it's plenty strong enough for mouse household jobs.  You can buy household ammonia that is clear or slightly cloudy.  When the ammonia is cloudy, it contains detergent to boost its cleaning power.  Ammonia's powerful smell is sometimes tamed with lemon or pine scent, as indicated on the label.  Household ammonia is good for many jobs in the kitchen, including cleaning windows, cutting grease, removing was from floors, and bringing the sparkle back to your oven.

You can cut your costs of dish detergent--without cutting their cleaning power--by diluting them.  Save an empty bottle of dish detergent, and when you buy a new one, pour one half of the detergent into the old bottle.  Fill both with water.  Rotate several times to mix. (Don't shake because shaking creates lots of soap bubbles, which will leave little room for water and detergent to mix.  Then, if you open the bottle quickly after shaking, the bubbles will spill out just like a soda bottle that has been dropped or shaken.)  You'll end up with twice as much detergent by diluting he original product.  It may not be as bubbly, but it's not the bubbles that do the cleaning. Those bubbles are mainly there to give you the illusion that the detergent is doing its job.    To boost the power of your detergent when you're washing greasy dishes and pans by hand, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup white vinegar to the dishwater.

You can clean your microwave and eliminate odors with vinegar.  Pour 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1 cup water in a small glass or ceramic bowl, and then microwave on high for 5 minutes.  The steam from the vinegar water will remove any odors and will soften baked-on splatters.  Open the oven door and allow some of the steam to escape before you start to wipe down the walls.  After the vinegar water cools down, dip a sponge or cloth into the water and use it to wipe off the inside surfaces of the microwave and around the door seals.

You can save time in the kitchen by rinsing the kitchen sink with hot, soapy water after each use.  But from time to time you'll need to give it a deep cleaning.  The best way to clean a stainless steel sink is with club soda (or seltzer) or white vinegar.  Use a soft cloth to wipe the sink clean with the club soda or vinegar.  If the sink has some grease or other grime in it, sprinkle baking soda on the sink beforehand.  You can also make small scratches in the direction of the grain of the steel with fine steel wool.  Buff with a soft cloth after removing the scratches.  When cleaning a stainless steal sink do not use a heavy abrasive cleaner or steel-wool pads because they will scratch the surface.  If you have a very tough stain and ust scrub with a steel-wool pad or a heavy abrasive, be sure to scour with the grain of the sink, not against it, to somewhat camouflage the small scratches you may make.

You can remove stains from a porcelain sink by filling the sink with warm water and adding a few tablespoons of chlorine bleach.  Let the bleach solution sit for an hour or two before draining the water and rinsing the sink.  If the spots still remain after this process, drench some paper towels in the bleach and use them to cover the spots overnight.

The kitchen floor gets dirty fast.  The best defense is to sweep or dry mop it often to pick up any dust and dirt before it gets tracked all over the house.  A quick sponge mop with warm water is great for sopping up spills and giving the

floor a quick freshening up between washings.  For hardwood floors, damp mop a small area at a time using warm water, and wipe dry before continuing.  For linoleum floors use a broom or dry mop on linoleum floors often to keep dirt and dust of the surface.  When needed, wash with warm soapy water and dry each section promptly.  Remove marks by rubbing gently with baking soda sprinkled on a damp soft cloth.  For tile floors sweep and damp mop as necessary.  Use a mild detergent rather than alkaline cleaners such as ammonia or borax, which will dull the surface.  You'll also want to avoid abrasive cleaners such as scouring powders because they will scratch the surface.  If you have a painted floor the best way to handle them is to wax them because this makes them easier to clean.  Damp mop painted floors with a mild detergent and water solution.  Wring most of the water out of the mop before washing the floors.  Rub stubborn spots gently with baking soda.

Basic Floor Cleaner

1 cup white vinegar
1 gallon water

Mix the ingredients together and use them to mop the floor.  You don't have to rinse off this solution because the vinegar won't leave a film on the floor.  If this doesn't do the trick, try the heavy duty floor cleaner.

Heavy Duty Floor Cleaner

3/4 cup household ammonia
1 gallon water

You don't have to rinse this solution off either.  This formula works best on heavily soiled floors.

WARNING: NEVER MIX CHLORINE PRODUCTS WITH BAKING SODA, AUTOMATIC DISH DETERGENTS, OR OTHER PRODUCTS CONTAINING AMMONIA OR ACID.  wHEN COMBINED, THEY GIVE OFF POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS GASES. WHILE SOME JUST SMELL REALLY BAD, OTHERS ARE VERY DANGEROUS WHEN INHALED.  READ ALL LABELS CAREFULLY BECAUSE PRODUCTS ARE FREQUENTLY REFORMULATED.  cHLORINE PRODUCTS INCLUDE BLEACH, TILE CLEANERS, MILDEW REMOVERS, AND EVEN SOME POWDERED CLEANERS.  AMMONIA PRODUCTS INCLUDE GLASS, APPLIANCE, AND FLOOR CLEANERS.  ACID PRODUCTS INCLUDE VINEGAR, LEMON JUICE, MURIATIC ACID, AND TOILET BOWL CLEANERS.  KEEP ALL CLEANING PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS.

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Tips taken from the Complete Idiot's Guide to Household Solutions.