Most people are familiar with the term "generic" when it comes to medications. We know that by law, for a medication to be labeled as "generic" for a name-branded prescription, it must be the same thing as its branded cousin.

Today I want to offer you the generic alternative for these three popular cleaning products: Bar Keepers Friend, Super Washing Soda and OxiClean.

BAR KEEPERS FRIEND CLEANSER & POLISH. It's been years since I learned about something called oxalic acid. Sounds scary, doesn't it? Like something in the chemistry lab that could blow any second. Relax. If you look on the back of a can of one of my favorite cleaners, Bar Keepers Friend, you'll read: "Contains oxalic acid." That's it! That magic cleanser that costs about $5.50 for a 12-ounce can and cleans without scratching is nothing more than generic oxalic acid. Are you familiar with Zud, another household and garage cleanser? Same thing: white powder known as oxalic acid.

The minute I learned this generic fact, I went online and ordered a 5-pound bag of oxalic acid for about $10 (price varies) and marked Bar Keepers Friend off my shopping list forever. I keep my oxalic acid in a well-marked little bucket that has a tight-fitting lid. I use a pint-size mason jar with holes poked in the lid as a dispenser. What an amazing and versatile cleaner. Oxalic acid works just the same as Bar Keepers Friend because, well, it is the same!

ARM & HAMMER SUPER WASHING SODA. One of the ingredients in our homemade detergent for both standard and HE washers, Super Washing Soda is not easy to find. And when you can find it, it can be pricey: $5.50 for a 55-oz. box is typical, which is about 20 cents per ounce. You can stop looking for it. Super Washing Soda is a brand name for sodium carbonate (not to be confused with sodium bicarbonate, which is baking soda).

But hang on, it's gets even more confusing: Sodium carbonate goes by another name as well: soda ash. It's annoying that it has two generic names until you discover when purchased as soda ash, it is much cheaper. Soda ash is used in swimming pools to keep the pH balance in check. It comes in quantities from one pound to hundreds of pounds. It looks, smells and feels just like Super Washing Soda because (ready?) it's the same thing!

OXICLEAN. Made popular by its late-night infomercials, basic OxiClean is not a laundry detergent but rather a non-chlorine bleach. It removes stains using oxygen, which is evident by the bubbles it makes as the white powder hits the water. The active ingredient in OxiClean is a generic white powder substance called sodium percarbonate. Generic sodium percarbonate is better than OxiClean, because OxiClean is only half sodium percarbonate.The balance of the product is soda ash (see above) and inert fillers. Sodium percarbonate is highly concentrated, so where you would use 1/2 cup of OxiClean in your laundry, you would substitute with only 2 tablespoons of its generic, sodium percarbonate.

Sodium percarbonate is really cool stuff. It is a highly concentrated powder that releases hydrogen peroxide. It is easy to use for cleaning, stain removal and laundry. Mixing it with water activates it. Sodium percarbonate has a long shelf life as long as it remains dry.

Sodium percarbonate is great for applications with hot water, such as mixed into the cleaning solution in a carpet cleaning machine, or mixed with hot water to mop the floor. It is great for cleaning and disinfecting things like the cat box, the birdbath or bedpans. Mix sodium percarbonate in hot water, fill your (empty) cat box or bird bath or bedpan, and give it time to soak. Just like hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate needs to have time to do its work. Two tablespoons is enough to clean a whole cat box (filled with water), or a whole bird bath (filled with water). Use HOT water for this.

Mix sodium percarbonate into a thick paste to use on light-colored tile grout. Let it sit and it will bleach the color back to original.

If you think of sodium percarbonate as an alternative form of hydrogen peroxide, that pretty much covers it. It can be used for most of what hydrogen peroxide is used for, bearing in mind it is a very concentrated powder.

The only precaution I would give you is that you may be tempted to use too much sodium percarbonate. It's tempting (and easy) to sprinkle some on a stain and scrub it in, when a much-less-concentrated form would likely do the trick. Go easy and you'll be happy with the results.

Bonus: Sodium percarbonate is the only product I know that will remove the orange mystery stains left by avobenzone, which is the active ingredient in nearly every sunscreen product. Just make sure you treat that stain before it goes into the clothes dryer, which will set it for all eternity.

For more information and links to the ingredients mentioned above please visit www.everydaycheapskate.com/genericcleaners .

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Lars Plougmann