DEAR HELOISE: I plan to make the recipe for the glass cleaner that was in your recent column. Does it work on mirrors, too? — Judy, via e-mail.

Dear Judy: Yes, it does, and it costs a lot less than the store-bought version. Just mix 1/2 cup white vinegar with 1/2 cup water, or use full-strength 5 percent vinegar. Pour into a clean, labeled spray bottle and, for the best results, spray your cloth, not the mirror, then use newspaper to wipe clean.

For big cleaning jobs, mix 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 pint rubbing alcohol and 1 teaspoon mild dishwashing liquid (the stuff you use for hand-washing dishes) with enough water to make 1 gallon of cleaner. This costs as little as 15 cents for 16 ounces. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and be sure to label.

These two formulas and a lot of other cheap, green cleaners are in my new, six-page Heloise's Homemade Cleaning Solutions pamphlet. You can have it simply by sending $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (59 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Cleaners, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. There are many household cleaning products that you can make at home that cost pennies. Start reading the ingredients on the containers, and you'll see. You can save big bucks by going back to basics. — Heloise.

Travel hint

DEAR HELOISE: I saw your travel hint for using clear bead organizers. I use the bead organizers to store earrings in my jewelry armoire.

When I travel, I use a seven-day pill dispenser to put my jewelry in (earrings, rings and small brooches). Saves a lot of space in a suitcase or can be slipped into a purse. — Sue Toler in Louisiana.

Dear Sue: A note of caution: If you check luggage, never put jewelry, medications or expensive items in that bag. — Heloise.

'Cottage cheese' ceilings

DEAR HELOISE: My foyer ceiling is about 18 feet, and there is a window near the top. Even with a tall ladder, which is very bulky, awkward and dangerous, I had trouble cleaning dust and spider webs. I found a solution. I use a dry paint roller (with a very long extension pole) and roll it over the ceiling and walls to dust. The dust and webs attach, and the ''cottage cheese'' doesn't fall off the ceiling. I also use this to clean the chain on my chandelier in the foyer and get the dust and spider webs from the walls and windowsills. This is great for dusting walls, also. — DeAnna Arnold, via e-mail.

Pool cover-ups

DEAR HELOISE: Bathing-suit season is upon us, and I wanted to share this great swimming hint: I purchase summer dresses at garage sales or resale shops to use as a bathing-suit cover-up. You'll look sophisticated going to the pool and receive lots of compliments, and they're one-tenth the price (and oftentimes less!). — Karen Eriksen, Bloomfield, N.J.