Of All Places To Buy Cleaners, Consumer Reports Names The Cheapest As The Best Store-Brand

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Trying to keep your house clean without overspending on expensive supplies? That's certainly possible according to Consumer Reports, a nonprofit membership organization that tests and reviews consumer products. After testing a variety of multi-purpose cleaners (a must-have cleaning item for any kitchen), it found that pricier name-brand all-purpose cleaners weren't superior to lower-cost store-brand versions — which is great news for budget-conscious shoppers. So, which store-brand cleaning product is the best? That would be Walmart's Great Value Lemon Scent Multi-Purpose Cleaner, which earned the top spot on Consumer Reports' list of best store-brand multi-purpose cleaners.

To create this list, Consumer Reports tested store-brand multi-purpose cleaning products from four national retailers: Amazon Basics, Target, Trader Joe's, and Walmart. To see how the products would perform, researchers recreated some common (and less common) household messes. They marked up a mirror with red lipstick, poured vegetable oil on a stovetop, put greasy handprints on stainless steel, left blue toothpaste on a bathroom sink, and spilled maple syrup on a countertop. After testing, it became clear why Walmart's product is one of the most popular all-purpose household cleaners in the USA.

Overall, the Consumer Reports team said that Walmart's Great Value cleaner performed well enough on each cleaning task, but it wasn't outstanding in any particular area. The organization gave Walmart's cleaner props for its ability to clean glass. In this part of the test, Walmart's product also worked faster than Target's Up & Up store-brand cleaner. Aside from that, Consumer Reports also said that the Great Value spray cleaned stainless steel appliances well and has an easy-to-read nozzle with multiple spray settings. The cost of the cleaner varies by location, but according to Consumer Reports, prices start at $2.77.

Based on product reviews, it seems that buyers are also pretty happy with this cleaner. Currently, it has almost 7,000 ratings, with an average score of 4.7 out of 5 stars. In one five-star review on Walmart's website, a customer said, "I use this all the time, for all types of cleaning. It has worked better than other sprays in the past. I use it on everything from cleaning the stove top and counters to spot cleaning the floor."

In terms of cons, Consumer Reports wrote that the cleaning spray could smell "slightly medicinal." That said, it did acknowledge that scent is subjective, so this isn't a negative for everyone. In fact, several customers on the Walmart website said they liked the cleaner's smell. Researchers also noted that Walmart's cleaner didn't work quite as well as the Trader Joe's version at removing lipstick, and it took several tries to remove vegetable oil from the stovetop. There's also a common gripe among many of the one- and two-star reviews on the Walmart website: the packaging. Some online shoppers said the bottle leaked, which was a waste of money.