7. Basic Cleaning Supplies (Great Value)

Keeping a clean and tidy home is a source of pride, but it shouldn’t have to break the bank. Name-brand cleaning supplies spend millions on advertising to convince you that their specific formula is the only one that can get the job done. The reality is that for most basic cleaning tasks, the simple, effective formulas in Walmart’s Great Value cleaning products work just as well for much less money.

Cleaners for specific purposes, like all-purpose cleaner with bleach, glass cleaner with ammonia, or basic disinfecting wipes, are based on well-known chemical compounds. The active ingredients that do the actual cleaning and disinfecting are often identical between the store brand and the name brand. You can verify this by comparing the list of active ingredients on the back of the bottles. If the key ingredients and their percentages are the same, the performance will be very similar.

Where you might notice a difference is in the scent. Name brands often invest in developing unique fragrances. If you aren’t particular about your lemon-scented cleaner smelling exactly like a specific brand’s version of a lemon grove, you can save a bundle. In fact, many people prefer the lighter, less overpowering scents of generic cleaners.

Your Money-Saving Move: Look for cleaning products in concentrate form. A smaller bottle of concentrated cleaner that you mix with water at home is almost always a better value than a large, pre-mixed bottle. It also takes up less space in your cabinet and is better for the environment because it uses less plastic packaging. A single bottle of Great Value concentrated all-purpose cleaner can make several gallons of cleaning solution, bringing your cost per use down to just pennies.