We test cheap cleaning sprays from Dollar Tree & Walmart to find the best – and a five-star favorite ISN’T worth buying

FINDING a cleaning spray that is effective, yet doesn’t break the bank is not an easy task.

Take it from me as I am a no-fuss type of cleaner.

Carli Rappaport

To nail down the best cheap cleaner out there, I put six cleaners to the test[/caption]

Carli Rappaport

I pulled six cleaners from Amazon, Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree, and Costco to test[/caption]

Personally, I find cleaning to be an annoying, but necessary chore, so I tend to look for sprays that get the job done quickly and without a lot of work.

Also, there are plenty of other things I would rather be spending my money on, so I need a cleaning spray that’s cost-efficient.

To find the most effective, budget-friendly cleaning spray, I put six products to the test to see how well they scrub away dried-on pasta sauce.

Below, you will find my ratings based on the time it took to clear the stains, scrubbing effort, price, and overall cleaning power.

MRS. MEYER’S MULTI-SURFACE EVERDAY CLEANER

Courtesy Mrs. Meyer's

The Mrs. Meyer’s Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner has a great scent and uses all-natural ingredients[/caption]

Time: 21 seconds

Scrubbing effort: 8/10

Price: $10.80 for three bottles (comes out to $3.60 for one bottle) on Amazon

General rating: 7.5/10

The first thing I noticed about the Amazon favorite Mrs. Meyer’s cleaner is its unique smell.

I grabbed the basil scent, which had a pleasant smell that wasn’t too overpowering.

On the cleaning side of things, I did have to scrub a bit to really tackle the dried-on bits, but the spray did a good job cleaning on the initial wipe.

Overall, I thought this was an above-average cleaning spray.

THE PINK STUFF MULTI-PURPOSE CLEANER

Courtesy The Pink Stuff

The Pink Stuff Miracle Multi-Purpose Cleaner has over 6,000 5-star reviews on Amazon[/caption]

Time: 19

Scrubbing effort: 8/10

Price: $9.79 on Amazon

General rating: 6/10

Another Amazon favorite, the Pink Stuff, did not leave me too impressed.

It had a weird, chemical scent, plus it required a good amount of scrubbing to remove the stain.

I did like that it had a foamy spray so I could see exactly how much I was spraying.

Despite the Pink Stuff’s thousands of 5-star reviews, I can’t get behind this product because of its odd scent and high price.

GREAT VALUE ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER

Courtesy Great Value

Great Value’s All Purpose Cleaner left me pleasantly surprised with its cleaning power[/caption]

Time: 15 seconds

Scrubbing effort: 6/10

Price: $2.24 at Walmart

General rating: 8/10

This all-purpose cleaner pleasantly surprised me for being a store brand.

It wiped away most of the stain pretty quickly and required a tiny bit of scrubbing to clean the stain away completely.

Its light scent was exactly what you would expect out of a cleaner: citrusy with a touch of chemical smell.

With its great cleaning power and even better price, Great Value won me over on this product.

METHOD ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER

Courtesy Method

The Method All-Purpose Cleaner is a Target favorite and for good reason[/caption]

Time: 18 seconds

Scrubbing effort: 7/10

Price: $3.59 at Target

General rating: 8.5/10

What I really loved about this product is the fact that it didn’t smell like a cleaner at all.

It smelled exactly like a freshly-squeezed grapefruit and didn’t have a touch of chemical odor to it.

The Method cleaning spray immediately wiped away most of the stain and only took a few extra seconds of scrubbing to get clean.

I also love that it’s made from plant-based ingredients, plus it doesn’t hurt that it’s a pretty pink color either.

This Target-brand cleaner stole my heart with its amazing chemical-free scent, green ingredients, and effectiveness.

SIMPLE GREEN CLEANER

Courtesy Simple Green

Costco’s Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is a great value[/caption]

Time: 17 seconds

Scrubbing effort: 8/10

Price: $12.09 for 32 fl oz bottle + 32 fl oz refill at Costco

General rating: 7/10

This cleaner didn’t immediately pick up the stain as much as the others and it took a good amount of scrubbing to clean the stain away.

I did like how wide of a spray it has, which means you don’t need to spray a ton to cover a lot of area.

I also like how it’s a solution meant to be diluted, so you can customize it depending on your needs.

This spray is definitely an excellent choice for those wanting to get more bang for their buck.

FABULOSO ANTIBACTERIAL MULTI-PURPOSE CLEANER

Courtesy Fabuloso

The Fabuloso cleaner is a Dollar Tree favorite, but required a bit of scrubbing[/caption]

Time: 23 seconds

Scrubbing effort: 9/10

Price: $1.25 at Dollar Tree

General rating: 5/10

Sadly, the cheapest cleaner is the one I had the most problems with.

The Fabuloso cleaner did not come in a spray bottle, so it was a bit tough to control how much comes out.

It also seemed to spread the mess around rather than clean it up, plus it felt slimy to the touch.

It also took much longer to clean up the stain than all of the other sprays.

After looking at the fine print on the back of the bottle, I realized it’s actually supposed to be diluted, which wasn’t made clear.

I admit that this cleaner may work differently when diluted, but overall I was not a fan.

Carli Rappaport

We tested cleaning sprays on dried, crusted-on pasta sauces to see their scrubbing power[/caption]

Carli Rappaport

Some cleaners wiped away the stain quickly, while others like the Fabuloso required a bit more scrubbing[/caption]