Do you buy cheap household cleaning products?

We kept having to get the technicians out to our dishwasher as it wasn’t draining properly and one of the times the guy had a massive whinge at us for not using Finish tablets.

Anyway we decided to give them a go, obviously while taking the piss out of the dishwasher guy, but the other day realised it’s been 6 months now and we haven’t needed to have them back out.

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TrainingBike9702@reddit

It depends on the product, I don't really have a hard and fast rule. I tend to mostly buy branded products, but will buy own brand for things like clothes, sponges, multi surface cleaner, etc.

Branded items I buy are Fairy Liquid, laundry detergent, dishwasher tablets, Viakal, toilet roll.

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I always used to get cheaper washing up liquid, then I asked my dad to pick some up while he was at the shop and he got Fairy and it lasted so much longer than the cheaper one, I thought they were just bullshitting in their ads about that but turns out it's true haha!

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Slapedd1953@reddit

I buy cheap everything, except Fairy liquid, there’s nothing to touch it!

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DeadBallDescendant@reddit

Ha, we use Aldi's washing up liquid and my youngest lad, who's only recently left home keeps going on about how amazing Fairy Liquid is

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StephCurrySauce@reddit (OP)

Definitely where I’m at now, looking to save costs and only focus on what I truly need to put money in and not waste it on something like a sponge (though I recently got a scub daddy), cloths.. scrub.. surface spray… etc

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paolog@reddit

Because they make money for Unilever (or whoever, but Unilever make a lot of these products).

A century ago, people used vinegar, baking soda and the like for cleaning. Often they work just as effectively and they cost much less.

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originalwombat@reddit

The only thing I buy is method peach spray because it smells amazing

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fussyfella@reddit

Check the list of ingredients carefully and if it is basically the same in the same proportions, it will do the same job.

Some things like washing up liquids, the brands are more concentrated than the cheap stuff so seem better, but sometimes that does not add. One really cheap brand from Lidl I found was half as concentrated but well under half the price, so it still saved money even if you used twice as much. Lidl even have a "concentrate" brand that is essentially identical to the expensive branded one for much less - but allowing for concentration is actually less good value than their really cheap stuff.

You did listen in GCSE maths so you can work this out for yourselves I presume?

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IansGotNothingLeft@reddit

Bleach? Yeah, whatever. But I'm a sucker for bright colours and advertising, so I tend to buy the branded stuff for everything else.

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notouttolunch@reddit

I remember an experiment that I did at college. It was on bleach.

Domestos came top of value based on active ingredients alone but subjectively was also thicker so a better and more useful product.

The own brand stuff was miles away, or, if better value by calculation, needed five bottles to be equivalent dosing.

It’s all relative.

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Spicymargx@reddit

I tend to go for whichever product I like the smell of, rather than any specific brand. The only thing I do buy branded is Fairy liquid and Fairy unstoppables (fave scent ever)

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Dismal_Fox_22@reddit

Just FYI. Less than 1% of bacteria is harmful. Killing 99.9% is overkill. Most of the time the actual scrubbing and running water is sufficient for something to be socially clean. Just plain old soap will do the trick.

I buy cleaning products out of luxury or convenience. I like a wipe I can put in the bin, or a spray bottle. I enjoy job specific products. But I could quite confidently clean my whole house with nothing but a bottle of washing up liquid and some 69p bleach.

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Meltaburn@reddit

Having worked in household chemical manufacturing for about a decade, one of the biggest costs is packaging and labelling.

We would make a batch of a product.... Some would go into 5ltr containers for commercial use and some into 750ml or litre bottles with spray heads and nice labelling.

End cst for a 5ltr and a 750ml roughly the same once the packaging taken into account.

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rabbithole-xyz@reddit

Nearly all of Lidl's stuff is exellent when it comes to household cleaning and shower gel etc.

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batteryforlife@reddit

I like Lidl for most things, but the toilet cleaner is rubbish, too runny so it doesnt stick to the bowl. Toilet Duck or Domestos is way thicker.

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mordhoshogh@reddit

I once had own brand bran flakes from Kwik Save and it haunts me still.

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Repulsive_State_7399@reddit

Im only a snob for the Method wood Polish. It just smells so nice.i want my house to smell nice after a day of cleaning. The rest i buy whatever degreaser or limescale remover is on offer. I've given up on anything that says multi purpose, they seem to just smell nice but tackle neither.

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Apidium@reddit

I mean most folks don't need to kill that much baterica. Most of what it's killing is harmless. That said. Soap is soap. Bleach is bleach. Alcohol is alcohol. It doesn't matter if there is a brand name on it. It won't change anything. Unless you have very specific needs, for instance you have a sensitivity to a certain ingredient, any will do.

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Mikon_Youji@reddit

I buy a lot of Lidl and Tesco's own cleaning products, aswell as Astonish. They usually work well.

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CupofCursedTea@reddit

I’ve stopped buying multisurface cleaner, kitchen, and bathroom cleaner alltogether. I use Tesco washing up liquid, diluted, with a couple drops of my favourite essential oils. Works brilliantly, has cut down on cupboard space, and cheap as anything.

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dani-dee@reddit

After much research there’s some things I will not cheap out on: Kitchen roll - I’m a big Blitz fan - one roll is about the equivalent of 4 cheap shitty ones. Washing up liquid - fairy all the way, a bottle lasts much longer than cheaper alternatives and is much more efficient. Antibacterial wipes - Dettol. I’ve tried Aldi, Lidl wipes etc and they’re nowhere near as strong as Dettol. A big pack of Dettol wipes lasts me 6 weeks ish, the cheaper supermarket ones last a week or so because you need 3 to do the job 1 Dettol one will do. Sponges - BIG fan of Scrub Mommy’s.

Everything else I couldn’t really give a shit about. I will say though that in terms of cost and quality, the Buffalo range from Home Bargains is brilliant. Their bin bags and extra strong foil are immense quality and really cheap. I also like their bog roll which is only £5 for 24 rolls.

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AutomaticInitiative@reddit

Antibac is antibac, a sponge is a sponge, bleach is bleach, I'll buy whatever. Bin bags are pointless if cheap, so I get more expensive ones, and I get a particular cleaning wipe because I like the smell (use them for dusting).

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hoopheid@reddit

Things like dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid and washing machine pods, I’ll buy branded. Although I did try the M&S own brand dishwasher tablets recently and found them to be really good.

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Fine_Jury_5821@reddit

I have one universal cleaner from method or a similar brand and use vinegar and baking soda. (plus washing up liquid and washing powder). super cheap. People always compliment how clean my house is. on the contrary, im always shocked to see how many branded and unnecessarily expensive products people have in their homes.

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OrdoRidiculous@reddit

Depends what the product is and what problem I need it to solve. I've been using half a lemon/some lemon juice to clean off anything with limescale on it since I found out that trick works in year 9 chemistry. Bathroom cleaner I'll buy the Dettol stuff because it seems to work and doesn't leave weird streaks on anything in the bathroom, which a few of the other "equivalents" do.

Horses for courses.

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roxieh@reddit

Wait what's this about lemon juice. I live in a hard water area and constantly battling limescale buildup in the bathroom.

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peach_clouds@reddit

Lemon juice, white vinegar or citric acid are all great for it!

Personally I use citric acid in my kettle (I live in a very hard water area and still end up with some limescale even when using a filter jug) and white vinegar in my bathroom. You can buy a little ballon thing that goes over your tap ends if you get build up there so you can soak them easier, and the shower head gets drowned in a jug of white vinegar, anything else is either sprayed and left to work its magic or wrapped in vinegar soaked kitchen paper if it needs a more stubborn approach.

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ch536@reddit

The only own brand cleaning product I buy is Viakal. You just can't beat that stuff! And I do like branded detergent because it smells nicer for longer

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achillea4@reddit

I think a lot of cleaning can be handled by white vinegar or soda crystals which are cheap.

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nomarmite@reddit

Depends on the product. Branded doesn't always mean better; however in some cases it does.

The Which? test on bathroom sprays ranked Ecover highest with a 77% score. The highest scoring own-brand was Tesco, with only 59%.

However their kitchen spray test ranked Sainsbury's product highest, with 84%. The highest scoring branded product was Cif with 60% - so completely the opposite findings from the bathroom sprays test.

My own opinion is that while a more expensive product may be a little better, the difference is often not enough to justify the price discrepancy, which can be large. In the above cases, many of the branded products were 3x as expensive.

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StephCurrySauce@reddit (OP)

Interesting results thank you for sharing this

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DiDiPLF@reddit

The cheap loo cleaner from lidl was rubbish at cleaning, didn't have any scent and stained my white loo seat with blue splashes. Never again, back to toilet duck. Also the flash multi purpose cleaner smalls so nice. I've recently started an extra trip to home bargains to get branded cleaning products, they are just better.

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andreibirsan92@reddit

I bought a bottle of bathroom cleaning spray from aldi and the spraying pump broke halfway through the bottle

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HoraceorDoris@reddit

I know it’s really anal, but check the contents and compare with your usual brand. If xyz cleaner is 1% abc chemical and the alternator is the same then you’re saving money. If the cheaper product has say 0.75% of the chemical, you have to use more to get the same results.

Really really REALLY anal is uploading the COSHH certificate 🙄

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StereotypicallBarbie@reddit

Not anymore! I’ve started using Aldi brand stuff.. except the laundry detergent! Bold and comfort are still a luxury I’m holding onto..

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RaspberryJammm@reddit

I always go for eco-friendly ones or ones with fewer harsh chemicals and/or smells so this often means spending extra unfortunately.

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Uhura-hoop@reddit

I do think fairy liquid is worth the extra cost and makes a pretty good general purpose detergent too, like for windows,surfaces etc. generally though with cleaning products I don’t think it matters a great deal if you get cheaper versions. Experience has taught me that sometimes the cheap copies of food and drinks are just rubbish. I can’t bear anything other than proper Baileys if we’re getting Irish cream. Like, I’d rather just not have it at all than make do with that weak pretend crap. Similarly, marmite has to be the real thing or it just doesn’t taste right. Jaffa cakes too. It’s embarrassing if you’re at someone’s house and they offer you something like ‘would you like a Baileys?’ And then it turns out not to be the proper thing but they’ve poured it and it’s too late to say no. You can’t just be like ‘only if it’s the real thing’

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No-Structure-8125@reddit

Depends on what it is. Limescale remover, I won't touch anything other than cif. I've tried Mr muscle and other brands, but cif seems to be the only one that gets rid of it all.

General anti bacterial stuff, yeah I'll just buy anything.

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rabbithole-xyz@reddit

Vinegar essence is the answer to limescale. Pongs a bit, but it works.

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Uhura-hoop@reddit

Ecover do a great limescale remover and it’s greener which I like, not everywhere stocks it though unfortunately.

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Queasy-Energy7372@reddit

Not just cleaning products.. apply it to everything, food, clothes etc

Only stuff I don’t scrimp on by default is car tyres

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Urbanyeti0@reddit

I always start at the cheapest, then see how to goes, if it’s crap, go up a tier, then if it’s on offer buy the big branded version and compare.

Some things make a huge difference, like cheap bin bags are about as effective as tissue paper, and cheap kitchen towel is a fraction of the absorption

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StephCurrySauce@reddit (OP)

Yeah I don’t cheap out on bin bags I buy the costco ones that last me a good few months and are heavy duty and the toilet/kitchen rolls you really do have to be careful with those too

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Urbanyeti0@reddit

Yeah CostCo is always good stuff, their cling film and foil are also great options, and they actually have cutters that don’t disintegrate / destroy the boxes

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DivineDecadence85@reddit

More expensive to start out because of the size but totally worth it. I'd never needed it at the point I was in Costco until my last round and I decided to take the plunge. I didn't realise how much difference a well constructed box could make until I tried it.

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Urbanyeti0@reddit

Yeah that’s an outlay vs cost per usage issue, which is always true at Costco, so ideally knowing what your cost per meter or cost per unit is going in for comparison

Was visiting family at the weekend and damn near threw their Sainsbury’s clingfilm roll away and got in the car to drive to a Costco then and there it was so terrible

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DivineDecadence85@reddit

Weirdly, I found the best bin bags at my local newsagent and I've never looked back. Nothing else has come close. If I ever move, I'd come back for them.

Kitchen roll can be really shit if it's own-brand stuff. Sainsbury's Super Absorbent is my go-to unless a better brand is on sale.

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swapacoinforafish@reddit

Seconding this, the only thing that sways me other than quality is smell. For example I do not care for any other disinfectant than Zoflora so I buy that but it's not exactly expensive.

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seklas1@reddit

Cheapest thick bleach, then whatever’s on offer for cleaning products. I haven’t found the one that is perfect yet, they all kinda suck. Some more than others.

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Ok_Resident3556@reddit

Sometimes. I tend to try the cheap ones and if it’s crap, don’t buy it again. I do prefer branded stuff for washing my clothes because I like the smell, but for the most part, if it cleans it’s fine

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MangelTosser@reddit

Branded? Fuck no

Some stuff I use greencare, some stuff I use the cheapest effective product I can find.

Why pay for advertising.

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DivineDecadence85@reddit

You could say the same for a lot of products. It's all about psychology. There's also the fact that big brands have bigger marketing budgets which also drives up costs. It's expensive to establish yourself as a "name" brand and to keep yourself in people's minds as the go-to.

Sometimes they'll be genuinely better quality, other time's not.

I'll buy surface wipes from anywhere and I prefer Sainsbury's own brand for sprays. I like to spend a bit more elsewhere when I'm shopping so I really can't bring myself to spend a lot on cleaning products. The only stuff we really splurge on is Vanish Oxi Action because my boyfriend is quite particular about what he uses on his chef whites. I'm sure we could get a cheaper version but I'm not going to argue. It is great stuff, to be fair.

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Royal_Bag3489@reddit

I used to, but then my counters started looking like they were in a dirty disco with all the streaks. Now, I splurge a bit more on the fancy stuff. Gotta keep that kitchen shining like a diamond, you know?

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StephCurrySauce@reddit (OP)

I’ve heard from someone that I used to work with that these companies almost all use the same place to make these products and the only difference is the packaging

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DivineDecadence85@reddit

That can be the case but it doesn't always mean the exact same product. A factory might have the set-up to manufacture a certain type of goods but it can be to slightly different specs depending on what the customer (the company, not us) wants.

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ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit

Some are essentially the same. Others may be slightly more dilute. It’s worth experimenting to see which ones you like, and sticking with the best value

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StephCurrySauce@reddit (OP)

Definitely right about that, just looking at what I can save costs on and the surface cleaners for me I can definitely opt for the cheapest brands

I understand some washing up liquids aren’t as lasting as the bigger brands so I don’t cheap out on items like that

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terahurts@reddit

I buy cheap washing up liquid to fill the scrubber handle thing, but also have a bottle of Fairy for when I need to leave a pan to soak as I find that Fairy does a better job at loosening the burnt on bits.

Brand name for washing clothes, but cheap stuff for the dog/cat beds and my dog walking clothes.

Any cheap brand of anti-bac stuff or bleach for surface and floor cleaning.

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