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As a Walmart Mom, I spend a lot of time perusing our local stores for natural, sustainable alternatives to conventional products. A couple of weeks ago, we had run out of laundry detergent, so I headed over to the household products aisle ready to pick up one of the two brands I regularly purchase (Seventh Generation and Ecos). I was pleasantly surprised to see Walmart’s new Great Value Naturals Cleaning Products, so I picked up a bottle of Liquid Laundry Detergent instead of the brands I used to purchase to test it out. A few years ago, it would have been more challenging to find sustainable laundry care and cleaning products at a large retailer like Walmart, but the company is committed to “using less energy, greener chemicals, fewer fertilizers, and more recycled materials,” according to former president and CEO Mike Duke.
When I chat with other moms in my network about “going green,” they typically tell me that the 2 most challenging aspects of making the switch include price and availability. Walmart has worked to help families overcome these obstacles by offering products in their Great Value Naturals line that are 100 percent free from chemicals, toxins, and allergens. All four products in the line are also biodegradable and packaged in recyclable materials.
Apart from price and availability, most people want to know if “green” products actually work. According to the brand, all four products in the line are made with Natural PowerClean, which is the first all-natural cleaning technology lab-tested to deliver the kind of results traditionally only seen in conventional cleaning products.
The very first product I tested out was the Great Value Naturals Liquid Laundry Detergent. Priced at just $8.97 for a 100 ounce bottle this should in theory wash 64 loads. I can’t personally tell you how many loads we were able to wash since our Whirlpool Duet Washer uses precision dispense which means I only have to fill it up every few loads (this depends on the size of my load, the settings I input on the washer, and how dirty my clothes are). One of the first things you’ll notice is that the detergent is free from any scents. If you have small children or anyone in your family with allergies, you’ll appreciate this fact. I personally have a great aversion to the scent of most laundry detergents on the market, however, it would be nice for the brand to offer an alternative (perhaps something soft and mild like lavender). We have two small children who stain their clothing constantly with dirt, food, paint, and a myriad of other substances so I was surprised that their clothes came out quite clean. We don’t often use fabric softener because it is very difficult to find a natural, chemical-free product, so I would love to see Walmart develop one in the future.
Over the long weekend we spent quite a bit of time cooking, which made for a constant and impressive sink full of dirty dishes. We use a dishwasher that works optimally when the dishes are loaded dirty (this also helps save water) so I was quite intrigued to see how effective the Great Value Naturals Automatic Dishwasher Gel would be against all of that food grime. The back of the bottle does say to rinse off the food grime so you may not have optimal results if you choose to just load the dishwasher like I did. Having tried nearly every dishwasher gel on the market (both convention and eco-friendly), I have always found the gel pacs to be the most effective (and the least messy). After using the Great Value Naturals brand, I was impressed with how clean my dishes came out. There were no dried on food particles and because we use a conventional rinse agent, there were no streaks. I don’t particularly like the size of the bottle (dishwasher gel packs store so much more compactly under the sink) and I don’t like the mess, but this is a great option for people looking for an all-natural dishwasher gel.
Before the Thanksgiving holiday, my house was thoroughly cleaned but as you can imagine, with 4 days of cooking, baking, crafting, and playing, it was like my house had never been cleaned. The weekend was the perfect opportunity to test out the Great Value Naturals Glass & Window Cleaner and the Multi-Surface Cleaner. Both products recommend allowing the product to sit for approximately 30 seconds for maximum effectiveness. The Glass & Window Cleaner worked for my inside windows and the glass doors on my appliances. There were no streaks and all of the dirt and grime came off without much effort. When it came time to testing out the Multi-Surface Cleaner, I decided to use it on the dirtiest parts of my house: the bathtub, the kitchen sink, and our stove. As recommended, I allowed the product to sit and then got to work cleaning. I was surprised at how little effort I had to put forth when cleaning the bathtub and the sink. All of the dirt and soap residue came off easily. When it came to the stove, I had to put in a bit of elbow grease. And to be honest, it took probably 5-7 applications of the cleaner in order to remove the dried-on grease. However, oven cleaners are toxic and I refuse to use them in my home so I can put in a bit of extra time and effort to get my oven clean without harsh, potentially dangerous chemicals. I’d love for Walmart to introduce an oven-specific cleaner that is more effective at removing grease.
Overall, I found Walmart’s new Great Value Naturals line of cleaning products to be effective and extremely affordable (all of the products, minus the laundry detergent, are under $5). You can find the line at more than 2,000 stores nationwide and soon, online at Walmart.com.
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