Is Dollar Tree's Oven Cleaner A Good Budget-Friendly Alternative To Easy Off?

With prices for many daily necessities increasing, some consumers may turn to cheaper products over name-brand ones in an attempt to save money. If you've been itching to clean your oven's insides, perhaps you have seen that a can of Easy Off oven cleaner is nearing $5 — that can really add up over time. Dollar Tree often tries to replicate name-brand product performance for a fraction of the cost, but how does their oven cleaner measure up to the highly rated Easy Off? 

If you're not in the mood to do a side-by-side comparison of Easy Off and Dollar Tree's Oven Cleaner, there's no need to fret; information online offers an insightful look at how the budget option measures up. At a glance, Easy Off boasts a 4.5-star average, and users of the product praise its low-fume formula and impressive results. One customer writes, "I sprayed it on the surfaces and let it stand overnight. It wiped off with warm water and a cloth. The grease came off, and the spilled and baked on crud came off easily, too!" The Dollar Tree cleaning product has a slightly lower average of 4.2 stars. A customer who purchased their version writes, "Honestly I wasn't hoping for much, but after I sprayed it over my stove I saw almost immediately how it started removing all the grease." Since it can be difficult to draw an accurate conclusion from a single review comparison, however, some deeper digging is required.

Despite having similar review averages, a closer inspection reveals that Easy Off's one-star average is only about 4% of the overall reviews, whereas Dollar Tree has significantly more single-star reviews — comprising 14% of the total number. Several critical reviews of the cheaper product mention the fact that the formula was changed, resulting in a mostly ineffective product. "The Scrub Free is awful. The old Home Store brand was so much better, please bring it back," one review writes. This checks out as numerous 5-star reviews specifically mention how much they love "The Home Store" product, which was a different formula. Another concerning trend in reviews of the Dollar Tree brand contain statements about safety of the oven cleaner. Customers mention that it is "toxic," and made them feel ill shortly after using it, "This is horrible! Made me dizzy, started coughing and threw up," one writes. 

With all of the evidence available, it seems that the current oven cleaner available from Dollar Tree is not worth your time or money, however small the price may be. Easy Off remains the best option for dirty ovens, so long as the instructions are followed and you heed the safety precautions on the can. If you're of the more all-natural persuasion when it comes to cleaning, there are many ways to clean your oven if you don't want to use chemicals.