14 Home Essentials You Should Only Buy From the Dollar Store

You can find almost anything at Dollar Tree, and most items are just $1.25. That's why it's easier to save more on everyday essentials here than at other stores that charge for name brands.

This value store offers many cleaning products, home goods, storage options, and more that can save you money and space in your home.

Dollar Tree raised its base price point to $1.25 in recent years to keep pace with rising costs, but even at that price, many items still undercut national retailers on a per-unit basis. 

Shoppers can stretch their trip further by comparing name-brand dupes, like Dollar Tree's Oxydol, Ajax and Scrub Buddies lines, against pricier originals sold elsewhere.

Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location. 

Price: $1.25

You get three mesh laundry bags in this deal, whereas just one at Walmart would cost $2.49.

This is a must-have for any home since it saves you money by keeping your delicates safer from the washer. You won't need to replace them as often. Plus, this laundry bag ensures that your socks stay together and that you don't have any missing pairs.

The three-pack of mesh bags is designed to protect delicates, lingerie and other small items from snagging or tangling in the washer's agitator, and shoppers have found the larger bags handy well beyond laundry, from separating outfits for family members during camping trips and beach vacations to hauling sandy toys home from the beach. 

Because the mesh lets water and detergent through, items still get clean while staying contained, which cuts down on lost socks and stretched-out fabric.

Price: $1.25

This gentle hand soap is strong enough to clean your hands, and at a bargain.

Dollar Tree offers favorite brands like Dial, providing tantalizing scents that keep your hands looking, feeling, and smelling fresh. This value-sized container is what you can find at other stores but at a much more affordable price.

Dial's Clean + Gentle line comes in a 7.5-fluid-ounce bottle and is formulated without SLS/SLES, parabens, phthalates or silicones, with a pH-balanced, dermatologist-tested formula. 

The soap is also approved as cruelty-free under the Leaping Bunny program, and the bottle is made using recycled plastic aside from the pump. 

Scents rotate through options like vanilla and honey, coconut water and mango, and cherry blossom, giving shoppers some variety at the register.

Price: $1.25

Dollar Tree has a range of oven mitts and pot holders to choose from to keep your hands safe while baking.

You can find many colors to match your kitchen decor, or jazz up your space by mixing and matching different shades. They're each made with 100% cotton and can assist in protecting your hands from getting burned while touching hot cookware.

Beyond single mitts, Dollar Tree's Home Collection line includes matching pot holders and multi-piece sets, so shoppers can coordinate an entire kitchen without paying more than a dollar or two per piece. 

The cotton construction is machine washable, making it easy to keep the mitts looking fresh, and the low price point makes it simple to replace a worn-out mitt as soon as it starts to fray instead of waiting until it becomes a safety hazard.

Price: $1.25

This scented laundry detergent also has fabric softener infused to keep your clothing and bedding soft, clean, and like new. It has a fresh scent and can complete up to 32 loads of laundry for you at under $2.

Oxydol also sells a rain-fresh scented version and an oxygen-powered formula without added softener at Dollar Tree, so shoppers who want a specific scent or a softener-free option have a choice beyond the classic combo formula. 

At roughly 6 cents per load, the detergent undercuts many national brands that charge closer to 15 to 20 cents per load for a similar softener-infused product.

Pro Tip: Want to get the most out of your next trip to Dollar Tree? Check out the best cash back credit cards for even more perks at check out. 

Price: $1.25

You can use this floor cleaner on any type of ceramic or no-wax flooring in your home. It comes in a soothing lavender scent and is free of heavy-duty detergents. 

The bottle holds 48 fluid ounces and is formulated to clean ceramic and no-wax floors, removing dirt, grime and stains without leaving a sticky residue. Because it skips heavy-duty detergents or oils, it's gentle enough for regular use while still cutting through everyday dirt and grime. 

The lavender scent lingers after cleaning, and some shoppers have found the multipurpose formula works well on floors, bathrooms, walls and kitchens, stretching the value of a single bottle even further.

Price: $1.25

These powerful detergent pacs can help clean even the toughest stains on your dishes.

You get 10 in a pack for an unbeatable price, and it's perfect for doing dishes more quickly and efficiently. These even have a fresh lemon scent and make your cookware shinier than before.

The pacs are made by Dollar Tree's Home Store brand and are designed for automatic dishwashers, eliminating the need to measure liquid or powder detergent and reducing spills at the sink. 

Reviews on the formula are mixed: some shoppers say the pacs clean well for the price, especially in a pinch, while others have reported dishes coming out less than spotless or the pods caking before dissolving fully. For everyday loads that aren't heavily soiled, the low per-pac cost can still make them worth a try.

Price: $1.25

Save money on paper towels by buying a few rolls from Dollar Tree over multi-packs at other retailers. These absorbent paper towels let you tear to create the size you need for any spill around your home.

Each roll holds 140 two-ply sheets, and the tear-to-size design means shoppers aren't stuck peeling off a full-size sheet for a small spill, unlike some big-box multipacks that only offer one size. 

At about $1.25 for a single roll, the per-sheet cost is competitive with buying paper towels in bulk elsewhere, especially for households that don't have the storage space or budget to stock up on a 12-pack at once. They're a practical option for kitchens, bathrooms and quick cleanups throughout the house.

Price: $1.25

Tuck away any clutter or mess with this stylish and affordable container.

These handy containers collapse and fold away when not in use, saving you even more storage space. They also come with handles so you can more easily transport them across rooms for clothing, crafts supplies, and more.

Dollar Tree sells these collapsible containers in a few sizes, including one that measures about 9 by 9 by 8 inches, making them a good fit for closet shelves, under-bed storage or a camper. 

Because they fold completely flat when empty, they take up a fraction of the space of a rigid bin during the off-season, and the sturdy handles make it easy to carry a full container without straining the fabric sides.

Price: $1.25

Use these dry cloths with any sweeper system to remove dust, dirt, hair, and other debris from your floors.

These cloths are just $0.05 each, and Dollar Tree even has a sweeper handle you can buy to save more money on your cleaning essentials.

The dry cloths are designed to fit standard sweeper systems like the Swiffer Sweeper, and shoppers on social media have said the fit and cleaning performance hold up well against name-brand refills, cleaning floors just as well if not better. 

Because a full pack works out to just a few cents per cloth, they cost significantly less than brand-name refill packs, which often run $1 or more per sheet, making them one of the better dupes in Dollar Tree's cleaning aisle for households that sweep frequently.

Price: $1.25

Ajax is a great alternative to bleach, making your home feel clean and fresh.

It is perfect for tackling tough grease and stains while still being gentle enough for other surfaces and messes.

Ajax's dish liquid line at Dollar Tree comes in scents like lemon and orange, formulated to cut through grease on pots, pans and dishes without needing a separate degreaser. 

The brand has built its reputation on tough cleaning power for decades, and the dish soap version carries that same grease-fighting formula into a smaller, budget-friendly bottle. 

It works well for hand-washing dishes, pretreating grease stains before laundering, or as a quick degreaser for stovetops and range hoods, giving shoppers several uses out of one bottle.

Price: $1.25

A Swiffer duster kit from Target would cost you $6.19, but this Dollar Tree bargain comes with everything you need for a dust-free home.

Don't spend more just for the name brand at other retailers when this duster kit also comes with a handle and two dusters for cleaning your space. It picks up dust and hair while locking it into the fibers for a better clean.

The kit's fibers are designed to trap dust in every direction thanks to a 360-degree design, making it easier to reach into corners, along blinds and around knickknacks without needing a separate tool for tight spaces. 

The dusters are washable in light, sudsy warm water, so shoppers can reuse them several times before needing a refill, stretching the value even further beyond the initial $1.25 purchase.

Price: $1.25

This microfiber towel is great for cleaning up messes or adding some color to your kitchen.

Dollar Tree has many color options to choose from, including tan, black, and blue. Typical kitchen towel sets can cost twice as much, and these are more absorbent to keep your home feeling cleaner.

Microfiber towels are made from tightly woven synthetic fibers that trap more moisture and debris than traditional cotton towels, making them well suited for wiping down counters, drying dishes or buffing streaks off glass and stainless steel. 

Because they're more absorbent per towel, shoppers may need fewer of them in rotation compared with cotton towels, which can help offset the cost difference over time even though a single cotton towel sometimes costs less upfront.

Price: $1.25

A two-pack of Magic Erasers from Target costs $3.49, making this one a must-buy during your Dollar Tree visit.

This handy cleaning tool is perfect for a wide range of surfaces and stains while lasting you for quite some time. It means less scrubbing and work on your end while still giving you a nice shine.

Dollar Tree's Magic Eraser pack comes with three sponges instead of two, adding to the value gap between the two retailers. 

The Durafoam pads use micro-scrubbers that penetrate deep into surface grooves, lifting dirt and grime using only water, no harsh chemicals needed, and the brand says the eraser can handle over 100 different cleaning tasks, from scrubbing bathtubs to cleaning scuff marks off walls. 

Because each sponge wears down with use, the three-pack gives shoppers extra backups for whenever a new tough stain turns up.

Price: $1.25

Don't waste your money by buying your measuring cups and spoons at other stores.

Thanks to its compact nesting design, this set saves money and kitchen drawer space. This deal includes six spoons and cups for measuring any ingredient during cooking and baking.

A comparable stainless steel or plastic measuring set at a big-box retailer can run anywhere from $4 to $10, making the Dollar Tree version a significant discount for anyone stocking a first kitchen or replacing a mismatched, incomplete set. 

The nesting design means all six pieces store as a single stack rather than rattling around loose in a drawer, and having both cups and spoons in one set means bakers don't need to buy the two separately.

You can keep more cash in your wallet when you take advantage of Dollar Tree's incredibly low prices. 

This value store is a bargain shopper's dream, and you can find everything from groceries to home goods at your local store. Plus, it's worth making a trip to see what seasonal items are in stock.

Comparing Dollar Tree's private-label dupes, like Oxydol, Ajax and Scrub Buddies, against the brand-name products they're modeled after is one of the simplest ways to see just how much a trip can save. 

Since inventory varies by location and turns over often, checking back regularly, especially around seasonal changes, can help shoppers catch new finds before they sell out.