Who cleans up as we put name brand cleaning products vs. store brands?

(WXYZ) - You don't have to clean out your wallet to keep your house looking great -- we put generic and brand-name cleaning products to the test to see which work the best for the lowest price.

Kids, pets, dust --- it all makes a mess, but does spending more on brand-name cleaning products actually mean you'll have a cleaner house?

Our expert, Lanette Richmond works for a cleaning company and she helped us execute our test at Jason Henry's home.

They both helped us figure out if you're washing your money down the drain by buying brand-name cleaners.

CARPET

We started with the carpet, pitting Resolve Carpet Cleaner against Target's Up and Up. You'll pay about $1 more for a 22-ounce can of Resolve.

We disguise the cans so our testers don't know which cleaners they're using. We spill wine on the carpet and use both cleaners to try to get rid of the evidence. Almost instantly both stains are gone. So based on this test, save your cash and buy the Target brand for $3.29

Or spend even less! We removed the stain using just hydrogen peroxide and that cost us 88 cents for the whole bottle.

OVEN

Next we battled a dirty oven. We paid $5.79 for a 16-ounce can of Easy Off oven cleaner. Kroger’s Everyday Living oven cleaner will cost you almost $3 less -- a big difference in price.

And after a lot of scrubbing, we noticed a big difference in performance. The Easy Off oven cleaner did a much better job. In fact, Jason says the Everyday Living oven cleaner didn’t clean the grease.

This time it makes more sense to spend more on the brand name.

But on a side note, both cleaners had a very strong smell. We had to open the doors and windows to make it comfortable inside the house.Lanette says if you have a self-cleaning oven, it’s a healthier option because some of those chemicals can be toxic.

BATHROOM

Speaking of pennies, we bought a 13-ounce can of bathroom cleaner from the 99 Cent Only store. Compare that to a 22-ounce can of Scrubbing Bubbles for $4.19.

We spray both cleaners in the bathtub and surprisingly both cleaners got the dirt right off. So why spend more if the cheaper cleaner will get the job done just as easily? You’ll save 11 cents per ounce on the cheaper cleaner – that’s more than a $2 savings on a 22-ounce can.

CLEANING PADS, PAPER TOWELS

Next is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pads versus Safeway’s disposable erasing pads. You’ll spend 75 cents more per pad for the brand name erasers and after doing a whole lot of scrubbing, you'll realize it’s worth the cash. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pads cleaned much easier and didn’t rip as easily as Safeway’s brand.

Finally we compare Bounty paper towels to Walmart’s Great Value paper towels. You'll pay $1.28 more for the name brand, but in the end, Jason says it’s not worth the extra cash.

He says both paper towels got the job done.

WINDOWS

If you’re looking for a cheap and easy way to clean your windows, you don’t have to pay $3.99 for a bottle of Windex.

Just fill your spray bottle with water; add three drops of the original Palmolive soap, and voila, sparkling clean! Our Palmolive solution cleaned better than the Windex and it cost pennies to make.

RESULTS

Overall the results are clear. Our testers preferred the generic store brand in five of the seven products we tested. So keep your house clean on a dime and ditch the name brand cleaners!