Last Updated on March 2, 2023
This post contains affiliate links.
Dollar stores are the home of cheap snacks and the best prices on greeting cards that you’ll find anywhere. They are where you can go to buy inexpensive party decorations or even basic gardening supplies. They can also be practical places to buy necessary household goods such as cleaning supplies, facial tissues, toilet paper, and toiletries such as hand soap, shower gel, or shampoo.
Dollar stores also stock laundry detergent. If you shop at dollar stores often, you probably know that — in addition to selling some name brands such as Tide or Gain — each of the major dollar stores sells distinct off brands of laundry detergent. Dollar General sells laundry detergent under its TrueLiving private label. Dollar Tree sells detergent under the LA’s Totally Awesome brand, which is not a Dollar Tree house brand but is a brand found primarily at various dollar stores and discount retailers.
That brings us to Family Dollar, which also sells a house brand of laundry detergent under its Homeline label. Homeline 3-in-1 Laundry Detergent is sold in two varieties: Original Scent and Tropical Oasis Scent.
Original Scent on the left, Tropical Oasis Scent on the right.
Homeline 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent cost $6.90 for a 92-ounce bottle (64 loads) at the time of publication. That comes out to about 8 cents per ounce.
That’s a similar price to Dollar General’s TrueLiving laundry detergent. However, it’s more than what you’ll pay for the LA’s Totally Awesome brand of laundry detergent that the extreme discounter Dollar Tree sells, which goes for about 3 cents per ounce and is the cheapest detergent I’ve seen anywhere. The only detergent you might find a better deal on is Great Value Walmart detergent (about 7 cents per ounce, but only if you buy a bulk bottle).
The bottles state that this detergent is comparable to Gain Original and Gain Island Fresh. A bulk 165-ounce container of Gain Original cost about 16 cents per ounce at Walmart at the time of writing. You can do a little better purchasing a bulk 154-ounce bottle of Gain Original + Aroma Boost for about 10 cents per ounce at Walmart at the time of writing. The Family Dollar version is still the cheaper option, though.
Homeline detergent is distributed by Midwood Brands, which is behind products that are exclusive to Family Dollar. Homeline is the private label Family Dollar uses for various cleaning or household products, including laundry detergent, fabric softener, facial tissue, and cleaning sprays or liquids for use around the house. I spotted a Homeline knockoff of name-brand Fabuloso cleaning spray at my local Family Dollar, for example.
Directions for use and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
These detergents are labelled as safe for all washers, including high efficiency washing machines. The 3 in 1 part of the label indicates this detergent 1.) offers a fresh rejuvenating scent, 2.) removes tough stains, and 3.) whitens. The detergent was made in the U.S. of U.S. and imported materials. Both detergents, including the Original Scent, contain fragrance.
Using Family Dollar Laundry Detergent:
Use this detergent like you would any other brand. The bottle states to use the dosing cap to measure. Fill the cap to just below the second line for regular loads. Use more for large or heavily soiled loads. The fine print on the back of the bottle specifies it contains 64 uses as measured to just below the second line on the cap. See garment care labels or hangtags for washing instructions.
To pretreat, check an inside seam for colorfastness. Rub a small amount of detergent directly into the stain before washing.
As always, avoid contact with eyes and do not ingest. These contain anionic and/or nonionic surfactants and enzymes. Keep out of reach of children.
I’ve used both of these detergent scents on several loads of laundry now. They are as good as any other detergent at getting stains and smells out of clothes, towels, bedding, or whatever else you put in the wash.
I also really like the scents of these detergents. I prefer the Original scent a little more than the Tropical Oasis Scent, but they’re both good. These might be my favorites of all the different house brand detergents across the different dollar stores, including Dollar Tree and Dollar General. This detergent makes my clothing smell fresh, and I like walking into the laundry room right after a load has washed because the entire room smells good.
If you don’t like or are allergic to laundry detergents with added fragrance, then these aren’t for you and you might want to go with something like Trader Joe’s unscented laundry detergent.
The Verdict:
Homeline 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent is sold at Family Dollar and comes in Original Scent or Tropical Oasis Scent. It’s comparable to Gain Original and Gain Island Fresh. This Family Dollar detergent smells great and does as good as name brand detergents at getting laundry clean and fresh. This detergent is similar in price to Dollar General’s private label detergent and is cheaper than its name brand Gain counterparts. Even if you buy Gain in large bulk bottles, the Family Dollar price is still lower per ounce. If you’re looking to save a little money by purchasing off-brand detergent, you can’t go wrong with these.
