Great Value beats Mrs. Meyer's in a mac-and-cheese showdown

Dried-on mac and cheese is a genuine test of an all-purpose cleaner’s cleaning power. The dairy proteins bond to the surface, the cheese hardens into a crust, and whatever you’re spraying needs to cut through fat and protein simultaneously.

In a head-to-head test, Great Value Lemon cut through dried-on mac and cheese on the first wipe. Mrs. Meyer’s Basil needed two passes and noticeable elbow grease to get the same result. That’s a significant gap — the cheaper cleaner performed better on the hardest test.

The trade-off is that Mrs. Meyer’s smells considerably better, is plant-based, and doesn’t leave the same chemical residue. If you’re cleaning delicate surfaces or prefer natural ingredients, the extra effort might be worth it. If you just want the crust off your plate in one wipe, Great Value wins on performance alone.