Refill shops are not always cheaper — here's how to tell
A per-gram comparison of refills versus supermarket packs across pantry staples and cleaning liquids.
11 August 2026 · 6 min read
Chetanya Goel · Founder & Editor
Chetanya started Annam Naturals after two years of keeping a household waste diary. Chetanya writes about the boring, repeatable habits that hold up in a real week.
We assumed refills were cheaper because they skip the packaging. Then we compared twenty-two products per gram against the nearest supermarket equivalent, and the picture turned out to be split almost evenly.
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Responsive display unit — placed after the introduction
Where refills won
Cleaning liquids, washing-up liquid and laundry detergent were consistently cheaper by refill, sometimes by a third. These are mostly water in a bottle, so removing the bottle removes a real share of the cost.
Where they didn't
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In-article unit — placed mid-content
- Dried pasta and rice, which supermarkets sell at very low margins in large packs
- Nuts and dried fruit, often noticeably more expensive loose
- Anything where the refill shop was a special car journey away
The test we use now: refill the heavy liquids, buy the dry staples in the biggest pack you'll finish, and don't drive across town for either.
For more of this kind of testing, the zero-waste home hub collects everything we've tried in that area.
Frequently asked
Do I need to buy anything to get started?
No. Every method here begins with what is already in your cupboards. We only recommend a purchase when something has genuinely worn out, and we say what it should cost.
How do you test the things you write about?
Minimum four weeks of ordinary household use, with notes. For anything involving energy or money we use a plug-in meter and record the readings before and after.
Are your recommendations paid for?
Never. Brands cannot buy placement. Some outbound links are affiliate links, which we mark, and they do not change what makes the list.
What if a method doesn't work in my home?
Write to us. A surprising amount of our best material comes from readers explaining why something failed in a flat, a shared house or a very cold winter.
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