5 Dollar General Home Improvement Products You Didn't Realize Existed

Home improvement chains like Home Depot and Lowe's, as well as hardware stores like Ace, are a go-to for many homeowners looking for tools and other accessories needed to maintain and renovate their property. In recent years, especially with the proliferation of online shopping, it's also become fairly easy to find many tools from Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers with broader offerings. These companies even have house brands (like Amazon Basics and Walmart's Hart Tools).

They aren't the only general-purpose retailers that have gotten into the home improvement game, however. Dollar General also has its own house brands, which sell everything from pet food to cosmetics. While the chain sells popular products you can find nearly anywhere — including everyone's favorite rust removal lubricant — it also produces its own hardware lines that make basic tools and other gear one might find useful around the house. There are some products, as well as convenient bundles, that you may not have realized were available at Dollar General — let alone made by the company.

Dollar General's entire business model is offering cheaper products — it's right there in the name — and these home improvement supplies are typically more affordable than name brands or even the store brands you'd find at places like Home Depot. These lower prices may come with a catch, though. One of the things you should know about Dollar General's USB cables and chargers, for example, is that they may not be as durable — or even reliable — as more well-known brands. The same may be true for its tools and home improvement accessories, as well, though some may be cheap enough that you might find them worth trying out. Here are five Dollar General home improvement products you didn't realize existed.

More than one of Dollar General's private-label brands sells paint supplies, which you may have already seen on its shelves. One product that you may not have known about though is the Pro Essentials Better Paint Tray Kit (SKU 27773701), which includes many of the basic items you'd need for a quick paint or stain job. Whether you're painting a new nursery, changing the color of a room on a whim, or just doing some touch-ups, Dollar General's paint tray kit is a quick and easy way to grab what you need in one fell swoop.

The 7-piece kit, which costs $10.50, comes with a deep tray for a 9-inch liner, deep tray liner, 9-inch roller frame, 12-inch wood extension pole, and 1.5-inch angle sash filler. It also has two 9-inch polyester roller covers, which you can also buy separately from a completely different Dollar General house brand. Dollar General says its rollers provide a "super-quality paint finish," but that's hard to confirm since there aren't any user reviews on its product page. That's not much of a surprise — many Dollar General customers do their shopping in-store, so online user reviews are not nearly as plentiful as the ones you'd find on Amazon or Walmart's website.

Home improvement projects often involve moving around furniture and heavy appliances. Besides the back-breaking labor, this can be a hassle as the last thing you want to do is scratch or scuff a new floor, whether it's hardwood, vinyl, linoleum, tile, or laminate. One way to avoid this is by picking up a 16-count set of Pro Essentials Self-Stick Felt Pads (SKU 25729303) for $3.75. At that price, you might find it worth keeping a set in your junk drawer at all times, just in case you need to move a sofa or TV stand to retrieve something that's fallen behind it.

The pads consist of durable felt that creates a smooth and cushioned layer between the legs of your furniture and the floor. They each have a self-stick adhesive backing so you can quickly apply them and not worry about them slipping off as you move things around. Each pad is one inch in diameter, so they should fit on most standard chair legs, table legs, or the feet of cabinets and other furniture. Assuming each piece of furniture has four points of contact, the 16-count set would be good for four items, which may be enough for an entire room you're working in.

There's an added benefit to using the felt pads as well, because they help quiet the noise you make when you set a piece down. If you're moving something back-and-forth or all around, this may really be appreciated. They can also help you slide pieces around rather than lift and carry. It would also be quieter than if you were to push them around without pads, which would also greatly increase the risk of scratches. Dollar General also sells 5-inch reusable furniture sliders for larger pieces.

You likely won't be able to build out an entire tool kit just with Dollar General products, but you can certainly equip yourself with a few essentials. This includes various screwdriver sets, like the 6-piece Pro Essentials Precision Screwdriver Set (SKU 3792750). Perhaps you're not shocked to hear you can find basic screwdrivers at Dollar General, but the store also offers a tool that takes up significantly less space — the DG Hardware 6-in-1 Screwdriver (SKU 01214203).

The multi-tool offers six tools in one for $6.25 (making it more than triple the cost of the $2 Pro Essentials set) by including interchangeable bits on a single driver and handle. The double-side bits are stored in the handle so you always have everything together. They include common sizes for both flatheads and Phillips. The handle is textured for a stronger and more comfortable grip, and sports a bright yellow color that makes it easy to spot.

Its low cost and versatility can make it a useful addition to a toolbox, but it may also be worth keeping one in a junk drawer or glove compartment for quick repairs or when you need to open a battery case or other screwed-shut compartment. It can also be used for home improvement projects that last mere seconds, such as tightening the handle on an end table drawer. Dollar General says the tool is designed to be especially durable, but one of the two user reviews on its product page says one of its bits "bent before the screw budged." That's just one person's experience and not necessarily indicative of the tool's quality as a whole, but if you don't want to take any chances, you can always use Stanley's cheap and popular 6-in-1 screwdriver instead.

Just like many mom-and-pop dollar stores, Dollar General customers can often find an aisle filled with picture hanging accessories like hooks and hangers. One product from the brand you miss among all the shiny metal, however, is the Pro Essentials Picture Hanging Kit (SKU 43040101), which includes 30 separate pieces to help you redecorate your home or office with new artwork, stylish mirrors, or personal photos.

The set, which costs $6.50, comes with different nails, hangers, and hooks in various sizes that have a range of different weight capacities, covering small photo frames to big and hefty mirrors. Also included are protective pads that help prevent frames from scratching the wall while also keeping them level. Dollar General says the pieces are purposely built to be easy to use and includes simple instructions on how to use them, so that even casual DIYers should be able to spice up their walls without needing to hire anyone.

Dollar General also describes the included pieces as durable and made of "high-quality materials for secure and reliable hanging," as well as "designed to minimize wall damage." With no customer reviews or online chatter to go by, it's tough to say just how good they are. So, it wouldn't hurt testing it on lighter, less fragile adornments before trusting them with heavier or more expensive frames and glass.

One of the Dollar General products worth buying for your garage is its DG Auto Terry Towels. There are a million uses for terry towels if you're a mechanic or just like to keep your car in tip-top shape, but they also have a place in the home, outside of the garage — especially during home improvement projects. Terry cloth is useful for wiping excess materials like paint, stain, or polyurethane, for example. It can absorb spills when mixing or be used to protect surfaces under sinks or fixtures as you work on pipes or drywall. It's also good for cleaning grout haze after installing tile and caulk lines before they cure.

Terry towels also have more general-purpose use during home improvement work, like drying or wiping off your hands or tools or other cleaning tasks where paper towels are too thin to be of any use. Because they can be used for buffing wood finishes and waxes, you can also use them long after finishing a renovation for keeping your home furnishing looking shiny and new.

Dollar General sells a 5-pack of DG Auto Terry Towels (SKU 01226301) for $6.50. Made from premium terry cloth, you can expect each hand towel to be strong and highly absorbent, while also soft enough to avoid streaks (and, worse, scratches) when wiping them across surfaces. They come in white — so don't expect them to look clean very long. The durable material should survive multiple washes, though, and since they're practically $1 each, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you had to toss one in the trash.