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Lord Sheraton Pure Beeswax Balsam
by thehonesttruth
Until moving into my new home, I've never been particularly house proud. I never had a house I oculd particularly proud of - no matter how much I cleaned the old one, it never looked anything other than what it was - a slightly dilapidated 1930's council house on a rather rough estate.
However, the new house is stunning, at ... least in my eyes, and one of my favourite features are some very lovely wood laminate floors, which are an absolute doddle to keep clean, but do need 'feeding' every now and again to keep them looking their best, and also protecting against the rather harsh chemicals you'll find in most cleaning products.
I've always been a great believer that it's the old fashioned products that work the best, so when I saw Lord Sheratons, in it's little glass pot and it's little presentation box, it caught my eye immediately. The box states that it 'Cleans, Revives, Polishes, and Protects' and also mentions that it contains real beeswax, along with cold linseed oil an pine turpentine, which help to give it a 'buttery consistency'. I paid £3 for my little jar in the corner shop.
Well, I keep my butter in the fridge, so it's always rock hard, but this balsam is actually quite light and fluffy, almost mousse like. It has a really rich scent, beeswax definitely, but also something slight citrusy. It rubs into the floor easily with a soft duster, and with a little buffing up the floor takes on a nice sheen which highlights the natural colours and the pattern of the grain. As well as sinking in and nourishing the wood, it also provides a layer of protection against minor scratches, and against other harsher chemicals that might strip the wood. I found that the floors looked really good for a few weeks, then started to dull again as my normal cleaners stripped out the wax.
I found the one pot actually gave me enough product to do my living room and my hall. Whilst that might not seem like a lot of use, this product is perhaps intended for furniture rather than floors, given the size of the pot. However, at the time of buying it was the only product that struck me as suitable to use in the shop, and I was having friends round later, hence the decision to buy it.
And I have no regrets. It works really well, and my house had a pleasant beeswax smell for days. I would certainly buy it again for use on wooden furniture items, but have now switched to using a dedicated wooden floor liquid wax, and have switched to a dry dust mop rather than wet mopping (which buffs at the same time without adding in harsh chemicals) as a friend who is a professional cleaner advised me this was the best way to care for floors which aren't surface sealed.
Overall, I would certainly recommend this for wooden furniture. It does a good job with wooden floors too, but rubbing and buffing over a larger area becomes tedious, and there are products that can do this much more quickly and easily. Still, 4 stars!
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Morning Fresh Zesty Lemon Washing Up Liquid
by alyson29
Whilst stocking up on a few household products in Poundland a few months ago I spotted 450 ml bottles of Cussons Morning Fresh Wash Up Liquid at two for a pound. Although my preferred choice is normally Fairy's Aloe Vera and Cucumber due to its stunning aroma in addition to the softness that it offers to my skin, I felt the offer was ... too good to miss, so I purchased two bottles of the Lemon Fresh.
As far as wash up liquids go, the packaging is identical with its transparent plastic bottle with a flip top lid, which is comfortable to hold. Whilst I am happy to try out value branded products I will not compromise on quality with wash up liquids, particularly as I found that I needed to use twice as much with the cheaper brands. The liquid offers a good consistency in addition to a fresh and zesty lemon aroma, which is evident when I take a sniff of the bottle. Unfortunately, the scent vanishes as soon as the liquid makes contact with water, which I found a little disappointing, but my main interest was whether the product would effectively tackle grease, particularly with the Sunday roast dishes and pans.
My first use involved me using too much of the product, as the liquid seemed to dispense a little too freely from the bottle, which resulted in far too many soap suds. Consequently, I started again and dispensed a small squirt of the liquid, which offered a good amount of fluffy white soap suds, which was more than sufficient to wash the dishes. The liquid was effective at cutting through grease and grime on the plates although I found that I had to soak the roast potato tray for an hour or so, as a layer of oil remained and simply would not budge despite me scrubbing rather vigorously. It is claimed that the liquid contains Sparklex, which apparently gives superior grease cutting performance, but sadly, I cannot agree with this claim. I don't generally tend to experience this problem with Fairy, as it is far superior at lifting grease away with minimal effort.
On a positive note, there was no greasy film remaining on the dishes and pans with any bubbles being effortlessly rinsed away. I am unfortunate to suffer with problem skin on my hands, which is very dry and as a result, will often split and bleed. However, I am able to manage the condition by regularly applying hand creams. I'm not one for wearing rubber gloves when carrying out the housework as I prefer to use by bare hands, particularly as Fairy does not exacerbate my problem. However, within only minutes of using Morning Fresh for the first time, I experienced a little dryness and itching on the knuckles of one hand, which resulted in me having to apply hand cream directly after washing the dishes.
Whilst Morning Fresh was effective at cleaning day to day dishes, as discussed above, I did not find it acceptable for cutting through thick grease on the Sunday dishes. In addition to the fact that the lemon aroma vanishes as soon as the liquid is added to water, I feel a four star rating is appropriate and I will not be making a further purchase.
Morning Fresh is available in 450 ml bottles and generally tends to retail at 79p per bottle in supermarkets, but as stated, I purchased two bottles for £1 in Poundland.
I hope you found my review useful and thanks for reading.
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Sainsbury's Basics All Purpose Cleaner
by ryeb
Since I was introduced to Stardrops All Round cleaner, I have used it for most of my cleaning tasks. I like the fact that it is a multi purpose product that can be used on floors, surfaces and just about everything I want to clean. When my boyfriend was doing some shopping, he noticed that Sainsbury's also do an all-purpose cleaner, in ... their own label Basics range. While Stardrops isn't expensive as I usually buy it for £1, the Sainsbury's cleaner was just 29p for the same size bottle. He decided it was worth buying as we have previously tried Sainsbury's own label disinfectant and it is easily as good as the branded versions. I have putting the bargain cleaner to the test and it has proved to be a good buy even if it can't quite persaude me not to buy more Stardrops.
WHAT THE CLEANER CAN BE USED FOR
The Basics All Purpose Cleaner is from the cheapest of Sainsbury's own brand ranges. The packaging reflects that in that it is very simple but this isn't the sort of thing I buy for it's appearance. The bottle is white and has the usual orange label. On that I am advised that the product cleans, but Sainsbury's make "no added promises". It is suggested that the cleaner can be used on floors, tiles, paintwork, hobs, work surfaces, sinks and baths. Unlike Stardrops, it can't be used on carpets or upholstery and you are told not to let it stay in prolonged contact with aluminium, plastic, wallpaper or painted surfaces. It can be used neat or diluted depending on the surface being cleaned and a simple guide to that is on the label. It doesn't have any additional disinfecting or anti-bacterial properties.
USING ONE FOR ALL
I was surprised at how easily the bottle could be opened. In one way this is a good thing as I am sure we have all come across a cap that isn't so much child proof as adult proof too. However, given the fact the cleaner also smells relatively sweet and lemony, I think it would be especially important to keep this out of a child's curious reach. The cap acts as a measurement beaker for the circumstances when you want to use the cleaner diluted. This works well as it saves finding another measuring device and speeds things up when you are cleaning. As I have just mentioned, I was surprised at how nice it smells once poured out. It reminds me a little of dishwashing liquid, perhaps because of the citrusy aroma. It isn't overwhelmingly strong but the smell is enough to make a cleaned room smell fresh if you have used it to wipe down all the surfaces or clean the floor for example.
The liquid is quite thin so you have to pour it carefully if you are going to use it neat otherwise you are liable to waste some. I reminds me again of dishwashing liquid when I see the yellow colour, although the texture is not the same. I found myself getting through the bottle quite quickly when I used it neat which was what is recommended on the label for cleaning sinks, baths, worktops and stubborn stains. However, as those surfaces, bar the stubborn stains mentioned, are cleaned frequently and don't get really grubby, I decided to use it diluted at the same rate as recommended for larger surfaces such as floors. It works just as well like that so I may as well help the liquid go further. I am perfectly happy with how it cleans my kitchen worktops and cupboard doors and it is strong enough to deal with the odd tougher food spill like a tomato sauce as well. It doesn't leave behind any smearing or residue, just an efficiently cleaned surface with a nice lemon scent. You can smell it gently for a few hours afterwards but it isn't obtrusive.
I have found that the cleaner works well diluted at 2 capfuls per 5 litres of warm water on tiled and lino floors, and leaves them cleaner than warm water and a mop alone does. The only disappointing area for me is the cleaning of paint work. I have found that I have had to scrub harder to remove finger marks from the door frames. I don't ususally have trouble removing those at all, and being a family of grubby fingered gardeners I have to do so frequently! I don't want to use a stonger application of the cleaner becase of the warning not to let it linger in contact with painted surfaces. The marks do come away eventually, it just doesn't always take the usual quick wipe.
The label doesn't mention whether this is suitable for glass/window cleaning or not but I have tried it out, using the cleaner diluted. It does clean them but it is also liable to leave streaks behind and it doesn't leave the surface really shiny. This isn't really a criticism as it isn't advertised specifically as recommended for cleaning windows.
I haven't felt that this cleaner has irritated my hands but I do wear gloves and I don't have sensitive skin. It is advised that those who do should avoid prolonged contact with the liquid.
WOULD I RECOMMEND THE CLEANER?
I am amazed at how good it is considering the low price. Used diluted a little goes a long way, and it doesn't stink the house out with any bleach or chlorine like scents as some similar cleaners do. I prefer my Stardrops cleaner because it is just that little bit more versatile as I can use it on carpets, windows and upholstery too. I would buy the Sainsbury's product again to use along side Stardrops for everyday tasks if I didn't want to avoid filling my under sink cupboards with lot of different products. But if you just want a good all round surface and floor cleaner, I would certainly recommend this as it is great value for money, even considering it didn't clean the paintwork quite as well as some other products.
Only available at Sainsbury's.
[This review also appear under my user name on Ciao.]
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