I wasn't quite sure where to put this review as it doesn't warrant a separate category but it does have one extra advantage to other cleaners in the all-purpose category. The product I'm reviewing is called Flash Clean and Shine and underneath the larger heading is the words, 'crisp lemons' and then ' All purpose cleaner.'

The product is similar to the Flash wipes and the large bottle cleaner but with the advantage of the spray bottle. It's a nice sturdy shaped bottle and opaque in colour so you can easily see how much you have used. The top is a pump-action head with a handle grip and a 360-degree rotation head. It's a light turquoise colour with a white plastic nozzle. As with all Flash products the instructions for use are clearly printed on the rear of the bottle and also give the ingredients and who to contact in case of any complaints.

I discovered this for myself a few weeks ago when it was on offer in my local Co-Op store for just £1 a sum of money that the Co-Op seem fond of using for their special offers. I needed a general cleaner and I do normally buy Flash as I find it effective so I purchased a bottle and set to work the same day.

Using it was easy. I did check the instructions in case I did turn the nozzle the wrong way and spray myself. Believe me that has happened before now. I didn't want a shiny face, having already spent enough on face products for the opposite effect.
So for your edification these are the instructions;

Spray soiled surface until thoroughly covered. Wipe with a dry or damp cloth. For a brilliant shine wipe dry. For tougher stains it says to leave on for 3 minutes. It also added the usual precautions about getting in the eyes, keep away from children, people with sensitive hands should use gloves. Not having any children with sensitive hands who enjoy cleaning I proceeded by myself, my target a rather soiled kitchen with a particularly badly soiled cooker. (The oven not me.)

When cleaning my kitchen tops I prefer to lightly spray, so gave it a quick wipe with a damp cloth first. Then I sprayed carefully using a well-practiced trigger action. The spray covered as promised with a nice, fine mist and no awkward sticking of the trigger. (Don't you just hate that?) I left it for about a minute while clearing the cooker ready to spray that. Now I must admit to expecting little more than the usual nice, clean surface, but this exceeded expectations. It didn't just clean, it sparkled! I mean not just shine, but if it wasn't a wood surface I swear I could have seen my face in it. As it was my badly scarred wooden finish worktop looked almost new again.

I then geared myself up for the attack on my oven top, not a pretty sight. A bit like a bull in a cartoon starting to charge. Anyway, I sprayed the area quite heavily and stood back to wait. One minute ticked by, then two, I was getting restless. Three minutes later I started to wipe off with a damp rag and 'hey presto' my cloth just glided over the surface with all the panache of one of those women on TV we all just love to hate. My oven top again gleamed at me, if it could have I'm sure it would have smiled. Oops, that was me with a sheepish grin on my face. Well I'm not used to products living up to their claims, so joking aside this really does the job.

So lets have a look at the ingredients to see if there is any wizardry afoot. Not that I normally do this but things don't normally gleam in my house.
<5%non-ionic surfactants, soap, benzisothiazolininone, citral, hexyl cinnamol, aqua.
Nope, I can't find anything except aqua that I recognize.

What can I use this on?

Apart from my work tops and my oven top? Well most things except aluminum, copper, brass, and painted surfaces. Phew! Just in time before I tried my coffee table, though why this and not my wooden surfaces I haven't yet worked out. But my coffee table has a painted inset panel, so I didn't try. I wouldn't try this on windows either as I can imagine it might leave some residue. I can't see any other way for the shine to be this good without something akin to polish.

Finally let's just check it's claims, 'Dissolves grease and dirt, leaves intense freshness & brilliant shine. The all-purpose cleaner that offers you a universal solution for your entire home, so you don't need hundreds of cleaners under the sink. Well I didn't have much to start with. Some polish, sugar soap, window-cleaner, bathroom and kitchen cleaner with bleach and that old favorite, elbow grease.

Would I recommend it? You bet. If it continues to clean like this I'll be the talk of the neighborhood. Really, it does what it says, a brilliant shine and at £1 a bottle I'm off for another three.

Thanks for reading.

©LisaFuller.2011.