The first home that my partner and I shared together was a rented flat. Unfortunately to us, not only did we chose the most immaculate flat that we could find when we were looking but also the most finicky of letting agents through whom we would rent the property and a man who clearly did not understand the lease concept of the flat being in a 'lived in' condition when we left. This would not have been such a problem had it not been for the fact that the flat had cream carpets throughout every room which, although looked lovely, had a tendency to pick up dirt in the most infuriating of ways. Throughout our 18 months at the flat we had a number of mini carpet disasters and one remedy to our problems was 'Vanish Powerfoam High Traffic'.

**The Product**

This 'Vanish Powerfoam High Traffic' comes packaged in a 600ml bottle which is presented in a way that blends in with the other Vanish products being mainly pink in colour with the large 'Vanish' logo printed across the front. Upon popping off the bright pink cap there is a white plastic nozzle with which the foam can be activated. Having squirting out a dollop of foam you will find that it is white in colour and has quite a thick consistency rather similar to hair mousse and I do not find that it had a strong odour simply a light and clean scent.

Vanish claim that this foam can be used to remove stains and dirt from high traffic areas such as hallways, stairs and doors. They also claim that this product cleans carpets up to five times more than simply vacuuming whilst it can be used to treat a number of stains including mud, deep dirt, makeup, tea and coffee and chocolate. This foam is supposed to be respectful of carpet fibres making it suitable for the most delicate of carpet materials including wool.

**Price and Availability**

A bottle of this cleaning foam will usually set you back between £4 - £7 and I have found it selling in both Tesco and Ocado for £4.60. However, I prefer to pick up mine in Wilkinson as you can usually get it for around the £2 - £3 mark. This foam sells in any number of shops including supermarkets and convenience stores therefore it is not difficult to track down.

Whilst if bought for £7 this product can seem a bit of an investment, you will find that a bottle lasts for a long time being that only small patches area treated at a time making it a worth while spend in my opinion and a good backup cleaner to have sitting at the back of your cleaning cupboard.

**Application to Carpets**

To use this foam it is recommended that you do a patch test before treating the area in question to check that it does not stain or lighten the carpet fibres. In our first flat we had mainly manmade carpets and so I tested a small corner of the carpet before applying onto the stain. Once sure that it is fine, it is recommended that you spray a dollop of the foam at a height of around 80cm above the area that needs treating. Vanish say, at this point, that you should always spray downwards and not upwards. Once the foam is sitting in a nice pile on your carpet you should rub it into the stained area with a damp cloth or sponge then simply leave to work its magic for a couple of hours and vacuum the area once dry. The good thing about the whole application process, is that the carpets never get saturated but simply remain damp meaning that the areas dry out much quicker.

**My Experience**

I bought my first bottle of Vanish foam as a complete novice, this being my first 'own' home and all I planned to use it on a number of areas throughout our flat including the hallway, lounge and bedroom. Each carpet had its own variety of small stains those being; trodden in dirt to the hallway, tea stains in the lounge and makeup stains in the bedroom, (not such a great look with black smudges in the nearly white carpet). I should add that whilst some of these stains were relatively recent i.e. in the last couple of days, a few had been sat there for a couple of months. For each area I tested the carpet first before following correct procedure and leaving the foam to sit in the carpets fibres for two hours before vacuuming.

It is worth mentioning that I found the entire application process incredibly easy to do as I simply carried my bottle of foam around the flat with a small bowl of water and a sponge to ensure that I throughout rubbed the product in. Upon vacuuming the treated area the results were good if not great. I found that the foam was able to visibly lighten patches of dirt in the hallway, which although 'trodden in' looked much cleaner after use. The tea and coffee stains in the kitchen were not an issue and these cleaned out of the carpet without a problem, however I must add that each stain had been blotted to within an inch of its life at the time it happened so that they had originally only left a light stain. The makeup stains were where this product failed to impress by not making a mark on them. I hasten to add that these two marks were only about the size of a pea each; however they did not lighten at all after treatment.

Before leaving the flat we did clean the carpets with a professional carpet cleaner, and did find that the makeup stains in particular would not shift, so ladies be warned! Therefore upon reflection, I was not too surprised that the Vanish did not provide a 'quick fix' to the problem.

Since leaving our rented flat and buying our own property I have continued to use my Vanish Powerfoam. We had a lovely looped pile 100% wool carpet laid in our lounge which, despite our best efforts, has had a couple of tea spills. To treat, I have simply blotted the damp spot, applied the foam and vacuumed. The foam has not only cleaned the carpet making it look as good as new but has also been kind to the wool and has not bleached it. As a result this foam is now part of my 'spillage' kit as soon as an accident occurs.

**My Summary**

Despite my initial scepticism, I have to admit to being impressed with this product. Although I have not used this foam for other stains such as grass stains or chocolate I can testify to its usefulness from the point of view of treating light stains such as drink spills and dirt. Whilst it is not a miracle cure, prevention being the best method of illuminating stains, it has certainly proven its worth in removing minor stains from my carpet. The product cleanses the carpet fibre without any harsh chemical smells and is a quick and easy treatment to do yourself. As a result I would therefore recommend this Powerfoam to anybody who suffers as I do with the daily chore of trying to keep their carpets spotless.

This product scores a good four stars out of five from me.

I hope this review has been of use and thanks for reading! x