There are too many Vanish products out there. How can consumers be expected to know which to buy from the serried ranks of pretty pink containers? - and now this white container as well, but with the familiar pink Vanish logo on the front.

These people take us for suckers, which we largely are, otherwise their strategy wouldn't work. Are we all so much dirtier than we used to be? Do we really need this stuff? My Mum just used to soak a stained item of clothing in the sink overnight, perhaps in a mild bleach solution - or just give it a bit of a rub with some washing powder if anything got stained. Thesedays however we have been persuaded that that isn't good enough. Oh No! We have to spend a fortune on products that we really don't need!

Do you sense I am a bit negative about this product?

Well, Yes I am and lots more besides. If it was down to me, I wouldn't buy the stuff. My sucker wife is to blame and yet...... even she recognises that she is a victim.... but still bought this!

This product was bought originally for my white work shirts and it is true that the inside of collars in particular are prone to marking. This problem was evident on some of my collars on favoured shirts that were probably past their best before dates and to be honest, they probably needed flinging. However, my wife wears a lot of white and there always seems to be a full white wash every week, even though there are just the two of us. It didn't make my collars any whiter than with ordinary washing powder.

The product comes in a nice screw-top plastic wide-brimmed container - the sort that's useful to hang onto for storing bits and occasionally bobs - knicks and sometimes knacks - this and from time to time that etc etc.

It's a white powder that looks just like washing powder ( now there's a surprise!) It's just that it's hideously more expensive. You're supposed to use it as a pre-soak or just in the normal wash. It reputedly has special whitening agents and Microcrystals no less. It has a Double Whitening Action into the bargain. Wow!

No, I'm not taken in by all this twaddle. It's all a con. To me, it hasn't made a bit of difference to our whites. I don't get grass or lipstick stains on my clothes anymore (more's the pity) so this has really only been tested on normally soiled white clothes.

At the end of the day, this is just washing powder, folks - don't be taken in by all the hype.

As washing powder, I guess it's OK. For whitening your whites, I'm not convinced - just another means of getting another Vanish product in the cupboard under the sink.