When I last needed washing powder, I opted for this ASDA orange flower and papaya gel because none of the branded ones I like were on special offer. My fiancé is a bit of a brand snob (even though he denies it) and wasn't keen on me purchasing it, as he felt it wouldn't work as well as branded ones and that it would irritate his skin. Although I'd never tried this before, I insisted I wasn't going to pay over the odds just for a brand name and so went ahead and bought it.

The product is a gel and I do prefer this over a liquid or a powder. I used the Ariel Excel gels for quite a while and I find them less mess and less hassle as there's little risk of spillage and no cleaning the washing machine drawer out after use.

The gel comes in a tall bottle, not all that dissimilar to the Ariel one I have just mentioned. It has a plastic cap which doubles as a dosing device, but I have one minor niggle with the cap, which is that although measurements are printed on the inside, they are quite difficult to read and I often have to hold the cap up to the light. Like the Ariel gel there is a clear stripe along the outside of the bottle allowing you to see how much product is left, which is a handy feature.

To use, you simply dispense the gel into the cap and then place into the drum of the machine. The gel is orange in colour, fairly thick, and has a sweet, fruity scent to it. I can't really detect either orange flower or papaya in there, it's quite a generic fruity sort of smell to me, but it is pleasant and inoffensive.

I didn't realise at the time of purchase, but this product actually has added fabric softener, hence the 2-in-1 name. I actually have had problems with these sorts of products in the past (particularly Bold 2-in-1) as I suffer from eczema and it causes flare ups and rashes, so probably wouldn't have purchase it had I realise this, however it has caused no irritation to either me or my fiancé who also suffers from eczema.

After washing my clothes always look clean and whites look fresh. Given that we are a household of two and both do office jobs, I will admit that this product does not always have a lot of stains to actually contend with, however it has removed mud from my fiancés shorts and tops after he's been to football and removed tomato sauce from a tea towel. It may be worth noting that the packaging promises 'brilliant cleaning performance from 15 degrees' although I usually wash at 30 or 40 as these are the lowest settings my machine has. It is not suitable for hand washing.

As mentioned earlier in the review, I didn't notice at first that this has added fabric softener, so I was actually using a separate fabric softener at the same time as the gel the first few times I used this. Having now used it with both an additional fabric softener and on its own, I have to admit that I notice no real difference in the softness of my clothes after use. I do however notice, that the scent of this product is not very noticeable on my clothes when used alone. The packaging also claims it contains 'fragrance burst on the move' but again, I have not noticed this.

An 840ml bottle of this gives 28 washes and costs £3.00 from ASDA. I think that is a reasonable price, there are other laundry products on the market at a lower cost, but if I find my self in a situation where none of the branded ones I like are on offer, I would be willing to purchase this again. It is also available in Moonflower and Ylang Ylang, Bio, Colours and Non-Bio varieties.

Overall I am pleased with this product, it has outweighed my expectations really. It is a bit of a shame that the scent is not stronger, but the cleaning performance is great and I'd happily recommend it.