Bold 2in1 Lavender and Camomile Gel is a new discovery for me, but one that I am so pleased I made. Over the years washing products have expanded, rather like the yogurt aisles in supermarkets. In my childhood days yoghurt was made by Ski, and there were two flavours, washing powders were similarly few and far between, and were designed for twin tubs so came in packets. Now we have an array of choices when we visit the laundry section, but I think I have homed in on perfection and here's why.

My purchase of this gel first happened in The Outer Hebrides last summer. One of the wonderful things about the islands is the abundance of wind, which dries a line of washing in a few minutes. I had purchased the gel in the local Co-op, and had used it to wash a set of bedding. The sheets had the most beautiful aroma when I brought them in from the line, that I said to my husband it must be the island air, but there was more to it than that, and my purchases of the gel continued when I came back home to Essex.

The gel retails for £4.69, but it is so often discounted, and at the moment I have been purchasing mine from my local Co-op for £3. Added to this Bold is one of the products in the discount brand scheme, so if you purchase £10 worth of Bold or a combination of Bold and other products, which include brand names like Pantene, Flash, Fairy and many others you can claim a £5 set of vouchers to spend on future purchases. All the Bold packages have the details on them as to how to proceed with the applications for the discounts, which are really good value and bring the cost right down. For more information about this scheme go to www.fantasticsavings.com.

The package design is similar to that of Ariel Excel Gel and one of the Fairy range; it is a round shape and it has a dosing device anchored to the top. This product is an all in one liquid, so there is no need to purchase a separate fabric softener. To use you load the machine, fill the dosing device, place on top of the washing, and run as normal. The liquid is a thick lavender shade, and is easy to dispense without spillage.

I have used this for white and for coloured items at various temperatures. Unlike Ariel Excel Gel it doesn't promote 15 degrees as a possible temperature to use, but my machine doesn't have this option anyway, but it cleans perfectly in the delicate 30 degree cycles. The fragrance of the gel itself is beautiful, but the real benefit is when you open the washing machine - the clothes smell absolutely gorgeous, and even better this fragrance lasts through tumbling if you should choose to dry in this way. If you use a clothes horse then your room will be fragranced by the clothes as they dry. It is a fragrance they have got just right; the lavender doesn't dominate, and the result is a summer fresh washing basket of laundry which has the aroma that suggests it has been blowing in a warm breeze.

The economical attributes of this product are really good, and the fact that you don't need to pay out for a separate softener is an added bonus. The clothes are so soft when they come out of the machine, and they iron really easily too - if you do a lot of work shirts, for instance, that need that crisp finish, this product will really enhance the final look, as I have found the iron glides over the fabric really easily.

The package contains enough gel for eighteen washes, and I feel the stain removing qualities also operate to a high standard, as all the usual stains such as tomato and so on are easily removed.

The lasting fragrance is probably, for me, the best attribute this product has as it fulfils its promise to leave clothes fresh and clean for 12 hours. I think that certainly, for two days at least, the fragrance is discernable on newly washed laundry. I wash my white linen sheets each weekend, and the fragrance is still on the bedding in the middle of the following week. I also love to use this to wash the dog bed, as it leaves this fresh and sweet smelling.

Although I usually use a milder detergent for delicates, I have used this, and the results were excellent, even on machine washable wool garments including socks.

The brilliant thing about this little gem is that it needs hardly any storage space, and if you are someone who walks to the shops it is easy to purchase and carry home, under a buggy for example if you have a baby or toddler.

I am so pleased to have found this product as so many are launched onto the shelves each year and it is hard to know what to choose. I have other favourites too which offer outstanding cleaning results, but they fall down on the fragrance side compared to this product, which might just bring some "island air" fragrance into your home! What I thought was pure Hebridean breezes on my sheets, turned out to be a rather fragrant laundry product, and since that day it is the only one I have purchased for my washing. It's economical and has superb cleaning qualities, and the best thing of all it leaves your laundry beautifully fragrant for days.