The Sweet Smell of My Sink (Buster Kitchen Sink Fresh)

Member Name: jasminesarah

Product:	Buster Kitchen Sink Fresh
Date:	25/10/08 (716 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It does work if you use enough

Disadvantages: Not exactly an eco option

This is one of the less romantic reviews I had written on Dooyoo, in fact I requested this item to be added and once it had been I thought - yuck - why did I ever think that I wanted to write about that?! But hey, we all have kitchen sinks, and from time to time they all get a bit nasty. Perhaps mine more than other people's? Because I have children who are convinced that we have a waste disposal unit down there, or that half a plate of baked beans will just disappear and dissolve into the washing up water - or maybe they don't believe this at all and it is just a case of "Not my problem."

Sigh, well, I recently read some information from South West Water (who supply the water and deal with the drainage etc in my area) that insisted that all householders should be wiping their dinner plates, pots and pans with kitchen roll before washing them, to prevent any debris going down the waste pipes. So you all do that then, do you? No, I didn't think so - and that is why we need products like this every once in a while.

Just to continue the horrible tableau of life in my house that I am providing you with - I have very long hair which seems to moult in handfuls and this sometimes leads to slow running water in the bathroom - in which case drastic measures are called for. However this product does not claim to be equipped to deal with this sort of situation, it is more of a regular use item to keep the pipes fresh.

I had noticed a bit of an unpleasant smell from my kitchen plug hole, but it wasn't blocked at all so I bought some of this Buster Kitchen Sink Fresh and followed the instructions - one capful to be poured into the plug, left for at least 30 minutes and then flushed through with hot water. The product is in the form of tiny blue granules and smells a bit medical, quite a nice and definitely very clean smell. I did exactly what was described and can report that it made absolutely no difference whatsoever.

My parents were visiting a few days later and my dad (who is in charge of the washing up when they come for dinner) commented that there was a bit of a smell. (No really, it is lovely at my house - do come round some time!) In my defense, I gestured to the Buster Kitchen Sink Fresh with protestations that the stupid stuff didn't work. Dad read the instructions and promptly poured 3 capfuls down the plug hole. On rinsing an hour or so later the bad smell had gone.

So there you are, this works like a charm as long as you use a lot more of it that the instructions say. The bottle says 10 applications but at this rate it will be 3 or 4. However, my sink has stayed sweet smelling (or at least not unpleasant smelling) for the last couple of weeks and I haven't needed to use it again yet. This product is described on the website as follows:

"Kitchen Sink Fresh's granules foam up and cling to clean your whole pipe, removing food debris, grease and limescale whilst the powerful bactericides kill germs and smells. Sinks are left clean, fresh and stain free with the fragrance of eucalyptus and camphor. Use at least once a week to stop build up and nasty smells."

I would recommend this if your sink is a bit smelly or to use as a preventative, if it is a bit more heavy duty problem you will need another product. Priced at £3.79 on the Buster website but was under £3 in Tesco. Do check the packaging for safety advice as this does have some ingredients to be careful of.

Summary: A reasonable household product for keeping sinks fresh