I am a cleaning obsessed person and when I find a bargain product I am generally incredibly pleased! I like products which can be versatile and do a multitude of cleaning tasks which is probably why I like bleach so much. A few months ago I noticed that my utility plughole and my kitchen plughole didn't smell as fresh as they should and rather than go to the expense of having a plumber out I thought I would try and find a product available to buy to try to shift whatever was blocking the drain and rid the odour.

After a call to my mum I went out and bought a bag of soda crystals by the brand Dri-pak obviously the product name is Dri-pak Soda Crystals! Despite knowing about soda crystals and seen them to buy in stores I had never bought a bag before and I am rather surprised I had never thought about using them before. Soda crystals have been used for years around the home whether unclogging pipes to helping with the laundry. At 99p per bag (1kg) from Wilkinsons I thought they were definitely worth a go!

The soda crystals come in a green plastic bag which isn't see through so you cannot see what the product looks like. The packaging is colourful and easily spotted on the shelf (found in the cleaning products aisle). The images on the front of the bag clearly depict how you can use the soda crystals whether on your kitchen cooker, washing machine or down the plughole. On the back of the bag there is a full set of usage instructions should you have never used them before which I found particularly useful.

The bag is easy to open but I did find that the easiest way to store is in a sealed/ air tight plastic tub or similar as once the bag is open I find that the plastic can rip easily and the last thing I'd want to clear up are millions of tiny crystals! The soda crystals themselves are pure white in colour and look exactly the same as grains of salt although a little big. There is no scent to them whatsoever which for me is fine as they are only going to get flushed down with water in any event.

I first used the soda crystals in helping to break down a blockage in my utility room's sink. I simply poured the soda crystals down just as the instructions say and then rinse down with hot water. I also used the same method when trying to rid the odour from my kitchen sink which after one application the odour seemed to reduce quite a lot which was obviously nice for me! For the blockage in the utility room it did take two doses of the soda crystals and plenty of hot water for it to go down effectively and to stop the water from rising due to the blockage. And because it had two doses of the soda crystals the odour was eradicated.

Due to my unhappiness with Persil Bio Washing Powder in trying to rid my partner's football kits of horrid muddy stains I did give the soda crystals a go in trying to tackle the stains. Apparently back in the day soda crystals were one of the most popular laundry products around and were renowned for being able to cut through dirt and stains so I thought they were definitely worth a try. I followed the instructions and simply added 1 tablespoon of the soda crystals to my usual detergent (I put them in the drawer). You can use them to pre-soak clothes if the stains are really tough by making a strong solution in warm water and soaking for an hour. Soda crystals are also great for helping to tackle limescale as they soften the water which for me is ideal as I live in a hard water area so at least my washing machine is being looked after a little bit more.

I have washed my partner's clothes in both methods whether pre-treating or putting directly into the washing machine and I was amazed at the results. The horrible mud and grass stains were lifted and whilst the white shorts and socks didn't look as good as they did new they certainly looked a lot cleaner than they did and I was amazed at a product so cheap managed to do a really impressive job! The items all looked clean and I now use this along side my usual laundry products for my partner's clothes as well as his junior team kits.

Overall, I have absolutely no complaints about Dri-pak Soda Crystals as they really are a versatile product and I am so glad my mother recommended them to me (she has been using soda crystals for years). Every time I'm in Wilkinsons now I pop a bag in my basket as not only are they cheap I find that they are incredibly effective. Definitely a recommendation to all wanting a versatile cleaning product which won't break the bank. 5 stars from me!

~ Useful Information ~

Brand: Dri-pak
Size: 1kg
Price: From 99p (currently 70p in Wilkinsons at the time of writing 06.10.12)
Availability: Supermarkets, discount stores and online