| Product: |
Oxi Clean Versatile Stain Remover |
| Date: |
16/03/08 (102 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Easy to use, a tub lasts for ages, no need to scrub
Disadvantages: Really thick black grease stains can be difficult to remove with it
I know this isn't a new product but it is one of my favourite solutions to stain removal all around the house so, just in case you haven't already heard of it, or tried it, I thought I would review it.
What is Oxi Clean?
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Well there used to be a simple answer to that question in that it was a powder which you mixed with water to provide an answer to your cleaning problems - now it appears to be a brand name for a whole range of products, all working on the same basis, to get your house clean. Personally I am happy to stick with the tub of powder and mix it into a solution to do all of the cleaning jobs rather than to pay extra to have someone mix and package it for me. I am writing this review about the Oxi Clean Powder in a tub. It costs around £3 for a 500g tub and to me it is worth its weight in gold.
Oxi Clean is a high-energy, biodegradable stain remover that will cope with virtually any cleaning challenge. It harnesses the cleaning and deodorising power of oxygen to attack all sorts of stains resulting from wine, juice and pets; it will also make tile grout look like new. You can also add a scoop to every load of laundry to remove marks - even on colourfast fabrics.
Sounds good but I wanted to know more so I looked it up on Wikipedia and discovered "OxiClean is a sodium percarbonate (C2H6Na4O12) detergent and bleaching agent which produces hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water. OxiClean works through hydrogen peroxide molecules bound within a sodium carbonate structure. Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizing substance which will "bleach" the stains away."
Apparently "a stain is generally composed of chemical compounds which absorb certain wavelengths of light to make it a certain color. OxiClean changes the structure of molecules in a stain so that they no longer absorb different wavelengths of light. Essentially the color is bleached out of the stain, rendering the stain unable to absorb visible light, making the stain effectively invisible, i.e., becoming transparent like water to light. While not actually "miraculous," this can have the effect of making the stain appear to vanish."
Fascinating if you want to understand the science of it - but how effective is it in reality?
How do you use it?
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I love its stain removing properties and to be honest I find the way it remove stains almost magical - I still find it somewhat unbelieveable. I first saw it demonstrated on QVC. They mix some with water in a container and then take stained items of clothing like a child's bib and a t shirt and immerse them in the water for a few minutes, when they lift them out the stain is gone and the water still looks clear - where does that stain go? Even more impressive they go to a piece of carpet with is stained and spray the Oxi Clean solution on to half the stain and leave it - when they come back the stain is gone.
I was fascinated and curious but it wasn't until I saw it in Lakeland that I actually bought any. (You can now buy it in most supermarkets). I was really curious to try it out and I used it on a few minor stains and it worked. I also use it if I spill something on my clothes and it pulls the stain out without any rubbing or scrubbing, just spray it on and the stain disappears - great if you are dashing off to work and suddenly spot a stain. I once went out for dinner in a brand new jumper only to have someone spill red wine on it on its first outing. No worries - just a quick soak in Oxi Clean when I got home and the stain was gone.
I bought a new house which had cream carpets upstairs. There were little brown stains all over the bedroom carpet which looked like mascara or eyeliner which had been dripped there. I thought I might need to replace the carpet it looked so bad but I went round with the Oxi Clean in a spray bottle and when I went back fifteen minutes later they were gone!
To me, even after using it for three or four years, I am still fascinated about how it does it - where does that stain disappear to? I don't know, but I do know it goes. One day I got a black grease stain on some sand coloured trousers and I thought they would be a 'write off' - to be fair the Oxi Clean really did struggle with that one and I had to apply it and soak the trousers a number of times before it was truly gone and in the end it did lighten the trousers a little which you can tell if I wear them with the matching jacket. That is the only thing I have found to defeat it and even then I can (and do) still wear the trousers.
The good people at Oxi Clean recommend the following:
As a Laundry booster - Add to every load with detergent. A colorsafe alternative to chlorine bleach!
Begin filling washer with proper temperature water for your load (see garment care tag).
Add OxiClean and detergent before adding clothes.
Add 1 oz per small load.
Add 2 oz per medium load.
Add 4 oz per large/heavily soiled load.
As a General Stain Remover
Mix up to 1 oz per 16 oz water to create a solution.
For water washable upholstery, fabrics and surfaces, apply solution to stain.
Allow solution to stand 1 to 5 minutes.
Blot well with a white towel. Repeat as required.
Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry.
As a Carpet Spot Remover
Mix up to 1 oz per 16 oz water to create a solution.
Remove excess liquid before treating stain.
Apply solution to stain. Use only enough to saturate stain.
Allow solution to stand 1 to 5 minute.
Blot well with white towel. Repeat as required.
Rinse thoroughly with water and blot well.
Allow to dry, then vacuum.
For Soaking Applications
Mix 2 to 4 oz per gallon of water.
Add item.
Allow item to soak for 1 to 6 hours.
Remove item and rinse or wash thoroughly.
For Outdoor Usages such as awnings, siding, lawn furniture and decks
Mix 1 to 4 oz per gallon of water.
Pour or sponge onto surface from bucket.
Allow solution to stand 5 to 30 minutes.
Scrub as required. Rinse well with cool water. Work small area so that your solution doesn't dry on the surface.
Personally I don't add it to my wash unless I have a particular problem but then I am an adult, those with young children may need to use it more often. I don't tend to measure the mixture either, I just put a little powder in a hand spray and add water and keep it on hand in my kitchen so it is ready when I need it. A tub lasts me for ages but I wouldn't want to be without it.
Would I recommend it?
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Yes I would. It is the best stain removed I have ever had and it hasn't let me down yet. It is made by the same people who make Orange Glo and for me it does what it says on the packet.
Summary: If you want to find an easy way to remove stains try this
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