Vanish your cash for average results (Vanish Oxi Action Carpet & Upholstery Stain Remover)

Member Name: steedandpeel

Product:	Vanish Oxi Action Carpet & Upholstery Stain Remover
Date:	01/08/09 (205 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to apply, gets up the worst of the stains

Disadvantages: Expensive, doesn't work any more effectively than cheaper brands

I bought this product as I thought it would help solve the problem of having a white rug which doesn't seem to mix well with having two naughty little cats. It's probably our fault for having bought a rug in such an impractical colour in the first place, but as soon as we got it, our cats made a bee-line for it, tramping their dirty paws all over it. There have also been incidents of cat vomit and worse (!) which have all contributed to the less than pristine condition of the aforementioned rug.

This product comes in a bright pink bottle which practically screams 'Buy Me!' from the shelves. Having seen it advertised on tv, and having used some of the other products in the Vanish range, I decided that it was a trustworthy product. I was therefore prepared to stump up a considerable sum of money for it. I couldn't remember how much, but I did remember it made a dent, so I've just checked the Tesco website - it's £4.30 for a bottle!

The product comes with an squirt pump gun bottle top that makes it easy to apply. You simply turn it to the on position, aim the nozzle at the stain and spray liberally. This results in a white foam covering the stain which you leave to work for 5 minutes before blotting away the excess. The foam doesn't smell of much and certainly isn't unpleasant smelling.

Well, the first time I used this, there were quite a few stains on the carpet from the cats (and also I must admit, from when I spilled some tea). I went around spraying the product over the various dirty areas. However, as the foam sinks into the fibres of the rug, once I had finished spraying I found it quite difficult to remember where I had started, as it all sinks in! Since I could still see the stains, I eventually found all the areas where I had applied the product. I read on the bottle that heavy stains may need a second application, so I went round and applied it again, this time scrubbing at the rug once the 5 mins were up. This was hard work (unlike the 'blotting' it suggests on the bottle), but it did ensure that the worst of the staining was removed.

Once I'd finished, I stood back to admire my handiwork. However, although the worst of the staining had gone, I could still clearly see where the stains had been. In fairness to the product, it does say that it works best if the stain is fresh. An opportunity to test this claim out soon arose when my cat brought up a hairball on the rug. I saw her do it, so once I'd cleaned up the mess I got the Oxi Action out to try it again. The product worked to exactly the same standard as it did on the much older stains - the staining was still visible - I was not impressed.

I haven't found a product that works any better than this one does, so I'm still looking. However, Astonish carpet cleaner which cost me 75p at a local discount store works to exactly the same standard as the vastly more expensive Vanish brand. Therefore, I'm going to stick with that for the time being, as I had expected far superior results for £4.30.

I suppose the moral of the story is, do not buy a white rug if you are in anyway clumsy or have kids or pets!

Summary: Not worth the money - cheaper products work to the same effectivness