Review: Vanish Oxi Action Powder

I’m clumsy. And messy. There aren’t many ladylike bones in my body. And so when it comes to my clothes, they generally get dirty very quickly. Especially the light coloured ones. I’m talking spaghetti bolognaise splatters, pen marks, tea splashes, you know the sort of thing.

Obviously I get these things on my clothes when I am not at home and so by the time I come to wash my clothes, the marks and splashes are dry and the garments are heading towards stained. Quite often my normal choice of washing powder does the job, but it’s not unusual for light coloured clothes to need a second wash or even several washes before the mess fades away.

Vanish Oxi Action Powder is designed to remove all types of stain from your clothing. You can use it in several ways – adding it to your normal detergent when washing, dissolving in water and soaking the clothes, or dissolving and rubbing into the stain. For me, and because I didn’t have any black grease or oil marks to remove before writing this review (cycling to work and riding a motorbike does mean they happen all too regularly!), I stuck with adding some in with my normal detergent (also a powder) and setting the washing machine to the relevant cycle.

I have to say I’m very impressed. Bolognaise sauce, biro and felt pen lines, tea, coffee, all gone in one wash. And I didn’t have to scrub or rub or soak – I just added a little bit (half a scoop) in with my washing, so it was very easy. It’s also a bonus that I don’t have to resort to a hotter wash to get rid of stains – the Vanish works at my usual 30 degrees. I was also really impressed with how it sorted out my towels, which just seem to get grubby. I don’t use it in every wash, only when my washing powder could do with a little bit of a boost, and so far it hasn’t been given a stain it can’t remove. (I will test it on the grease when the need arises and let you know!)

The Crystal White version of the powder, which contains whitening ingredients, has become a bit of a laundry staple. I now use half a scoop of it in every whites wash as I find the results very good. White shirts, including the collars, and t-shirts come up a really bright white, and that is also washing them at 30 degrees. Socks and bed sheets/pillow cases get a hotter wash for hygiene reasons, but including the Vanish Oxi Action Crystal White has made a difference to them too.

I’ve not tried these powders on any “disaster” stains such a blood or oil, but for everyday stains and I have found them to be very successful. If you’re anything like me, you should keep a tub of this in the laundry cupboard just in case (and you’ll end up using it in almost every wash!).