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I have one of those "squat" 2-rack Siemens dishwashers like in the video above. It slots straight into a 60cm base cupboard by simply removing the door and drawer. I sourced a laser cut metal grille from Amazon to compensate for the height difference, which makes it look truly built in. No...

Funny you should say that, because those were two of the powders I was thinking of when I first smelled this. Perhaps it has notes that are slightly reminiscent of both, hence why it's hard to pin down exactly where I recognised the smell from. Persil Bio is a great performer, but I don't like...

Last week I finally managed to get hold of some of this, and have been trying it out on a few loads to see how it fares. Only used it for white washes so far, but initial impressions are good. Love the smell, it reminds me very much of a detergent from years ago although trying to recall which...

Have only used the Sainsbury's powder, although I assume Tesco and Waitrose have theirs made by the same manufacturer too. Never had any issues with performance, everything comes out clean with all stains removed, and my white towels still look brand new. Rinses out fairly easily as well. At £2...

Always used the chlorine based Finish Gel, but even that seemed to go downhill towards the end. No longer cleaned as effectively as it used to, and worse still, left everything covered in a white, hazy film. This film could not be scrubbed off, and the only way to shift it was by putting the...

Really do like the Sainsbury's own brand powder, this has now become my daily driver. Rather than trying to smell of anything exotic, it just has a straightforward detergent-like scent, which in itself is a nice change from the norm. And despite being exactly half the cost of Ariel, everything...

If the green Bold is the same as the old Active Fresh, I will be ON THAT. Back in the day that was my go-to product, and I really was not pleased when it disappeared from the shops. Haven't bought Ariel for a few years now, because the scent just got too sharp, for want of a better description...

Oh yes, the old powders where you'd use one or two full cups - I kind of miss that, with today's smaller dosages it doesn't feel quite the same! I think Lever had the best measuring cup sometime around the late 90s, early 2000s. Clear plastic, and graduated with measurements for light, normal...

Buying a Hoover just for the free flights is exactly what my grandmother did. Like so many others, she bought the cheapest model eligible for the promotion, stashed it away in a cupboard, and flew to Spain gratis. Doesn't sound like a huge deal nowadays, but this was in a time before dirt cheap...

From the list below I'll usually do around five loads a week. Some things (like workwear and bed linen) are done on a set schedule, others as and when there is a full load. Whites - 60°C with prewash Darks - 40°C Workwear - 40°C with prewash Jeans - 40°C Towels - 60°C Bed linen - 60°C...

Crikey, my parents had the whole Russell Hobbs poppy set, given as wedding gifts. The toaster was kind of unusual from what I remember, in that the toast tilted out to the side when done, rather than popping up. All thrown out a few years ago, unused. Whenever I think about that I could kick...

40 is the absolute minimum I will go to, that's for darks or anything with a tendency to shrink. Underwear, towels and bed linens get 60, while kitchen/cleaning cloths are always boil washed. It's probably considered old fashioned nowadays, but using the highest temperature the fabric can...

Thought this was just me, but yes, the choices are narrowing somewhat with more shelf space being given over to liquids, gels and pods. I'd be happy with powder tablets instead, but even those have been whittled right back to the bare minimum as of late. If a manufacturer doesn't offer the...

GAH! ... love for that to be our biggest worry!

Vacuum motor wattage was not the first thing that came to my mind when I learned of the Brexit vote. Of far greater concern right now is which direction our country will be heading in over the course of the next few years, and the implications it may have for future generations. That said, my...

I'll second that. When I had a Hotpoint Supermatic, supermarket own brand powders worked well in the wash and were the easiest to rinse out. With branded powders, it would often take five or six rinses until I felt the rinse water ran clear enough for my liking. High suds powders were even...

Great series, I was glued to this every single week. A nice glimpse of social history through the decades, and pretty well researched too. Also worth checking out is Back In Time For The Weekend (linked below), which focuses more on consumer spending habits and living standards throughout the...

FWIW, I see a lot of launderettes using these nowadays for service washes. Given that customers may or may not pre-sort adequately beforehand, and everything will end up being placed in the same machine by the attendant, it's cheap insurance for the launderette against possible claims for...

This is something I've had happen on a couple of condenser dryers in the past. If the O-ring wears out, it can either break or ping off, thus the valve no longer operates when the tank is reinserted. Because water cannot enter the container it accumulates in the sump instead, triggering the tank...

Compare the earliest Beko products that arrived here in the 90s against today's offerings, and you probably wouldn't believe it was the same company. As has already been mentioned, the brand has become very well established, and gone on to capture a fairly large slice of the UK market. Helped...