Tried & Tested

1001 Carpet Care

"With over 50 years of carpet care experience, 1001 provides the most effective range of solutions for tackling everyday stains and spills, cleaning large carpeted areas and floors and everyday freshening of carpets and upholstery."

What we thought: We love this range! Formulated especially for carpet and upholstery, wood floor and spot stains. We particularly love the products brought out for households with pets as well as the No Vac foam range, which was so simple to use and instantly left our carpets smelling fresh and fragrant. One of our testers, mother of three small children and one labrador, swears by Troubleshooter Ultra to help remove ground-in carpet dirt and stains such as red wine, ink, coffee and mud. We'd recommend investing in at least one item from the 1001 range as it'll be sure to make your domestic life easier, not least for when you spill that glass of red wine on the sofa - we've all been there, and unless we have 1001, we've probably still got the stubborn stain to prove it!
Reviewed April 2008.

La Cafetière Aqua Optima Kettle

"The unique Aqua Optima five-step, fast flow filtration system inside the kettle removes up to 95% of lead, 80% of chlorine and also reduces high levels of herbicides and pesticides, which can remain in water even after boiling."

What we thought: The kettle was really simple to set up and at full capacity, the water boiled in just over 3 minutes. The 1.7L capacity of this kettle is a good standard size and the transparency of the water tank means you can see at a glance how much water remains in the kettle.

The say "one Double Life filter lasts for up to 60 days or the equivalent of 200 litres" - fitting it works in a similar way to a cartridge in a water filter jug. What I thought was nifty was the cartridge life indicator to remind you when the cartridge needs replacing.

A couple of small observations: Whilst the dual handles were very comfortable to use, they seemed to rattle slightly against the aluminium as the water approached boiling point. I found the lid a little awkward to lift up each time the kettle had boiled, and I did almost burn my hand from both the steam coming up through the middle of the kettle (as the lid is removed completely during re-filling) as well as on the aluminium shell whilst trying to re-fill the kettle.

The design of the kettle may not be to everyone's taste but there's no denying that it is rather eye-catching in brushed stainless steel and wouldn't look out of place in a modern kitchen. And if you're looking for a good quality solid kettle that produced clean filtered water at the click of a button then this could be the answer to the perfect cuppa!

Reviewed December 2007.

Black & Decker® GT100 Hedge Trimmer

"The lighter weight body coupled with the ergonomic t-bar shaped handle means you have a hedge trimmer which is not only easier to grip and control, but also more comfortable during continued use. These simple but effective changes have created the ultimate hedge trimmer for even the most amateur of gardener."

What we thought: I've used older hedge-trimmers and the fail-safe manual trimmers in the past and found the updated version a real relief. They cut through relatively thick branches, which is an excellent bonus. Ensure you've got safety goggles on and wear gloves for extra protection and for flying leaves. It saved me so much time compared to doing it manually. The only thing that I struggled with was the weight - but I can be a bit of a wimp with these things. It just means that it's harder to reach above. Great value product that is definitely worth the very reasonable price tag.

OXO Good Grips Food Mill

What we thought: Any new gadget in my kitchen has to justify its space and the packaging for the OXO Good Grips Food Mill certainly made it sound very versatile. Its ability to make soups, mashed potatoes and baby food is proudly emblazoned on the box. The problem is I have a blender and a potato masher, which work just fine when making soups and mash. I'm not sure that I need any further kitchenware for either of these jobs.

I decided to test the food mill by making mashed potatoes. The food mill comes with a choice of discs so that you can choose how smooth (or chunky) you want the food to be, and I used the largest of the discs for this job. Its very simple to fix the disc into place, and once set up, the gadget has feet that extend over the bowl below making it look like a 1950s space ship has crash landed in your kitchen. I used potatoes which were very soft and they emerged from the food mill smooth and lump free, much nicer than when bashed with my usual potato masher. However, it was only afterwards that I realised that the food mill is not the easiest thing to clean, and getting all of the muck out of the discs was fairly laborious. The packing is ominously silent as to whether you can whack it into a dishwasher; if you could, it would encourage me to use the food mill on a regular basis.

I also used the food mill to make tomato sauce, and this time I used the fine disc. The benefit here is that not only can you control how smooth you want the tomato sauce to be, but the unwanted seeds & skin from the tomatoes get left behind in the food mill. These did interfere with the blade but because it is possible to turn the handle of the food mill both clockwise and anti-clockwise, you can easily release the disc if it becomes jammed. Again, despite my previous experience, I could not help but roll my eyes at the amount of parts that needed cleaning. Going to the supermarket would have been quicker.

If you don't mind the extra labour involved, the food mill makes mashed potatoes and sauces a total doddle. If you are lazy and/or have a small kitchen, you may find that this gadget is not priority, especially if you have a blender. That said, you do feel a bit like Nigella telling people that you own a food mill.

Reviewed September 2007.

Ambi Pur 3volution

"Revolutionary electrical plug-in...using a unique fragrance system to release three constantly changing perfumes in a continuous cycle, every 45 minutes."

What we thought:
This air freshener couldn't be simpler to assemble - you simply remove the caps from the refill bottles, click into place in the unit, plug into the wall socket and wait for the release. The wide selection of fragrance trios means that you'll never get bored with or immune to the same smell, with each fragrance given 45 minutes of "airtime", each working in harmony with the other two. There are also various fragrance combinations available catering for different times of the year and different tastes. It's also safer than a candle as you can leave it on when you go out or go to bed. As I don't like fragrances to be too overpowering, what I particularly liked was the ability to monitor the smell strength, thus indirectly making the appliance last that extra bit longer. (They say if you leave the unit on the lowest setting, the refill should last 90 days).
I felt the unit itself was a little plastic-y and perhaps slightly intrusive, but hidden behind a sofa, bed or a table, it shouldn't impose on a room's style at all.

Available online and from all good supermarkets/independent retailers.

OXO Good Grips Garlic Press

What we thought: There are garlic presses and then there are garlic presses. Some look fancy and others are even brightly coloured. But finding one that actually crushes garlic to smithereens and then doesn't require industrial cleaning to remove all the mess is not simple as you might imagine. My previous garlic press was case in hand: it gave the unfortunate clove a gentle squeeze before letting the blighter escape round the edges of the top of the press. Very little garlic actually emerged through the supposed exit. To add to the woe, cleaning it was fiddly and, because of its unfortunate crushing malfunction, invariably you would spend the rest of the evening with a knife trying to prise out unwanted bits of congealed goo from the press.
Then I tried the OXO Good Grips Garlic Press. It has thick black non slip handles and the press fits so neatly into the body of the press that the garlic has no option but to go through those little holes and emerge, triumphant, crushed! Most satisfying is the mini hairbrush on the back of the press, which folds into the dirty press and pushes out the yuck. It took longer to cut the garlic press out of its packaging than it did to crush the garlic and then clean the press. It appears that this garlic press really is a breed apart from other garlic presses.

Reviewed by Jenny, July 2007.

Steam Bee

The Steam Bee is both "lightweight and easy to use" and claims to "sanitise and eliminate the need for using harsh chemicals... killing off any nasty bugs lurking around your house."

What we thought: I had been wanting a steam cleaner for some time and tried this one out around the house. This bright yellow handheld steam cleaner might appeal to gadget fiends who like to brighten up their cleaning as well as the house. JML have produced this household tool which gives "powerful continuous steam to sanitise and clean" and no detergent is required. The black cup at the base of the head unscrews and is filled with water. The top of the "head" has a nozzle through which the steam is directed towards the cleaning area and there are 4 attachments included which direct the steam in various ways.
On first sight, this cleaner looks like an elongated bee's head from the Antz movie. First of all the kitchen tiles around the sink and hob area - the grouting was very discoloured. I found that to make a difference, the nozzle had to be held very close to the surface and then the dirt layer melted off quite effectively. However, it was hard going and I needed to refill the small water container quite frequently. I also easily steamed off pieces of sticky tape on the fridge and kitchen doors, but a glued on edge of melamine came away from the shelf edge. It worked well on the white skirting boards. I tried to clean the sticky burnt food off the hob area, but it was not very successful and would need a lot of time. There is an attachment for cleaning window glass, but you would probably need an extension lead to reach them. Same for the bathroom. Although is seems to have a good range of uses, it actually made more work from the refilling and cleaning up the excess dripping water.

Pros: Useful for cleaning tiles and lightly stuck-on dirt and sticky stuff. Good for cleaning mess off the edges of the dishwasher door. The steam sterilizes as it cleans, so is good for worktops, chopping boards, children's plastic toys and pet smells. Best of all, detergent is not needed.
Cons: The water reservoir is too small and for larger jobs it needs frequent re-filling. The tool doesn't work very well when held upside down as the steam turns into water, the tool tends to drip heavily. The steam caused the glue to melt on one of the melamine shelf edgings.

Reviewed June 2007.

Magic Eraser

Said to "eleminate all the scuffs and marks around your home in an instant...usable on any surface." The blurb on the box also says that this sponge needs only slightly dampening with water - no detergent at all, and will eliminate marks and stains in an instant. It claims to remove dirty marks from doors, paintwork, metal surfaces, vinyl, car dashboards, and will even clean off burnt on food from pots and pans.

This cleaning aid, called a 'magic' eraser is in fact a solid looking block of white foam sponge about 30x12x3 cm.. It comes in a packaged in a cardboard box and you just simply cut a chunk to size with a knife or scissors as you need it. I do wonder what it is made of!
Well, the house needed freshening up, so I set to work to test its claims. First of all, I cleaned the tiles along the worktop - excellent job and the sponge really did well on the grout between the tiles, whitening it up a few shades. My stainless sink came out beautifully shiny and the dark brown staining completely disappeared. Disappointingly, the calcium deposits around the taps were still there. I then tackled the glass oven and microwave doors - a good result overall.
Next the marks on the painted walls and skirting boards. This was very successful and mucky scraps and stains just vanished. Kitchen melamine cupboard doors - although it is not recommended to use the sponge on shiny surfaces, I did try it on my matt textured door fronts and they came out very well. On to the hob and greasy surroundings. Not so good - the sponge didnt deal well with grease at all and bits of sponge started to come away. Next, the inside of the fridge - very good, although I suspect it has dulled the shiny surface a little. I then had a go with a couple of stainles steel pots - a slight improvement in removing some staining.
By now the sponge was half its original thickness and was leaving a crumbly residue on the surfaces, and the grease from the hob area had somewhat damaged its progress. Overall, it has done a good job during the couple of hours of use and I could get another 2 or 3 sponge-sized pieces from the remaining piece. I do suggest though that you do not take its advice to clean light switches with it - something to do with water and electricity not going very well together!

Pros for me are:
a. You can cut off chunks to your own specification and on first using it, it has firm pointed edges. Useful being able to cut pieces to your own shape to get at awkward corners.
b. It does clean sinks, paintwork, tea and coffee stains from teacups, fridge interiors very well, and I was pleased with the way it tackled tiles and dirty grout.
c. You only need to dip it in water. No other cleaning agent is needed.
d. It shined up metal teapots and taps.
The cons for me are:
a. The price at £3.99 - I wouldn't buy it again at that price although I would if it was half that price.
b. It doesn't last long enough and starts to disintegrate fairly soon especially if you press on it to remove marks and the firm rigidity goes quite soon.
c. It doesn't like to clean grease and lumpy burnt-on food makes it disintegrate.
d. It does not get rid of calcium deposits easily.
Reviewed April 2007.

Black and Decker Dustbuster® Pivot Vac 14.4V PV1405

"A cyclonic cordless hand vac with a pivoting nose that locks into ten different cleaning positions...delivering continuous suction so there is no danger of clogging and because it's cordless you can use it anywhere in the house."

What we liked: Getting rid of dust and dirt is an ongoing chore in my home and anything that makes it easier is always welcome. This little white and brown handheld machine at first sight looks just like an unusual portable radio until you press a button on the handle and angle out the collection tube. This is a rather flat 20 cm tube with a pull out 8cm extension. This useful feature can be set at ten different angles to 200 degrees. This multi angled tube means that you get at your top shelves and awkward spaces very conveniently. It is ideal for vacuuming up all the debris that collects alongside your fridge and underneath bookcases and other heavy furniture. I also used it inside drawers, along skirting boards, picture rails, around the doors, the stairs, back of the beds, sides of the armchairs, tops of curtains and to straighten the fringes of my Indian rugs! Once I got going there was no stopping me.
On this model there is a brush attachment to clean fabric such as curtains, cat-hairy cushions and chair crevices. The Dustbuster® Pivot Vac has overnight rechargeable batteries and comes with a battery charger which plugs into the mains. Emptying and cleaning the dirt collection area is very easy. The transparent window means you can monitor when it needs emptying and you don't need to buy any disposable bags but just push a knob to open the compartment and tip the mess into your waste bin - simple and cost-effective over time. As grime builds up in the removable filter compartment, the machine is designed to be easily cleaned by just brushing or washing in water.
Surprisingly, the Pivot Vac felt rather powerful for a handheld vacuum cleaner. The provision of two speed strengths allows a gentler suction for things like curtains and the cyclonic action is very efficient on dust and crumbs. Usefully there is also a two year guarantee attached.
What we disliked: There were only two things I found against the Pivot Vac. It is quite noisy and you can't hear the telephone or door bell while you are using it, and it is a little bit heavy. Apart from this it is not a flimsy machine but has the feel of a solid workhorse and does its job well. I would definitely recommend each household get one.
Reviewed March 2007.

Ambi-Pur Candle - Blossoming Flowers

"Ambi Pur Spring Collection Scented Candle provides continuous fragrance for 25 to 35 hours. Blossoming Flowers is a pale pink wax set in frosted glass."

What we thought: This candle smelt fantastic before I had even lit it. The frosted glass really makes a difference and flatters any decor that you may have. Once lit, the candle quickly emmitted a lush refreshing smell of flowers yet not in an over powering sense. The candle lasted me a good month of ocassion use, sometimes for 4-5 hours at a time. I loved it and will definitely be adding it to my weekly shop. I'm looking forward to trying the other fragrances as I think I need one in my bedroom and bathroom now. Overall, great quality candles at a very affordable price.