Is YOUR washing up posh enough?
Forget Fairy! Doing the dishes has gone designer — with bottles costing up to £22
When the label on the exotically scented bottle entices you to ‘ cleanse with intention and allow the gentle sound of flowing water wash away the stress of the day’, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in a spa — not standing at the kitchen sink contemplating a huge pile of greasy dishes.
But fancy washing up liquid has become the latest aspirational lifestyle trend, and bottles costing as much as £22 are now gracing the highly polished work surfaces of the most discerning modern kitchen.
It may seem crazy to be investing so much money in a liquid detergent when a 60p own-label product can clean your plates perfectly well, but the fast-growing social media obsession with tidying, and the elevation of household cleaning to high fashion status with a legion of so-called ‘cleanfluencers’ like Sophie hinchcliffe (‘Mrs hinch’) and Marie Kondo, both of whom have more than three million followers on Instagram, has now thrust the ‘posh wash’ on to centre stage.
Some brands claim impressive eco credentials (though their plastic containers are no easier to recycle than cheaper alternatives), others purport to have been specially formulated to gently ‘cleanse’ your finest china.
The overriding inference is that by spending extra money, you’ll add glamour to what is undeniably a menial household task.
Designer Tom Dixon argues, perhaps a little optimistically, that the ubiquitous use of the dishwasher has elevated hand washing to ‘an almost recreational and social activity’, while The White Company claims its product will ‘transform a kitchen chore into a more enjoyable task’.
They might smell divine, and the containers are certainly more aesthetically pleasing than a Fairy Liquid bottle, but can paying extra really convert the scraping off of last night’s lasagne into a blissful mindfulness exercise? That’s certainly a lot to ask of a detergent . . .
THE CAPITAL CLEANSER
Tom Dixon london Washing up liquid, £22 for 1 litre, selfridges.com
THIS smokey- black bottle of antibacterial gel contains aloe vera (‘for its soothing and hydrating properties’) and is scented with designer Tom Dixon’s ‘London’ fragrance ( featuring ‘ notes of pepper, vetiver and patchouli’).
The so-called ‘cleansing fluid’ has been created to bring ‘a hint of luxury to what is usually seen as an arduous chore’, and designed to ‘ have pride of place in any self- respecting futuristic kitchen’.
VERDICT: Ridiculously expensive, but the spicy smell is divine and the big black bottle would happily grace a stylish granite or slate apartment kitchen (although the rose-gold print may clash with polished chrome fittings).
Absolutely not suitable if you have a Shaker-style kitchen or chintz furnishings. At 1 litre, it is twice the size of all the others, would clearly last for months, and oozes opulence. Oh, and it washes up perfectly well, leaving a whiff of the exotic fragrance in the room. 5/5
FROM SINK TO SPA...
andrée Jardin Washing-up liquid Mint & lemon, £14 for 500ml, conranshop.co.uk
THIS ‘ liquide vaisselle’ ( that’s French for washing up liquid) is ‘specially designed’ by Andrée Jardin, better known for the classy wooden brooms and brushes which might grace a plastic-free kitchen.
The product is ‘ expertly blended in France by skilled artisans using Marseille soap and organic olive oil’, and claims to clean dishes while ‘nourishing the skin’.
VERDICT: Instructions recommend 1½ tablespoons in a sink of hot water. This means the £14 bottle would last for only 22.5 washes, costing 62p each time.
It has good eco credentials, but the plastic bottle lets it down. Although it seems to be moisturising to hands, it doesn’t produce any foam, so it is difficult to know if the dishes are being properly cleaned. 1/5
SENSITIVE SKIN SAVIOUR
The White Company Wild Mint Washing up liquid, £8 for 500ml, thewhite company.com
THIS liquid forms part of the wild mint collection (hand cream and wash, diffuser, candle and ‘home spray’), which ‘ captures the unbeatably cooling aroma of wild mint on a calm day’.
Made with lemon peel and peppermint oils, it claims to ‘clean your dishes while remaining gentle on your hands’, and is ‘destined to have pride of place on your kitchen work surface’, where it will ‘transform a chore into a more enjoyable task’.
VERDICT: Behaves just like an ordinary washing up liquid, producing a good foam which cuts through grease, leaving plates shiny, but is gentle on hands. It smells a bit like (clean) baby wipes, and the modern branding and robust clear plastic bottle (which is strong enough to be refilled, or easily recycled) does confer a degree of sophistication. 4/5
PERFECT FOR PARISIANS
astier de Villatte Bergamot Washing up liquid, £20 for 500ml, liberty london.com
The French brand is known for making exquisitely fine ceramics, and this bergamotscented washing up liquid has been designed to be gentle on plates, as well as being environmentally friendly (the clear plastic bottle has a ‘save the rabbits’ logo, which means it’s cruelty-free).
VERDICT: The bottle and label make it look like a dessert wine, but the flimsy plastic doesn’t exude class, and is frankly disappointing for a product costing £20. Glass would better fit the eco credentials. The liquid smells reassuringly expensive, and it is more concentrated than other products — a few drops froth up admirably, and it cuts through grease well, leaving a trace of perfume. But it leaves hands feeling in need of an expensive companion hand cream (£55 a bottle!). 2/5
GET THE GREEN LIGHT
The laundress Dish Detergent, £11 for 475ml selfridges.com NEW York-based company Laundress is well known for sophisticated laundry products. This is an unscented, dual-action liquid, for use in the kitchen sink (192 washes) and dishwasher (96 washes).
This plant-based, allergen-free biodegradable product uses enzymes (amylase and protease) rather than bleach to shift stubborn food residue.
VERDICT: There’s a sketch on the label of a skinny girl in miniskirt and heels who looks as though she’s really happy to be washing up. In the dishwasher, it works out at 11p a wash, which is less than many nonposh tabs. It claims to be unscented, but a delicate fragrance elevates this liquid above similar alternatives. While ‘low sudsing’ (better for the environment), it creates plenty of bubbles to do a good job. 5/5