Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
May is National Walking month and we’re trying to go for a walk every day, some days it’s just a quick walk after work but at the weekends we are heading further afield and enjoying longer walks in the beautiful countryside.
On our longer walks we always carry a flask of tea or coffee, in winter it’s just what you need to warm you up and there’s nothing better than sitting in the middle of nowhere enjoying a breathtaking view with a brew in your hand.
In the past we’ve just taken a couple of plastic mugs but the arrival of the Field Trip 10oz Field Cup set has certainly upped our game. The double walled stainless steel cups are available in stacks of 4 or 5 and come in a very practical 6oz waxed cotton bag which is hand finished with a stainless steel cord slider.
The insulation is just right for a quick hot drink or even a more leisurely coffee and most importantly they are really comfortable to hold, unlike the old fashioned metal cups that burnt your hands and lips – most hikers have had at least one bad experience with that style of cup! At 10oz the cup is a good size and is the equivalent to a normal mug that you use at home.
The metal doesn’t hold onto flavours so it can be used for any drink without the flavours being tainted and can also be used as a handy bowl for soup or porridge when camping. The cups are solid, durable, well-made, and a pleasure to drink out of and as they can be stacked in the purpose made bag, they don’t take up much space making them easy to throw in the rucksack or car so we can enjoy a nice brew when we’re out on our adventures.
We generally only take 2 cups with us so we have found the waxed cotton bag is a great place to store biscuits to enjoy with our brew!
At £59.95 for the 4 cup stack and £67.95 for the 5 cup stack they’re certainly not the cheapest set of cups around but they are made to last and I guarantee you’ll be using these cups for many years to come.
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own
We love going on picnics as they’re a great way to spend quality time with friends and family away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. When the sun is shining, we’ll pack up a bag with treats and head off to find a picturesque spot to sit and relax and whether we’re on the beach, by a stream or up a hill the food always seems to taste a lot nicer outdoors!
LOVE CORN recently sent us a selection of their tasty snacks to try which went down a treat on our last picnic. Made by roasting corn kernels and by adding a little oil and spices LOVE CORN is incredibly crunchy and full of flavour and very moreish! With no synthetic flavouring the plant based snack is vegan, gluten free, Kosher and Non GMO and with 50% less fat than crisps is a much healthier choice.
Sea Salt is probably my favourite, it is a great alternative to popcorn or crisps and the saltiness works really well with the corn. My sons both love something with a bit more of a kick to it so the habsnero chilli really hit the spot for them.
Eating outdoors has a certain charm, so whether it’s a family day out, catch up with friends or a romantic picnic you won’t go wrong if you include a selection of Love Corn snacks in your picnic basket. Available in 7 different flavours – Sea Salt, Salt & Vinegar, Smoked bbq, Habanero Chilli, Cheese & Onion, Sour Cream & Chive and Milk Chocolate & Sea Salt which one will you try first?
LOVE CORN is also a great addition to salads and grazing boards. Try serving some of the habanero chilli LOVE CORN on a charcuterie board or sprinkle some sea salt LOVE CORN on a green salad to liven it up a little.
Sea Salt Multipacks are available from Sainsburys and Ocado for £3.25 and the Grab & Go Boxes containing 24 x 20g bags are available from Amazon at the current price of £18.99
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Another brilliant gift idea for Father’s Day is the Edifier Comfo Run Bluetooth headset. Wireless so that they just connect to your phone, these sports headphones are great for running or cardio work because of the design of the earbuds and how they attach. They’re open ear so they don’t have to sit inside your ear but because of their special sports design, they don’t fall off when running either!
Just 15 minute of charge (using the cable provided) gives 5 hours of listening time, and as they’re sports headphones, they also double up as a pedometer too. The can be used for gaming or work with the in-built double microphone and are dust and splash proof – perfect for taking on holiday and working out, being by the pool or listening to a podcast.
Unlike headphones for music and some gaming machines, the Edifer Comfo Run headphones are very lightweight. They’re great for running, but a they’re not inside your ear canal, they also work for cycling because they allow you to hear what’s going on around you too. The sound quality is really good and the controls (+,- and on/off) are easy to use when you’re trying to run, cycle or keep up with another sport. Like all Edifier headphones, they connect really easily to the Bluetooth on your phone using the ‘Search’ on your phone or device.
The design makes them slightly different to get used to because the ring goes behind your head, then each ear piece is over your ear with the headphone speaker sitting outside your ear canal. If you’re not used to this and instead have over the head or earbuds but they’re designed that way so that they don’t fall off! Anyone who doesn’t like something in their ear especially for prolonged amounts of time will prefer these because they sit outside the ear. However, the charging point is on the headpiece which doesn’t always stay in place if you move the headphones around, so charging them on moving transport can be tricky.
You don’t want too many bells and whistles with sports headphones, just easy to use, don’t slide off and they quality is really good. There’s not much to adjust on these, either technically or physically so not much can go wrong, and hopefully thanks to the design, they won’t fall off easily so you won’t lost them either!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Think back to the sweets you had when you were young. Were Refreshers among them? What about Drumsticks and Love Hearts? Swizzels Sweets have a treat for Dads this Father’s Day with a bumper selection perfect for Dad; or Grandad to keep him occupied during the weekend. We were sent a huge assortment of Swizzels sweets to test before the big Father’s Day onslaught of chocolate, sweets and treats so we hope you get some inspiration from these for your Dad!
First up is the big box of Swizzels Sweet Shop Favourites. At 650 grams net it’s a pot pourri of favourites including Parma Violets, Refreshers, Double Lollies, Fizzers, Fruity Pops and Love Hearts. There’s also Drumsticks and Drumstick Squashies which are the same flavour but the Squashies are obviously softer on the teeth! Each of the sweets are as you remember them as a child and in this enormous round box, you can share them out within the family too. They’re great for dipping into when you need to get a sugar rush or to give out after dinner. Dad will love them for the memories too.
Also in the review package were variety packs with a packet of another favourite – Swizzels Luscious Lollies. There’s 16 lollies in this 176 gram pack which include Drumsticks, Fruity Pops and Double Lollies. Yes, there are some repeats here from the box of Sweet Shop Favourites but they are delicious and you probably don’t want to be taking a whole box out with you when you picnic or go on days out so 16 in a pack is ideal. All the lollies featured in this pack are also vegan and free from artificial colours.
There’s two more similar packs of sweets with the Swizzels Curious Chews at 171 grams and Swizzels Scrumptious Sweets at 173 grams. The Curious Chews contain Drumsticks (again), Refreshers, and then Sour Refreshers, Puds (sticky toffee pudding flavour) and Fudg-eee Fudge Chews. None of those are recognisable to me so I’m guessing they’re new in the last few decades. They are indeed very chewy! I would stick to one at a time for these if you have anywhere near loose fillings but they are very addictive and the Fudg-eee and Puds really do taste as they’re supposed to. The Scrumptious Sweets are some of our familiar Swizzels favourites including Drumsticks, Refreshers and Fizzers which again, are universally liked.
Finally, we have the Love Hearts! Everyone knew these sweets growing up so it’s only right that Dad gets them on Father’s Day too. The messages are slightly changed from the less-politically correct ones we might have had but the sentiments are the same. Love Hearts are vegan and free from Artificial Colours and this pack weighing 127 grams has approximately 12 little packs of sweets included, each with love messages on each sweet.
If you’re looking for a fun treat for Dad for Father’s Day, Swizzels Sweets are definitely going to be a favourite for any sweet tooth Dad!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
We all need a bit of help with our hair sometimes. I love the ritual of hair masks, conditioners and then using products to fix my hair once it’s washed and styled. Hair Gain sent us the Peptide Puff Dry Shampoo, Hair Gain Hair Mask, Hair Gain Scalp Foam and a lovely Hair Gain Comb to try out!
Starting with the Peptide Puff Dry Shampoo, it’s not an aerosol and isn’t like a mousse so it’s easier to use and will last longer too. The dry shampoo is more of a powder, administered by a soft pad which prevents the powder from going everywhere and also helps direct it to the roots. I was particularly happy to find that it doesn’t leave a white residue on your hair, nor does it leave a residue on your clothes. Instead, it’s clear and just takes the edge off of the oil in your hair. You can use as much or as little of it as you like so that it takes off more of the greasy shine but you get used to how much you need to use with time.
The Hair Gain Scalp Foam is a fairly new concept for women but men have been using enhancers for years. The foam is absorbed into the scalp and helps grow fuller, thicker hair. It reduces hair breakages from the roots and strengthens hair over time to prevent long term breakages. This is a product you need to keep using and it’s probably best to use after you’ve washed your hair but before you completely style it. The formula makes your hair fuller anyway so it makes hair styling easier if you like big curls or lots of volume. Over time, this should have more of an effect so I would go with using it every wash until it’s used up and then you’ll see how good it is!
The Hair Gain Hair Mask is probably my favourite. It’s a luscious treatment to nourish your hair and is intently hydrating. You only need to use it in your hair for 10 minutes whilst hair is towel dry and then wash out, and once or twice a week is enough. Again, over time this works even better but with just one application you will find that it starts to work on making hair softer and fuller. In combination with the Hair Gain Scalp Foam, it creates thicker locks and less breakages. It’s also a vegan formula but it does contain alcohol, sulphates and parabens.
The Hair Gain Comb was a nice treat to send to us along with the hair care products! I love a chunky comb so this is great for any hair type whilst you’re in the shower and trying to get the product through your hair as well as smoothing down the cuticles, especially if your hair is long and thick. It looks like plastic but it’s actually made from materials which are 100% biodegradable.
The Hair Gain product package creates an all-round treatment for your hair, from dry shampoo through to hair mask as well as the handy comb! I’m looking forward over time to seeing the long term results on my hair and how it’s changed in thickness and strength too.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
If you’ve ever had sunburn you know what it feels like to have burning skin and your underlying fear of what comes next once the skin dries out. It inevitably isn’t pleasant and isn’t healthy either.
If you find yourself burned this year, especially whilst on holiday, TermaBurn Post-Sun Aloe Wrap combines the healing properties of aloe vera with a revolutionary wrap format which makes it easy and much quicker to apply than aloe vera gel. The 100% organic aloe is combined with Vitamin E, and Green Tea for anti-inflammation to create a moist web which when placed over the sun burnt skin can help healing. It can also prevent further burning as the aloe and ingredients take away the damaging heat and also leave your skin moist to prevent peeling too.
The whole roll is 52 inches (1.32 metres) which you can cut to any size. So if the burn is on your face, across your back or chest or even on your hands, you have plenty TermaBurn to use liberally to cool your skin. It can be worn under clothes and doesn’t leave a residue and doesn’t need to be refrigerated first.
Even if you’re not going on holiday, many people find TermaBurn great for grazes and household burns, itches and allergies and generally keeping cool in the summer especially for children and the elderly. There are no drugs involved so you can use as much as you need and keep it on your skin for as long as needed. Rashes and insect bites are often soothed as well, especially if you put any ointments on underneath and let the TermaBurn do the cooling and sealing on top.
Whoever came up with this brilliant idea has obviously had some serious sunburn in the past, but hopefully it won’t be as serious anymore with TermaBurn around.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
It’s that time of year again, when we start to think about the summer beauty products we need. Probably best not to rely on what’s left of last year and instead start anew with some beautiful, yet practical summer products.
My Little Sudocrem 22 gram pots are great for summer, family, taking to work and even better for taking on holiday! The hand-held pots are filled with Sudocrem but their size makes them so much easier to carry around and to use. Not only for children, I use my Sudocrem as a hand cream when I’m sitting at my desk, or after a bath or shower on any skin area but particularly on hands and feet when they’re dry. You can rub it into knees and elbows too and with a bit of work, any area of skin to create a barrier as well as deep hydration.
If you’ve never used Sudocrem before, let me explain. Sudocrem includes zinc oxide which helps reduce the loss of moisture from the skin. It’s incredibly rich, not like a face cream, but this richness which eventually works into the skin will create a barrier to reduce fluid loss but also create a barrier. Great for the child who loves to amble through the long grass or bracken. Sudocrem also contains benzol alcohol, which has local anaesthetic and antiseptic properties so if you are out in nature, it allows for the odd scrape or irritant to touch the skin. It’s also packed with Anhydrous hypoallergenic lanolin to both soften and soothe skin, which is great for outdoor life, children and even in the kitchen.
The small 22 gram pot might not sound like much, but as it’s so rich and so powerful, it’s the perfect size for a small area of skin because it goes a long way. Just a tiny dab on the back of the hands needs real effort to work in but when it does, it covers both hands and leaves them smooth and mega hydrated.
I’ve currently got my office using the My Little Sudocrem pots as we are in our busiest time of the year for paperwork. The dry fingers and chapped thumbs from using so much paper is much soothed by Sudocrem, and even a super dry face enjoys a little hydration, although I use it sparingly as it leaves a bit of a film on softer or more delicate skin!
Disclaimer: We received these books for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
May is National Walking Month and is the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and explore our beautiful countryside. If you’re new to walking or just on holiday, then a guide book is a great way to discover the best routes in the area. The AA have recently launched a new series of walking books covering some of the most beautiful areas of England, each featuring 50 walks to suit all abilities. The walks are numbered and it is easy to see their locations on the handy map at the start of the book. As well as being numbered they are also colour coded according to the difficulty of the walk – easy (green), intermediate(orange) and hard (red).
Each walk has information about the distance, time, gradient, type of surface and accessibility, landscape, dog friendliness, parking, and public toilets as well as the OS map that covers the area. They also give useful information about the area, a little of the history of the area and things to look out for. There is a map of each walk with the route clearly highlighted making it easy to follow the written instructions. As the guide is meant to be taken out on a walk with you it fits perfectly in a map pocket or rucksack, making it easily accessible when walking.
There are two books covering Yorkshire and there is a great selection of walks in them, some we already know like Malham, Pen-y-Ghent and Grassington and lots for us to discover over the coming months.
Whether you want to explore country lanes, the coast or the fells these handy guides offer plenty of walks for novices and experienced walkers alike.
The new 50 Walks In guides are £13.99 and feature Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, North Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Snacks with a difference, this time with some protein and grown-up toast crisps, Bodega Snack Boxes are for lunch, snacks or even handy for picnics.
Each pack has under 250 calories and are ready-to-eat with either Smoky Salami or Chorizo plus creamy Cheddar slices and crisp toast pieces fashioned like little pieces of toast! They’re high in protein too and Bodega pride themselves on making all their snacks tasty and varied. The savoury snacks are low in sugar so you won’t get the sugar high, or low, during the afternoon in the office.
Bodega’s Chorizo Snack Pack combines paprika seasoned chorizo with slices of Cheddar cheese and 8 pieces of crisp toast. You can eat them together, building a sandwich or open sandwich or as individual pieces. I stared by eating them as pieces but realised some butter on the crisp toasts or some pesto or tomato purée would add an extra bit of flavour too. There’s texture with the crisp toasts as well as chunk with the meat.
The Bodega Smoky Salami Snack Pack is the same set up but with Salami from the North Rhine Westphalia region. Seasoned with pepper and paprika then beechwood smoked, it’s a softer flavour than the chorizo and blends with the Cheddar slices. This is especially good for children who aren’t used to flavoured meats and might want to be introduced slowly to the smoked flavours.
Either pack can be used as ingredients in larger meals such as sandwiches, a buffet or adding to spaghetti Bolognese or with a jacket potato. Students will love these as an easy way to snack that isn’t sugar, and as they last a few weeks in the fridge, you’ll find a use for them soon enough – if the rest of the family don’t raid them first!
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Scented candles are an easy way to create a cosy and relaxing ambiance in your home and I find lighting one in the evening really helps me unwind after a busy day at work. I have lots of candles around my house and I love to change the scent to match the seasons. Fresh scents like linen are perfect for Spring so I was really pleased to receive a Woodwick Linen Large Hourglass Candle which not only looks stylish but smells fantastic too – just like freshly washed linen blowing in the breeze.
The candle has Woodwick’s exclusive, patented wooden wick, Pluswick®Innovation which creates the sound of a crackling fire which helps create a cosy ambience when the candle is lit. The wicks are handcrafted and produce a generous wax pool which helps release the beautiful fragrance into the room. Our lounge is very high and sometimes it takes a while for the fragrance to permeate around the room but I found that once lit it didn’t take long for the sublime fragrance to diffuse around the room. The linen fragrance is nice and fresh and is perfect anywhere in the house, creating a welcoming feel in your hall or a tranquil oasis of calm in a bedroom or bathroom. The fragrance is lovely and not too overpowering and it fragranced my room beautifully, lasting long after the flame had been blown out.
The candle weighs 610g and whilst there isn’t a burn time given it’s such a big candle I know it will last a good while. The scent is nice and consistent and so far the candle has burned nice and evenly. It is advised to burn the candle for 3-4 hours at a time and trim the wick to 1/8” before each use.
The candle is in a tall, solid glass jar and looks very elegant, the simple design will suit any style of décor and not look out of place whether it’s in the hallway, lounge, bedroom or bathroom.
Woodwick candles are beautiful to look at, smell absolutely gorgeous and as they have such a great selection of fragrances they make perfect gifts for any occasion whether that’s a wedding, housewarming, birthday, Christmas or why not just treat yourself ??
To view more of their range, or find out more about Woodwick candles head over to the Woodwick website.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
What’s better than taking up a new action hobby or sport in 2024? Making a movie of it! Father’s Day has cranked up a notch this year with the high definition SJCam C200 Pro Action Camera.
This camera is absolutely tiny! At less than 7 centimetres tall, it fits inside your pocket, let alone in your hand luggage to go on holiday, or even to take on days out. The 20 MP quality can record in 4K at 30 fps and has an impressive average of 120 minutes battery time. The field of vision is 135 degrees and records in jpeg with features such as time lapse, slow-mo and can even be used as a webcam.
Less of the technical details though and more about what fun you can have with the camera! The small size makes it easy to adapt to different environments and because it’s waterproof and has a touch screen, you can use it for all sorts of activities. On holiday, it can be used at the beach or by the pool, or you can attach it to one of the enclosed mounts and put on a bike or take on a hike with you. Inside the box is a waterproof case, back clip, frame mount, base mount, curved and flat mount and other accessories including a cleaning cloth, adhesive stickers and USB cable. Everything you need. In case you were worries about how much room this takes up as a box, everything packs into a box which is smaller than the size of a brick!
The SJCam C200 Pro has a built-in stabiliser, giving you anti-shake video thanks to gyro technology and it has automatic face recognition so that you can focus on the action, and not just randomly filmed footage. This makes sense when you realise this is a camera that you don’t look through the view finder, it’s very much a ‘stick it up and go’ type camera where you rely on the settings and view the content later. The controls are all from the 1.3” touch screen which is easy to use, but it’s not obvious by looking at the camera that it’s also waterproof to 30 metres (98 foot). It’s excellent for all adventures, but imagine taking it on a high-speed boat ride? Or even surfing or sailing?
You can share all the footage via Wifi too, so anyone with a phone or device can see a copy of what you’ve captured. I prefer to remove the SD card from the device though and put the card in a computer to transfer the data faster. I wish I could say I was an expert at editing film, but with the right software, you can have some expert level editing going on with really high quality movies from the SJCam C200 Pro.
There are more features to the SJCam C200 Pro but they’re all a bit high tech for a beginner like me. What I will say though, is that taking this camera out and playing with it has really encouraged me to try out some different sports that I wouldn’t normally, just to see how good it can look on camera. It’s also made me explore my video editing software on my Mac so that I can start to use the video I do have and learn how to use the more advanced features of SJCam S200 Pro. So if you’re looking for a project this summer, or want motivation to get into a new sport and keep your hand in photography, this is an excellent way of discovering a world I hadn’t even thought of.
Even better, if you want to get your teenager off their phone and outside more, you could do worse than buy them an SJCam C200 Pro and tell them to go out and explore, just to get the camera working for them. For less than £130, you never know what Kelly Slater or Bode Miller it might inspire.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
In preparation for the holidays, or just as a gift for Father’s Day, headphones can be used by everybody and not just for listening to music. These wireless headphones connect to Bluetooth but are also noise cancelling and are fantastic for gaming.
If you’re not familiar with Edifier, then read on to find out about their top range of headphones and earbuds. The WH700NB Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones are super all-round headphones thanks to their Bluetooth connection, titanium coated 40mm dynamic drivers and Active Noise Cancellation.
These headphones are in ivory, but also come in black, grey and navy. Perfect for holidays, they fold up smaller so that they can be taken on a plane or as hand luggage, plus they can be connected to two devices at once – that means you can be listening to the TV on the plane and also be connected to your phone. Or even connected to a work call but also listening out for a personal call on your mobile without having to switch over at short notice.
Connecting to Bluetooth is easy, just like any other Edifier appliance. By pressing the Bluetooth button on the headphones and making them ‘findable’ it means the paired device can connect and stays connected, even when you turn off the headphones or the other device. My laptop finds these WH700NB headphones as soon as I turn them on at the headphone power button and just opens my usual Music app so that I can start playing straight away.
The headphones have a few buttons on the right headset which allow you to adjust what you hear. There’s a skip up and down button and a central power button. Under that, there’s the Bluetooth connectivity button and the charging point which is for a C-USB charger, the same as the newer Apple laptops and iPhones, so you’ll only need one charging cable. Like most headphones now, they are Active Noise Cancelling so even if you don’t want to play music, they block out outside noise but allow for human voice to get through. These are BRILLIANT on a plane when you want to sleep with no sound playing, or if you want to listen to music or a movie and not be disturbed by the engine noise. It does allow for you to hear the cabin crew when they try and speak to you though, which is always a bonus when you’re waiting for your inflight meal before you go to sleep!
The charging takes a few hours, as is normal for headphones of this size. You do get 45 hours of Active Noise Cancellation hearing time with a full charge though, and 68 hours of hearing when you switch off the ANC. If you think about it, that’s a whole holiday’s worth of listening and assumes that you don’t charge the headphones the whole time you’re away. You can get 8 hours of listening time in with just 10 minutes of charging, making them easy to charge in the car or whilst you go for breakfast. Think of how useful they are when camping though!
For the price of (currently) £39.99 these are a steal too. They’re high end enough that you won’t get annoyed by tinny music or not connecting properly but not so pricy that you can’t take them on and off all the time. I like having headphones in when I’m commuting to work so that I can not only listen to music but it drowns out the chatter around me, or worse, the engine noise of trains and buses. They’re really lightweight too so I don’t notice when I’m carrying them in my handbag or rucksack.
Disclaimer – We received this item free of charge for the purpose of this review but all words and opinions are our own.
Whilst it may not seem like it when you look out of the window, we are now officially in Spring! It’s been too wet to do much outdoors, so I’ve been busy Spring cleaning and was very pleased to receive the Biological Multipurpose Cleaner Starter Pack from Clean Living which has been well and truly put to the test with a wide variety of cleaning jobs in my house.
I like my house to be clean and smell fresh, but I don’t really like using products that contain harmful chemicals, so I am really pleased that Clean Living use plant based biological formulas instead of harsh chemicals in their products. The products are built using live, friendly microbes which break down dirt, remove nasty odours and also stop mould, bacteria and viruses taking hold. I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of single use plastic and Clean Living offer the perfect solution as they are actively reducing plastic waste by using refillable aluminium bottles instead of the standard plastic trigger spray bottles.
If you are new to Clean Living products ideally you need to purchase one of the starter kits, There are 10 different sets to choose from for cleaning everything from bathrooms, to sports equipment. I have been trying the Biological Multipurpose Cleaner set which contains a 300ml reusable aluminium container, a yellow microfibre cloth and a 30ml Biological Multi-purpose Cleaner concentrate sachet.
To start you simply pour the contents of the sachet into the bottle, top it up with tap water, give it a good shake and you’re ready to go.
The spray bottle is easy to use, giving a good even spray which is easily wiped away with the microfibre cloth. I first used it to clean my bathroom and I was really impressed how easily it removed the build of soap and grime, leaving everything fresh and sparkly clean. The microfibre cloth is lovely and soft and gives a streak free finish on mirrors and my glass shower doors.
The real test of how good it is was when I used it on the cooker after one of my sons had been frying chicken – and like all teenagers didn’t think to wipe it clean straight away! A couple of sprays and a quick wipe and the greasy marks were gone, leaving my cooker looking lovely and clean again.
I am really impressed with the Clean Living starter pack, it’s a great multipurpose cleaner that effectively removes dirt from bathroom taps, kitchen worksurfaces, hobs and more. While slightly more expensive than the everyday supermarket cleaning products they are much better for the environment and kinder to your skin too.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
I am not an artist. I didn’t study art at school or college and I don’t have any areas of artistic flair so I am a complete novice on the academia of art and the techniques behind it. Elements of Art is a book which anyone, artist or otherwise, can pick up and read, become immersed in a whole new world and learn what the artists were trying to convey.
I had no idea that there are seven essentials that make up any artwork; colour, value, line, shape, form, texture and space. They’re fundamental components of any artwork regardless of the media. Then there’s the principles of art; balance, contrast, emphasis, harmony, unity, proportion, rhythm, movement, variety, repetition or pattern, and scale. See? There’s a lot more to art than you might think!
The book is broken down into two section, Part 1 is the elements of art and Part 2 uses 30 famous works of art as examples to put into practice the elements. There’s artwork there from Jan van Eyck to Andy Warhol and not just two dimensional but sculpture and film too. The chapters are packed with information but also beautifully illustrated and easy to read. I particularly like the detail that Hodge goes into with each of the artworks. It not only brings the artwork to life but ties in the knowledge in Part 1 of the different elements and makes them relevant to other artwork you might see which is not featured in the book.
I really liked reading through Elements of Art and started flicking through as soon as the book arrived. It’s really easy to pick up and put down, so although it’s not a huge, chunky book it’s actually more of a coffee table book. I learned loads about art and how it applies to the era it was created in but also about the elements and principles which I’d never thought of before. You can read the book cover to cover or just delve in to where your favourite artwork is, so you don’t need the commitment of sitting down and reading every single page, unless you want to!
This book is particularly good for art lovers who don’t have an art education and I couldn’t help but think of the GCSE and A-Level art students who would benefit from this and really enjoy it. Either way, I know that this is a lovely book to keep or to give as a gift and provides an insight to enhance any art outing.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
The St Michel Muffin, Waffle, Burger and Donut Choco snacks have recently been launched in the UK and we were sent a sample of each to try for this summer.
Made completely free from palm oil with no preservatives, interestingly they are made with cage-free eggs, giving a better life to the hens. St Michel is France’s premiere cake and biscuit brand, in business since 1905 and very proud of how they select the best quality ingredients.
St Michel Choco DonutSt Michel Choco Burger
Each box has 6 individually wrapped cakes, each one weighing around 30 grams each. Each variety has a different shape and use of the chocolate, so you’ll soon have a preference as to whether you like your chocolate in the middle (Choco Burger) or a Choco Donut, dipped in chocolate instead. The Choco Muffins are just as tasty and probably more suited to adults wanting a snack in the office or on the go and the Choco Waffles make a fun treat for anyone.
They’re made in France with French ingredients including French wheat with each sponge cake in a different shape or formation and topped or filled with smooth chocolate. They certainly have that chocolate-y taste which gives you the sweet hit when you need it. The sponges are feather light and contain sunflower oil instead of palm oil to not only save the palm oil forests but the sunflower gives a different hit to the texture of the sponge. The chocolate, which is made of hazelnut paste, is deliciously decadent and just what you would imagine from French patisseries. Just keep them less than 25 degrees centigrade otherwise you’ll end up with a sticky mess this summer!
St Michel Choco snacks are a fabulous snack idea for anyone who loves cake, needs a snack or wants something with a bit more goodness than sweets during the day. Perfect for chocolate lovers too.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Clearspring produce authentic Japanese fine foods and have recently added five new condiments to its offering: Organic Shichimi, Organic Irigoma Whole Sesame and Black Sesame, and Organic Gomashio Whole Sesame and Black Sesame flavour. Of course, we were eager to try them ourselves so the team sent over a batch of them, including some gluten free Soba noodles and Brown Rice noodles to make a proper meal of it!
The box of treats also included some recipe cards, so I had a go at making Zaru Soba with cold dipping broth. Using the Buckwheat Soba Noodles, Clearspring Organic Irigoma Sesame Seeds, Shichimi Togarashi Seven Spices and Clearspring Sushi Nori and Clearspring Organic Instant Noodle Broth Tsuyu (both not shown) I got to making the quick lunchtime recipe. All it took was boiling the noodles as instructed on the pack, diluting the noodle broth and adding the sesame seeds and the sushi nori with some radish and spring onion. Literally just 10 minutes and you have a lunch, or snack, which you can add to chicken, beef or any other main dish. The noodles themselves were a lovely meal though and I’d happily have them as a snack too.
The different types of sesame seeds can be used for sushi, rice, noodles, salads or tofu. All of the condiments featured here are staples in Japanese kitchens, so why haven’t we seen them before? Clearspring are bringing us these new flavours, and textures, to your cooking to make a difference to every day meals or helping you try something new – have you ever made your own sushi before?
One example is Shichimi, or Seven Spices. Containing chilli, citrus notes and complex umami rich flavours of nori and sesame, it’s quintessentially Japanese but also flavoursome enough that you can use it anywhere. This was a great addition to the Soba noodles I made, but actually, it goes well with meats too and I found it to be a lovely addition to salads. It’s ready made with all the mix of flavours so you can add it straight from the bottle with no thinking. Like all the Clearspring ingredients, it’s organic too.
You’ll also find similar uses for the different types of sesame seeds which were included in the pack sent to us; Gomashio and Irigoma in both toasted black and whole sesame seeds. These are traditionally used in noodles and some are used in sushi and tofu too but mixed with sea salt, they give a different flavour to any dish. Try mixing it in rice to give a different blend, or adding to sushi too. The noodles are a great cupboard stash for you to go to whenever you need a quick meal, and the Clearspring condiments are your secret power to be able to add an extra flavour element to not only Japanese meals, but to any meals you make.
Which Clearspring flavour are you going to experiment with this spring?
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
It’s a good job our mini reviewers enjoy crafts, as the weather at the moment is absolutely dreadful and we’re having to spend more time indoors than we normally do in the school holidays. With a couple of family birthdays coming up, a card making session with the Galt Toys Card Craft set kept our mini reviewers occupied and they have made some lovely cards, some of which currently have pride of place on their grandparents mantlepiece!
The set contains 10 cards and envelopes and a variety of patterned and plain papers and stickers, you can either follow the enclosed guide and use their designs or come up with your own creations. Wavy scissors, a heart punch and a couple of stamps allow you to personalise your cards and our mini reviewers especially loved using the heart punch to make lots of mini hearts to put inside the cards which fell like confetti when the envelope was opened, much to the girl’s delight!
The set is aimed at children aged 8+ and our mini reviewers aged 7 and 10 were able to make the cards with minimal assistance. With 10 different cards to make it kept them busy all afternoon and they both really enjoyed making them.
This set is a great introduction to card making and now we have the scissors, heart punch and stamps I’m sure all my family will be getting homemade cards for all future celebrations!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
You know it is summer when your neighbours start advertising on WhatsApp that they’ve got a free BBQ to give away, which is what happened to me this morning… and I realised that it probably is outdoor weather from now on. The Garden of Eva have a lovely array of condiments which are made of garden products you probably wouldn’t have ever thought of making relishes out of! I’m all for trying new flavours and new ingredients so the lovely team at Garden of Eva sent us some to try. Any excuse to get the posh cheese out!
Chili-Watermelon JamAmerican Southern Chow Chow
The Garden of Eva array include American Southern Chili-Watermelon Jam, American Southern Chow Chow and American Southern Pickled Watermelon Rind. Starting with the Chili-Watermelon Jam, this watermelon heavy relish contains garlic, ginger, chili peppers and cinnamon with a generous helping of Jalapeno chili to give a beautiful rich flavour. You can taste the watermelon in it because the juicy sweet flavour comes through, but the hot Jalapeno gives it a beautiful kick that certainly makes you remember it! I tried it with a very strong Cheddar cheese and the two flavours hit it off.
Inspired by the use of watermelon, I then tried the Pickled Watermelon Rind. These are chunks of watermelon rind which have been marinated in sugar and vinegar with only a little salt and cinnamon. They’re absolutely delicious though! They’re not hot to taste, but you can taste the watermelon in them and the slight cinnamon. They’re not tough either, which is what I was expecting from a rind. Instead, they’re really soft and like marinated garlic pieces you get with sushi. The sweet watermelon taste is there and I can totally see these being eaten straight out of the jar although I’m thinking on a salad to give a different taste, or definitely in a sandwich.
Lastly, the American Southern Chow Chow contains tomato, cabbage, bell peppers onion and spices with some mustard and celery seeds too. This again wasn’t too hot, so children could have it, but it does have a tang to it from the vinegar. It was again wonderful! It would go really nicely at a BBQ or with a burger. I’ve never tried Chow Chow before but Garden of Eva makes it taste like it’s homemade. The flavours of the mustard and spices are all there, and the different textures really make it stand out. Delicious!
If you’re making up a charcuterie board or a hamper for someone who loves food, I guarantee that these are going to be a winner! They’re unusual ingredients but exquisitely put together with just the right amount of vinegar and time to make them a new addition to your fridge this summer. I’m already planning my BBQ around which relishes I want to use up first!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Treat yourself to a little luxury haircare as well as using the Nanogen features to repair and restore hair growth, giving you nourished locks for the summer!
Nanogen are experts in haircare but have also designed shampoos and conditioners for both men and women to give you thicker hair. We were sent a selection of products from their online range, for both men and women to try out. We were also sent the new Hair Growth Factor Treatment Serum which launched earlier this year, but more on that later!
The Nanogen shampoos and conditions work together to create thicker hair. As with any beauty products, you get the most out of them if you use all the products in the range, so I was eager to try out the Nanogen Shampoo Luxe for Women and Nanogen Conditioner. There is also the Nanogen Shampoo for Women (in the purple bottle) which I kept as an in between shampoo for when I was at the gym, but they all compliment one another. The Nanogen Shampoo Luxe is especially rich and adds to the hair thickening experience which is what Nanogen are striving for. This shampoo is silky and soft but still does an excellent job of cleaning and you don’t need much to get your hair squeaky clean, which is how I like it.
The Nanogen Conditioner (which is for everyone not just for women) is where the magic happens. Like any conditioner, it needs to go on for about 2-3 minutes but I have a timer in my shower so I like to keep it on longer, as a type of mask. The conditioner is also softly smooth and you can feel that the texture is fortified with lots of good nutrients that are going straight on your hair. The combination of both the Nanogen Shampoo Luxe and the Nanogen Conditioner leave hair soft, but over time it also keeps hair thicker by adding nourishment and stimulating growth.
We were also sent the Shampoo for Men and Shampoo and Conditioner for Men (2-in1) which works much the same, and has a different fragrance for men. The Shampoo and Conditioner for Men also works brilliantly if you are sharing shampoo and conditioner with your other half and are camping or taking cheap flights where the luggage is limited! The 2-in-2 also continues with the Nanogen treatment if you can’t take all of your bottles with you and creates a stop-gap for you to be able to keep up the good work until you get back to your usual Nanogen bottles.
We were also sent the Nanogen Hair Growth Factor Serum which was launched earlier this year. Using all the best Nanogen hair technology, the serum works on the scalp to stimulate hair growth over time so that as one hair is lost, another starts growing in its place as soon as possible. The Nanogen Hair Growth Factor Serum does this in 3 ways: Stimulates new cell growth, regenerates hair follicles and reduces hair shedding by increasing collagen around the hair follicle. The serum contains Pea Sprout Extract (to stimulate hair cells), Europaea Bark Extract (to revitalise hair follicles) and Peptides, including Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3 to create more collagen around hair follicles.
With all this science involved, it still takes a few weeks or even months to show a difference as it’s working deep in the hair follicles for your hair to be able to grow, and as with all hair growth, it takes time! You can add the serum at any time though, not just during your hair wash and as the serum is non-greasy, you can add it during the day. Just use a full pipette amount of serum on your scalp and massage in. It’s not greasy so you can add it after you’ve styled your hair or at the beginning of the day and you can use it every day to give a more consistent approach.
I have been using it for this week and yes, it’s easy to apply and to massage in and it’s not greasy. It’s more like a tonic and you don’t need very much of it but the pipette means you can direct the serum to the area of the scalp which you think might need it the most. I’m looking forward to my hair looking thicker over the summer and coming months as well as stronger and shinier.
Shampoo, conditioner and Hair Growth Serum available online at:
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
We’re half way through the school holidays and it’s never stopped raining! Luckily our mini reviewers love colouring so have spent a good half hour or so each day quietly colouring in the vehicles on the Toot Toot Honk Hey Doodle MiniMat.
The reuseable silicone mat comes with three coloured pens and unlike paper it doesn’t move about when you’re colouring it. The pens are lovely to use, they glide smoothly on the silicone and don’t bleed into one another when the colours are used next to each other. All the colours are nice and bright and when the mat is coloured in it looks quite impressive. If they do make a mistake it doesn’t matter as they are easily erased by wiping them away with a damp cloth.
There are 5 different Minimats available – Toot Toot Honk, Dinoroar, Aussie Animals, Sugar & Spice and Into the Wild and each one is printed with illustrations that fit the theme along with either letters from the alphabet or numbers that can be traced over.
Once the mat has been coloured in the ink is easily removed with a damp cloth and you’re ready to start again. I did find you do need to apply a little pressure when removing the ink, especially if it has been left for a couple of days, so you may need to help younger children do this.
As well as being great fun, Hey Doodle colouring mats are better for the environment as they remove the need for endless sheets of paper that get thrown away afterwards.
Aimed at children aged 2- 7 these are a great way to keep the children (and adults) entertained during the school holidays. They also make great birthday gifts too!
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
I’m a real fan of the radio and as well as listening to it in the car I also enjoy listening to it at home on my portable FM radio. As an avid radio listener, I was very pleased to be given the opportunity to try a Tokyo DR-P420 from SHARP as not only is it much newer and nicer looking than my ancient radio, a DAB radio offers a much wider choice of radio stations.
The Tokyo DR-P420 is a small, portable radio which offers both digital and analogue radio along with Bluetooth streaming. It can be powered by 4 AA batteries for portable listening or from a USB supply using the provided cable.
Setting up the radio is really simple, the radio automatically searches for radio stations and then up to 20 favourites can be stored for both DAB and FM radio. Three of the favourites can be recalled using buttons on the panel, the rest with an extra button press. The time is picked up automatically and is displayed when the radio is in standby.
When you’ve had enough of the radio, you can also stream music from your phone using Bluetooth 5.0 and the buttons on the front panel can then be used to play, pause and skip tracks as well as controlling the volume.
Whatever you’re listening to, the sound quality from the single speaker is excellent and is loud enough to fill most rooms. If the rest of your family don’t appreciate your choice in radio stations or music then don’t worry as you can also listen through headphones as there is a headphone socket on the rear of the radio.
The radio now has a permanent spot on my desk but it can also be used as a clock radio when powered from USB. Two different alarms can be set with options for weekday or weekends, and each allows a choice of alarm with either a radio pre-set or buzzer to wake you.
I really love the Sharp Tokyo DR-P420, it is easy to set up has excellent sound quality and with all the extra stations I’m finding I’m listening to the radio even more now!
Available in Black, Steel Blue, Blossom Pink and Snowy White
RRP £39.99 available from Currys, Robert Dyas, Amazon and The Range
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Be The Expert In Your Own Life
Maisie Hill has written books specifically for women in different stages of life, and Powerful is her latest update in how to navigate tricky feelings, situations and the psychology of life. Although the book contains a lot of tips and tricks for women, the information and advice speak to men too.
As yourself if you procrastinate? Do you know why? What about people pleasing? Or being defensive? Do you even know you’re being defensive or do you assume defensiveness is a typical part of relationships and communication? Perhaps these are questions you don’t ask yourself very often, but with each chapter dedicated to another topic, Maisie Hill talks you through what each emotion is, gives examples and most helpfully, gives bullet points on how to deal with them. Around all of the information, Hill explains why we have such emotions and in some cases where they come from.
The book is released on 9 May 2024 and uses a lot of the most up to date counselling theories and readings which are used today and talked about on social media. If you’ve not been interested in self-help books before then Powerful is a great place to start. The introduction talks about how your nervous system deals with emotions, stress and triggers from our lives which is the foundation of the book before you get into the detail in each chapter. Maisie Hill has written books for women specifically and really seems to have her finger on the pulse with the topics most women are facing nowadays. People pleasing is a big problem among women, and understanding why we do it is the key to solving the issue plus changing our behaviour so that we can enjoy all the relationships in our lives.
The book can be picked up and chapters read in isolation, which is particularly easy when there are so many bullet point tips in each chapter that help you create boundaries and adapt to situations. I would recommend reading the introduction though, and the book as a whole is a great base when you read it cover to cover, then keep it for reference. Some of the chapters are quite long, so it would help if you had some peace and quiet to read the whole book before you delve in at a later date!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
I wish I could tell you that I tried out the Hay-Band in some tropical climate, in the middle of summer when all the pollen is in the air and the humidity is a scorcher, but alas, it’s only March here in England and the pollen is only just getting started! However, I am a hay fever sufferer and it does start around this time of year for me, probably with tree pollen from the blossoms.
I am not good with medications; antihistamines make me drowsy even if they’re the non-drowsy type, so I have to reply on lots of other methods to keep the pollen out, including air purifiers indoors and washing my hair daily to keep levels low. Hay-Band works on non-medical principals – the acupressure points from Chinese Medicine. The pressure point is called LI-11 and is on either arm, and works to alleviate allergy symptoms.
The Hay-Band is an elastic double band with a plastic pressure button in the middle. The acupressure point is at the end of the elbow crease when you bend your arm, so it’s at this point you need to slide the band onto your arm and position the button in the right place. There’s a really clear video on the Hay-Band website here: https://hay-band.co.uk
You can wear the band discreetly at all times, and it can be preventative or used when symptoms start. There are no side effects, so you can use it all times, even in bed at night but it is not advised to be used when pregnant. If the symptoms aren’t waning, then you can make little adjustments to where the button lays on your arm to hopefully help. The Hay-Band can be re-worn over and over and is washable too – it won’t affect the button position if you put it through the washing machine!
I found that putting the band on was a bit tight as I have quiet muscly arms and the band is only available in one colour and one size so far (15cm – 40cm circumference). Once it sits on your arm, you hardly notice it’s there but I think once the button hits the right place when your allergies are flaring, you suddenly feel it. It would be perfect for children or people who have to work without having to take drowsy medication and of course, as soon as you take it off the effect will stop working so if you don’t get on with it, there’s no harm done.
I can’t wait to use it when summer is finally here, and in conjunction with other non-medical methods it should work perfectly especially when out and about or needing to work. Just pay attention to the tan lines it may create if you wear it on holiday…
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Combine a watch, sports monitor and health monitor with the TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch for a stylish wear this summer.
Smart watches have come a long way with most of us using them on daily basis and replacing the mechanical watches that only tell the time and the date at best. The TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch contains multiple functions and the latest technology and at less than £50 it costs roughly the same as a cheap watch but with all the benefits. We were sent one to try this week and to see how well it worked and I tracked it during my Park Run and gym sessions to see how well it worked and whether it gave me what I wanted.
The first aspect of the TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch is the screen. It’s 1.83 inches, square and has the touch functionality that makes it distinguishable from the old-fashioned watch. The coloured screen shows information it gathers from throughout the day including date, time, bpm, steps, calories and your sleep information. Touch and hold the screen to see other displays that are available such as a conventional clock face (if you prefer to see analogue time rather than digital) and a sports display showing your number of steps, distance and calories. The other displays give a variation on the health data and time but in different configurations, depending on how you like to see your summary display.
The TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch also has a microphone and Bluetooth to connect to your phone (it works with both iPhone and Android) and allows you to call from it. Connecting to Bluetooth was easy – once the Smart Phone was charged, a QR code comes up and allows you to download the app. The app then takes you through the Bluetooth pairing easily. This makes workouts and running easy as you have free hands and can accept or make calls from the touch of the screen. The Smart Watch also notifies you of new messages and allows you to view older messages that come into your phone. If you swipe the face of the smart phone, you can view all sorts of information if you are link your phone via Bluetooth including the weather, stress levels and activity.
The health monitoring is up there with the best of the smart watches as just by wearing it, your heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen saturation level and activity tracking are stored. Particularly interesting to me was the blood oxygen saturation level so that I can compare it at rest, night and when exercising as I’ve never had this facility before. The distance and steps is not new to me, but it was refreshing having it on a different display and being alerted whenever I got to 3 kilometres. On the app though, you can change any of your goals, so I was able to change it to 5 kilometres once I had used the watch for a while.
The watch arrived with no charge at all so I was able to see how long it took. The cable is included in the pack and works as a magnetic point at one end to attach to the watch and the other end is a USB so you can plug into any socket or any laptop to charge. It took about 1 ½ hours to charge fully and you can see the percentage charge amount on the display screen. The first full charge lasted about 6 days which is longer than my FitBit and longer than my iPhone, but with different variations of use, the battery will last longer.
The app gives more detailed information on all your stats and includes data such as menstrual health, blood oxygenation and standing amount. One of the areas I was most interested in was the ability to record a specific exercise and see individual information. You can set the watch so that when you press the side button, it comes up with your favourite sport (in this case it was Outdoor Running) and it will calculate your time, steps, bpm and other information relating to your exercise. The more detailed information is on the app which you can look at later.
The TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch has all you need of a watch, the information that you see on your phone and a detailed health monitor, all in one small device. It’s easy to use, and when you get into the settings and how it works it’s really easy to set up and to make it work for you the way you want it to. For my Park Run, it gave me all the information of my FitBit plus Blood Oxygen Saturation which is new to me, and very interesting.
I would highly recommend the TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch as an alternative to the more high end watches which cost a lot, lot more and do the same job just as well. It looks stylish too with the black face and black strap, and dare I say it, looks like it’s a lot more expensive than it is!
Available on Amazon at a discount at the moment but usually £49.99:
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
With spring here, most of us are thinking about the Spring Cleaning jobs we have to do, especially as its warm enough to open the windows and get some air into the house! This year I really need to concentrate on getting a proper clean done before the really hot weather when it’s so humid so I was delighted to be able to review the Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer.
The Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer is a mid-range cleaner which means it isn’t the heavy duty, really expensive carpet cleaner you typically hire for a weekend. Instead, this is a cleaner which can clean a whole carpet or just spot clean heavy use areas and then be put away until you need to use it again 6 months later. This is reflected in the cost, which is usually £119.99 but is on offer at the moment for £79.99.
The carpet washer comes mostly assembled with just the handle to put together with the 3 screws included. You’ll need to read the instructions and have a screwdriver handy to attach it but it literally takes a minute to assemble. The rest of the carpet washer comprises of the body (mostly assembled) and a detachable water tank and dirty water reservoir. They fit together with a click so again, it doesn’t take long. There’s a 5 metre cable to the washer which makes it easier to move around a room and probably fits most UK room sizes.
Using the detergent provided, I filled up the clean water tank with warm tap water. The tank clips back into the midsection and once you make sure the dirty water reservoir is properly attached (I didn’t and water went everywhere!) then you’re good to go. Make sure you dry vacuum the whole area first with your usual vacuum cleaner to get rid of large particles. You can decide whether you want to do a whole room or just the busy areas as it does leave the carpet wet for at least a day. If you have small children around or pets it might be best to do a few rooms and then go away for a weekend without people walking on it and let it dry. Alternatively, you can do smaller areas in the summer when everyone is at work and the heat of the day will dry it quicker.
There is definitely a knack to how you use the washer, and it took me a while and a bit of YouTube to find out how to do it. The Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer washes as you push it away from you and then vacuums up the water as you pull it towards you. You have to compress the trigger on the handle as you push it away to deploy the water and detergent otherwise it doesn’t work. It is the backward motion of the washer that vacuums up the dirty water otherwise the water sits in the carpet and takes ages to dry. It takes a few tries on each stretch of carpet to clean and then vacuum the water for the washing to be really effective. Think of it like mowing a lawn – long straight lines at a slow, even speed but instead of just going over the line once, you have to drag the washer backwards over the same line several times.
Carpet before cleaning…and after!
It took a while for me to get used to the noise too. It is incredibly loud so I would suggest doing the cleaning when the neighbours aren’t home and especially when no one else in the house is on a call or asleep! Ear defenders or noise cancelling headphones were a must for me. The washer isn’t particularly heavy so you don’t need to be super fit or have a lot of strength to use it. The clean water tank isn’t that big (maybe 1 litre?) so that brings the weight down but I found that I had to fill it up several times just for my small landing carpet. As you clean, you can see the dirty water being sucked up into the reservoir so you know it’s working, and it becomes a challenge to see the state of the water at the end! To remove the reservoir, just unclip using the blue bar and remove the plug at the back. Be warned though, if you pick it up at the wrong angle, the water runs out through the inlet and not through the plug!
BeforeAfterBeforeAfter
How did it work? Well after I went over the carpet a few times with an empty water tank and just vacuumed up most of the water, I found that it had cleaned the carpet plus it wasn’t soaked as I imagined. It took about 36 hours to dry, so not the next day but the day after it was dry enough to see that there was a difference in the colour of the carpet as well as the stains.
Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer
Pros:
Much cheaper than the hire carpet cleaners and lighter to lift
Easy to store as it’s the same size as a vacuum cleaner
Gives a very good clean of carpets and doesn’t take long to dry afterwards
Great for spot cleaning or heavy use areas and whole rooms if you have time
Cons:
Very noisy!
It takes a while to work out the knack of how to clean in one direction and vacuum in the other
Works better on smaller areas
Fiddly to get the clean water tank and dirty water reservoir lined up without water going everywhere.
The Review Studio 