Downy Fabric Enhancer

I'll admit to being sceptical about new washing products. I've usually experienced a rushing let down feeling when pulling out the wet clothes and expecting to not see the stubborn stains or finding that the lingering fresh sundried aroma you've been promised is a vaguely present pot-pourri smell that vanishes along with the water.

I'm therefore happy to report that Downey Fabric Enhancer from Lenor is actually rather good.
...
...and Relaxing. Being a stressed out individual in need of quality help, I've tried out all of them.

The perfume is exactly that. A perfume. These are sophisticated aromas, not the usual fare that fabric care usually produces. They aren't overpowering as such, but they are a definite presence which may lead to some olefactory confusion when mixed with your favourite scent. (If you can't afford expensive perfumes, this may have added ... more

I'll admit to being sceptical about new washing products. I've usually experienced a rushing let down feeling when pulling out the wet clothes and expecting to not see the stubborn stains or finding that the lingering fresh sundried aroma you've been promised is a vaguely present pot-pourri smell that vanishes along with the water.

I'm therefore happy to report that Downey Fabric Enhancer from Lenor is actually rather good.

It comes in three fragrances of Invigorating, Harmonizing and Relaxing. Being a stressed out individual in need of quality help, I've tried out all of them.

The perfume is exactly that. A perfume. These are sophisticated aromas, not the usual fare that fabric care usually produces. They aren't overpowering as such, but they are a definite presence which may lead to some olefactory confusion when mixed with your favourite scent. (If you can't afford expensive perfumes, this may have added benefits previously unthought of).

For example, the Harmonizing liquid smells very apple-y to me, quite fresh and not sickingly fruity, and certainly along the lines of the floral type of fragrances on sale in the shops.

Besides the joy of finding a product that actually smells very pleasant, it also does do the job of reducing the amount of creases in ironing. Espcially if the fabric can also be tumble dried. Sadly, I've not recently been in any significantly passionate embrace to test out the theory that the creases stay away for longer than just the ironing phase, but with the nice weather being here and a bank holiday weekend on the cards, maybe I'll get back to you later on that very point.

The clothes have a really soft feel to the fabrics, and towels especially seem to benefit more from this, than other products I've tried.

The instructions are clearly labelled and easily understood. A picture of the washing machine then a normal load of washing in a basket, followed by a drawing of the upturned cap of the bottle with 28mil written on it. A larger load has the lid reading 35mil on it. The handwashing, normal load size, is shown with 18mil - although whoever has to do a normal load size of washing by hand deserves a medal alongside having clean and fresh clothes at the end of it.

It is also shown that this product is not to be used alongside fabric softeners, although it is to be added to the rinse drawer.

Other symbols include keeping it up out of children's reach, a weeping eye with a dripping tap underneath (not to be confused with receiving a plumber's bill) and the final picture shows that the fabric enhancer should not be applied directly to the clothes.

It skips the list of ingredients in full, but does claim that it contains <5% non-ionic surfactants and 15-30% cationic surfactants. Still not sure what it means, but they seem proud enough to mention it.

It has also been dermatologically tested.

Proctor and Gamble can add another successful product to their already vast empire, especially as the 500ml size has been on a specially reduced price at Asdas for weeks now at approx £1.80.

So to wrap up. It does what it says on the clear plastic bottle.

Sorry?

The Father Ted reference?

Well, it was a bit personal for him, but apparently he had an abundance of soft, downey hair on his <coughs and whispers> backside. And the money really was just resting in the account...  

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