Sainsbury's 'Basics' Washing Up Liquid > Reviews (7)

Review of Sainsbury's Basics Washing up liquid.

The Product

As most people will know, the Basics range is Sainsbury's own label products aimed at the budget end of the market. These goods are simply packaged and presented and are designed to offer no frills, value for money.

Some of the these products are very good, other are not!
Had I been writing this review two or three years ago, this washing up liquid would have received a definite 'thumbs up' from me, sadly not so now!

As mentioned I have used this product in the past, but returned to a branded washing up liquid when I moved in with my mother as her carer. She preferred to use the well known product beginning with an 'F', so that is what I bought!

Now I am solely responsible for purchasing groceries and household items, I decided to save a few pennies by buying this.

The Sainsbury's company have changed both the pack size and price of their Basics washing up liquid since I last purchased it.

Instead of the tall, slender 1litre bottle (as illustrated above), the product is now presented in a squat 500ml bottle. The bottle is still the squeezable type, made of white plastic and the Sainsbury's Basic logo and strap line 'Cleans, no added promises' are just the same.

The pricing used to be in the region of 13p, however my last purchase of this set me back 35p, still cheaper than branded washing up liquids, but worth compromising for?

I think not!

Performance and Use

I won't insult anyone's intelligence by describing how to use washing up liquid.

The liquid is a thin consistency and green in colour. It is easy to squeeze out the liquid and it is fragranced with a fresh, clean scent. No fancy ingredients or aromas here, if you want scented plates, this is not for you!

Seriously, the washing up liquid is a no frills, budget buy and this is definitely what you get. Neither do you get much in the way of bubbles. I admit I live in a very hard water region of the UK and getting products to lather can be a bit hit and miss. Sainsbury's Basics does bubble up eventually but I need to use a ridiculous amount of liquid in order to achieve a satisfactory bowl of washing up water. In my opinion, this does not make for a cost effective washing up liquid!

The washing up liquid does clean, but not terribly effectively. I have found that even after repeated rinsing our everyday glassware looks cloudy, as if there is a film on the glass. It is not as though a sticky fruit drink or a glass coating alcoholic liqueur has been served in the glasses, as we only use these glasses for water with our meals.

Pyrex cookware is also quite hard to clean with this washing up liquid and again, the items look cloudy even after rinsing.

The bubbles do not last to the end of the washing up and after a fairly short time have all but died away.

In Conclusion

I feel that I cannot recommend this product to others.

In my opinion it may be cheap, but it is not up to the job. I am using far more of this product per washing up session than I do with other brands.

Added to which, since using Sainsbury's Basics washing up liquid, I find I am having to scrub away at the washing up for longer, waste water and time with extra rinsing and to add insult to injury, my crockery and glassware doesn't look clean!

I do all of our washing up by hand as I do not own a dishwasher and usually am able to whip through a mealtimes worth of dishes and cookware in a fairly short time. (I'm lucky enough to have a Mr Brittle who dries and puts everything away, making us a pretty good washing up team!)
I don't think it is that I am being super fussy or picky, but obviously I expect a washing up liquid to clean my dishes adequately and sad to say, this doesn't.

It is a pity as most of this supermarket's 'Basics' budget lines have been pretty good.

After racking my brain for something positive to say as this review is probably the most negative I have ever written, the washing up liquid seems to be gentle on my hands and I have not suffered any dryness or irritation after use.

I am awarding this 1* as there is no option for a zero rating!

Thank you for reading.

©brittle1906 July 2011

N.B. My reviews may be found on other sites under the same user name.