Vanish Power Foam Carpet

After moving into a new house with my two flatmates, the logical thing for us to do was to host a flat warming party. Really, it was just an excuse for a party the week before fresher’s week at University started. The carpets in the house are a medium blue colour so we thought that spillage of drinks wouldn’t be too much of a bother. Oh how wrong we were…

On inspection the next morning there were several marks on the carpet as well as on the rug under the coffee table. Not a good sign as we had only moved in 2 days before and the carpets were pristine!

I ran down to the nearest shop, a Tesco express, to look for some form of carpet cleaning product. The only one that they had in stock was the Vanish Power Foam carpet cleaner. I remember it being quite expensive but since it was the only one I bought it. I assumed it couldn’t be too bad as it was made by Vanish which is quite a trusted brand. I can’t remember exactly how much is was that I paid at the time, but a quick search on mysupermarket reveals that Asda is currently the cheapest at £3.50, with the product costing £4.09 at most other retailers. This price is for the 600ml can which is quite large.

The packaging is nice, it has the usual pink colour that Vanish use in their packaging for other products too. The can says that it is for “fast and effective cleaning of high traffic areas”. It does say on the can that for tough stains you should use Vanish Powershot, or Vanish Oxi Action Carpet and Upholstery. I have never used either of these products as I found the Carpet Foam to work well.

The instructions on the can say that you should shake the can and spray from a height of 80cm over the carpet. It then says you should work the foam into the carpet using a clean sponge or cloth, leave for 2 hours and vacuum the area.

I followed these instructions on the drink spillage marks on our carpet and found the foam really easy to use. The Foam comes out very thick and white so it is very easy to see where you have already sprayed. Working the foam into the carpet I prefer to use a sponge as I find it easier and quicker than a cloth. The carpet does not become overly wet, which is useful as I always forget that I’ve put the foam down and stand in it! When you vacuum the foam off, the carpet appears much cleaner. I found that this product does work well to remove drink spillage stains so I did not need to purchase a stronger product. I have been using the same can throughout the rest of this year to deal with small stains and to freshen up the hallway. It still feels like there is a considerable amount of product left in the can too!

As with most cleaning products, there are several cautions on the can which I see as common sense. These include not breathing in the spray, keeping out of reach of children, do not get product in your eyes and do not swallow. I have quite sensitive skin and was worried that it would affect my skin badly but even without gloves it seems to be ok.

In summary, this product may seem expensive at first but it lasts a long time, it works well and is a good carpet cleaner for everyday spills. For tougher stains you might need a different product. When this can runs out I will be running out to buy another one soon, especially if we have another party!