Formil Biological Washing Liquid 3L

Price: free (for viewers in Scotland, for a limited period)

Score (out of five): 4

Recently in Scotland, Lidl have been running a promotion where customers get a wee bonus for shopping there, some money off when you spend £x amount or a free item. One week it was this product.

We’ve been a washing powder family for many years, Persil bio usually. I’m naturally clumsy so there is usually a trail of powder from the massive vat of it under the sink to the machine, and in all of the wrong parts of the dispensing drawer. Lidl bestowed on us a huge bottle of this washing liquid, which we lumbered home with, having decided to nip in for a few bits whilst out with our toddler in his pram but leaving with a week’s worth of deli meats, fourteen plant pots and an electric blanket. [editor's note: a similar tale resulted in a similar acquisition of 3L of Formil Biological Washing Liquid.]

After resting up to recover from the carrying back of the beast, I was most taken aback to discover that you don’t have to put the liquid into a ball like in the 1990s and in fact it goes straight into the machine dispenser once you flip a flippy thing. (This might just be our washing machine.) It cleans your clothes and for clumsy feckers like me it is easier to transition gloop compared to powder from washing substance container to machine. So this may be more of a Lidl changed my life, or at least my washing habits, kind of review.

It’s a lurid green colour but if used with the “summer breeze” Lenor fabric conditioner that is currently making an appearance on Lidl’s washing products shelves you get a delightful lemon and lime effect in your dispenser, which is enough to brighten anyone’s day.

I’d be willing to buy it in future.

[Editor's note: we were forced to use this for a Saturday's worth of washing after we ran out of Ariel Excel Gel. I loved it. It smells exactly like you'd imagine clean linen to smell if something was called "clean linen". However, this strong, homely, heart-warming smell is exactly why we won't be buying it in future - alas the smell is too strong for my partner].

W5 All In 1 Dishwasher Tablets

Price: £3.99 for 40 tablets

Score (out of five): 4 1/2

Review: I'm comparing these to Finish Powerball Tabs which we used to use. I bought those from Lidl regularly as well, as they were often on a special offer that was just cheap, not a special offer. 

My Lidl has a permanent few billboard spaces in the car park behind it, and I bought my first pack of W5 dishwasher tablets after these got a Good Housekeeping award and this was on a billboard. Being a sucker I thought I'd give them a whirl.

On their first outing I was a little bit disappointed. I'd put a greasy roasting tray in that I'd used for roast potatoes and everything came out with a slight sheen of grease on it. I was a bit worried that this would be one of the accidental Lidl buys - something that's actually a bit crap and you've got loads to get through. I think if I'd used Finish the grease would've been washed off, but that's probably because Finish contains chemicals I'd rather not use. I've now learnt to wash off any excess grease before I use these and they're now my standard dishwasher tablet and are excellent value for money. What's more, because they're gentler they're not running our cheap crystal glasses from TK-Maxx like Finish was.

In this Guardian article where a woman "downsizes" from Ocado to Lidl she is very disappointed with the dishwasher tablets. I can only think she went for the absolute cheapest, not these. I would definitely recommend these.