Vanish saves the Jik Chick

Firstly I am a Zimbo and secondly, I am a Jik chick. I only ever knew Jik and Sunlight green bar soap all my life and was really worried as to how I could survive in the UK without them. On holiday previously I managed to kill both an evil greasy black mark and a red pasta sauce stain on my son's lovely white jersey without Jik, but it was a monumental effort. I rubbed and scrubbed with white bar soap, thick white kitchen surface cleaner and in absolute desperation, I also squeezed and used the juice of a real lemon.  It took a long time but eventually I made a reasonable job of removing both stains.

Mugs, cups and teapots

As an avid tea drinker, I know the only way to remove tea stains from mugs, cups and teapots is Jik.  No scouring is necessary, just a small amount of Jik swilled around, possibly helped with a small dish brush or toothbrush specially kept for the purpose. By carefully pouring the precious Jik from mug to mug it is possible to make a tiny amount do a lot of work. The same applies to enamel pots and certain other cookware. Jik does the trick every time for me. The closest I have got to this in the UK so far is still real pure lemon juice.

Handle with extreme care

It is important to note that the above-mentioned procedures have to be done with great care. I can personally testify with one or two garments that have ended up with sad Jik splashes when I have been careless with the product. Perhaps this is the reason I have not yet found the equivalent product in the UK. It is a powerful liquid and needs to be used with considerable caution. I am so pleased I get to use it for added germ killing, sanitising and bleaching when at home in Zimbabwe.

Oh dear skid marks

Getting back to laundry and caring, there are sometimes accidents that require special attention. Here I am talking about either (whisper) poopy pants or maybe just (whisper again) skid marks. These accidents are quite embarrassing for the poor client, and there is a strong likelihood you will be the person who has to deal with it.  The quicker it is dealt with the better but this requires fast action from the wearer. An immediate flush and soak give the best chance of zero staining. Unfortunately more likely than not you may find you are only presented with the problem once it has been quite well established. You will have to maintain good humour and find the right product to sort out the stain. 

Both of you just want the stain to vanish

With no Jik to help solve the problem, I turned to Google. Lo and behold, the people in the UK have survived without Jik all along because they have Vanish.  It exists in all forms, liquid, gel, foam and powder! There is a formulation for white and also coloured fabrics. They even have a stain bar which is as close as I can get to my favourite Sunlight and probably much better than using someones precious Dove Beauty Cream bar. My particular product of choice for the job I was confronted with was an Oxi Action Powder for Whites.

Having donned the absolutely essential gloves I added a quarter measure of powder with a three-quarters measure of water mixed to a paste in a clean used margarine tub. I applied this to the offending stain and left it to soak initially for the stated ten or fifteen minutes giving the product time to work its magic. I then used a brush to help work in the product and left it for a longer period. After some effort and waiting I was certainly a lot happier with the final result.  The rinsed, dried and sparkly white garment was neatly folded and left where my client could find it that evening. 

Brownie points for making it white again

I never mentioned what a mission it had been to deal with that stain. I would like to think that I scored quite a few brownie points for tact and discretion thanks to my new found stain removal secret. Part of the art of being a good carer!

P.S. Great news - I found some

I am delighted to share that in a client home I did find a large bottle of supermarket home brand basic bleach which made my day.  I will keep an eye open for it in other supermarkets as well, However, having discovered Vanish for the laundry  I am a total convert. Now I can have stain-free cups and teapots too.  Happy days!