Thursday 31 January 2008

Illicit Bang

I have found a new love. Well, of course I have True Love, or the odd sighting of him, but now, thank God, I have a bit on the side as well. It happened quite by chance, as I was doing my Sainsbury's trawl, forgetting all the stuff I needed like kitchen paper and getting bewitched, as usual, by non-essentials like a Frenchy rub-thing for beef costing £2.95. Ridiculous, I know, as I could have bought the spices separately for half the price, but somehow it ended up in the trolley.

Anyway, I wandered almost by chance into the cleaning aisle and there he was - just the type we've all been warned about. Strong, powerful, positively dangerous, he radiated menace. And I just had to have him.

So I put the bottle of Cillit Bang in on top of the herb rub thing and scuttled off to the check-out, hoping no-one would see my act of eco-crime.

You see, these days, post-divorce poverty has forced me to do my own cleaning. As the trauma of the past few months has opened up a rich, hitherto unsuspected seam of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, this actually suits me much better than you might expect. I spend hours polishing the stainless steel oven and, yes, I admit it, dusting the tops of doors, while mulling over legal letters or, preferably, not thinking at all. I lug the vacuum up and down the stairs (of course, this is an economy-sized property with two and a bit floors, not like the five storey mansion I left behind Abroad, whinge moan), I mop floors, I clean the loos, for God's sake, and I generally get my lilly white hands dirty. And, of course, I started off with the intention of doing all my cleaning without leaving even the daintiest trace of a carbon footprint. I bought a vast collection of those eco-cloths, I eschewed chemicals, and I spent forever buffing things with the microfibre pads designed to be smear-free.

And guess what? They don't sodding work. I bet you didn't know that, as you probably pass them to your au pair and are then annoyed when the incompetent lass leaves everything vaguely dingy. Well, it's not actually her fault. Eco stuff basically doesn't get anything clean at all, unless you spend all day on your hands and knees scrubbing. And life, even for OCD me, is just too short.

That's where my lovely, gorgeous secret Illicit Bang comes in. He really does work just as masterfully as he says on the label. A tiny spray, and it's all done. In fact, you really don't need to leave it on for longer than a minute before the whole area is fizzing in a most satisfactory way. The only drawback? Well, um, don't forget to take your diamond rings off before you start using him. Like I said, he really is dangerous. And don't, on any account, let yourself get spotted making the purchase. Chemicals these days really are terribly non-U - unless you're injecting them into your face, of course.

3 comments:

Potty Mummy said...

So agree on the complete ineffectuality of the eco cleaners DD. I went out and bought a load when Boy #1 arrived. Think I still have them at the back of a cupboard somewhere as they never worked and were soon replaced by the hard stuff...

And re: your previous post on Boden? If you find that replacement, can you let me know? Although, living in South Ken my problem is a little different as none of my peer group would ever stoop to wearing anything that wasn't designer (I usually resemble the poor relation at nursery gatherings). The reason I need an alternative is that I am heartily sick of the models and the little snippet of info we get about each one. And the fact that, not being size 6, my post children waist proves too challenging for most of their trousers, of course...

Nunhead Mum of One said...

Love the product - HATE the advert with that shouty man!!!!

DD's Diary said...

Hi Potty Mummy, do you live in S Ken? What lovely shops you must have access to, not that one has time of course. I agree re Boden models but admit I do still read every word. I have tried www.kew-online.com recently - some of it is restrained to the point of invisibility, which suits me fine at the mo, but there is jollier stuff so worth a look. Trousers size 14 are ginormous, tops size 14 bit tight, hope that helps!

Dear Nunhead, I haven't seen the ad, rather glad as it might have put me off. I seem to have lost the hang of telly, all I ever seem to watch is CSI Miami, all that cutting up of lovely suntanned bodies is v soothing! x