Aren't we all looking for an easy and effective way to remove stains from large areas of carpet? 

Last month CHOICE tested 22 carpet stain removers for their effectiveness at removing red wine, oil, dirt, sauce and coffee. 

Although one of our home recipes actually topped the test, one branded cleaner stood out for all the wrong reasons. 

Claiming to be a "revolutionary product to clean and refresh your carpet" with five times more dirt removal and a "fast drying action", Vanish Preen Powerpowder Clean and Fresh Large Area Carpet Cleaner failed to clean up in this contest. 

In fact, as a control, we tested the performance of water and were surprised to find that good old H₂O outperformed this "revolutionary" carpet cleaner.

So when it comes to cleaning up, one thing couldn't be more certain: at $14.70 for one garishly pink bottle, the most likely thing to vanish with this product is your hard-earned cash. But wait! There's more!! 

The makers of Vanish Preen Powerpowder are none other than Reckitt Benckiser, the company that brought us Nurofen's misleading targeted pain-relief products. 

We think it's time this global consumer goods company rebranded to Shonky lemon – and made its dodgy carpet cleaner vanish.

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