The GTech Multi (Review)

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Before Christmas I was sent the brand new GTech Multi to review. It was a very opportune time to put a new vacuum cleaner through its paces considering the amount of glitter, tinsel, artificial Christmas tree needles (yes, they still drop them like a real one does), food crumbs and tiny pieces of wrapping paper (which seem to multiply) there was around the house. And we really did test it very well, there was a lot of glitter in this house.

We've continued to give it a rigorous testing ever since, mainly because The Boy really likes glitter!

GTech are a relatively young brand when it comes to carpet cleaning, but the expression 'new brooms sweeping clean' really does speak volumes in their case. I have previously reviewed the GTech AirRAM and couldn't have praised it any more than I did for the ease of use, in fact I did a video review where I poured two bowls of 50g of blue sand into my cream carpet, rubbed it in, and then compared the power of my Electrolux vacuum against the AirRAM's suction. As the GTech cleaner actually sucked up all of the 50g, plus another 3g of dirt in my (previously vacuumed) carpet. That wasn't embarrassing at all!

At the time when I reviewed the AirRAM, my only criticism of it was that it didn't have a hose and therefore any attachments to clean the edges or the stairs.

GTech have solved that problem by creating the Multi.

GTech Multi

See there's no cord? That's because it's one of the few cordless and powerful handheld vacuum cleaners around of this quality. With a run time of 30 minutes from charging, the Multi is perfect for cleaning stairs, the car, and all those awkward to reach places around cupboards and piano legs (or is that just my house?). It weighs 1.6kg so it very lightweight and not at all too heavy to use or manoeuvre. It also has a selection of attachments and devices on board to make it easier to clean all areas; long length crevice tool, upholstery tool, dusting brush, extendable hose and an extension tube (available free when ordering directly from GTech).

But the best bit about the GTech are the headlights!

Yes, they have installed headlights on a vacuum cleaner! However silly that initially sounds, the two small LED lights either side of the attachment area make hoovering in crevices, cars and stairs so much easier! They really help to highlight all the dirt and dust which would otherwise be missed.

As the 50g blue sand was such an effective review technique, I decided to repeat it with the GTech Multi. I don't have another cleaner to compare it against, however I wanted to see how much of the sand it could suck up. I actually had doubts that it would manage to be as effective as the AirRAM, purely because of the trigger button feature and the crevice nozzle.

I set to the task with my trusty digital weighing scales and blue sand!

2014-01-31 13.53.05

While it didn't suck up all 50g of blue sand, I can certainly forgive it for missing the 1g (or less) of blue sand that it didn't suck up. Considering how much I rubbed it into the carpet, I felt it was very effective at vacuuming it.

Cleaning the Multi is not quite as straightforward as the AirRAM, but at the same time it's hardly onerous. The clear barrel pulls away from the main machine, the lid unclips and the filter in the middle can be removed very easily to wash out. There is a filter on the lid which should be unclipped and the dust removed from, as this is where quite a lot of fluff can collect. However, the whole cleaning process is quick and simple to do. And, if like my husband, you put it back together the wrong way up, then a red light flashes on the Multi to tell you that the filter is blocked.

We have used it to clean the car, and my husband commented that it made life so much easier that he didn't need to feed the extension cable through the porch window and position the car as close as possible to the house.

Priced at only £149.00 then I think the GTech Multi is an incredibly effective cordless and handheld cleaner.

UPDATE 06/09/14: I have noticed a decline in the power and therefore suction of the GTech Multi I'm sorry to say. I do clean the filter regularly but it doesn't seem to make much difference. It still works for light dirt around the edges of carpets and for cobwebs, but it is now struggling to suck up sand from the carpet in the car. The lights have also stopped working. A real shame for a machine with big promise.

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Dishmatic (Review)

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In April of last year I was sent a clever little washing-up device, the Dishmatic sponge and reusable handle. It might seem like it's not a terribly exciting product on the surface (after all it's a washing up sponge) but it's the only thing that we've used to wash up with in the past year; all other sponges have been thrown in the bin.

Despite the fact that I don't do the washing up (a condition of accepting his marriage proposal), the device used for washing up is something that we have had minor disputes about in the past. Mr. TBaM liked a sponge, I insisted on a brush because of the abrasiveness and the additional pressure via the handle. He looked at me scornfully and pointed out that I don't do the dishes and therefore didn't get an input.

He had a point.

However, I felt very happy that the Dishmatic was a good compromise; a sponge on a handle. Hence binning all other brushes and sponges since getting the Dishmatic a year ago. The only other problem was that we still needed a scourer for when I became too enthusiastic with the length of time a cheese sauce was on the stove, for example. That was until I was sent more of the Dishmatic range recently to review.

Dishmatic

The Dishmatic basic system is a hollow handle which is filled up with the washing up liquid, there is a small hole in the top of the unit which dispenses a small amount of the liquid. However, there's also a brush attachment and a scourer along with the two different grades of sponges. They slot onto the end of the handle and the washing-up liquid is dispensed through the small hole in the end of the handle through the attachment. And they can be interchanged mid-washing-up session to suit the needs.

The Dishmatic system is available to buy online or via most supermarkets and DIY stores. And I thoroughly recommend getting one, they're effective and cost-effective in the amount of liquid they use.

I was sent the above products for the purpose of this review, my opinions are honest and unbiased.

GTech AirRAM

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I've previously reviewed an electric, cordless carpet sweeper from GTech which has always been an absolutely dream to use, and I have taken it on holiday with us several times because it is so compact and easy.

A month or so ago I was sent their latest innovation to trial; the GTech AirRAM.

The GTech AirRAM is a high-performance cordless vacuum cleaner. That in itself caused my husband issues because he didn't think it was possible to have a vacuum cleaner that was cordless, but it is. It's a light and easy to use vacuum cleaner which sucks up the dust and dirt into an easily removed container at the front, compressing it into little bundles which can be picked up and dropped into the bin. And its performance is so good that I continue to be horrified by the contents when I empty it; how are my carpets that mucky when I clean them so frequently?

The fact that the cordless cleaner runs from a rechargeable battery does not diminish from its efficiency; there are four green lights on the front to indicate the strength of the power left before charging again. Charging is in itself incredibly easy as the battery can be removed and takes up minimal space to charge (whereas the carpet sweeper required the whole unit to be plugged in).

With an official approval from the Good Housekeeping Institute, the GTech AirRAM is an amazing invention. Over on the web page there is a whole load of information as to its energy efficiency and how it is possible to monitor its performance, however I wanted to show you how good it is, so I've done a vlog!

I am going to be disposing of my old Electrolux to 'Hoover' Heaven and keeping the AirRAM as my main vacuum cleaner. The only downside about it is that there is no hose or tools to clean the edges, and while it gets close to the walls it doesn't get close enough. However it's not enough to keep my old cleaner, and as I have a handheld vacuum cleaner for the stairs and car, then I shall use that to compensate.

Would I recommend the GTech AirRAM? Absolutely!

Available directly online or in most high-street electrical stores from £199.

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Scotch-Brite (Review)

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Cleaning's not glamorous.

You didn't need me to tell you that, we all know how unglamorous it is when we have our hands in buckets of cleaning fluids scrubbing the kitchen counters or the bathroom floor. And I'm pretty sure that I am not the only person in the land to have buckets of swishy-wishy, miracle cleaner underneath the bathroom sink, am I? But they don't actually do it for you, they can loosen the dirt but they won't do it on their own.

When it comes down to it, and with the best intentions in the world, the only thing that really will get something clean is elbow grease; scrubbing and wiping.

I was sent some products from Scotch-Brite to test out and on first impressions they seemed to be just another collection of scourers and sponges.

And this is the main point that I want to make: A scourer is a scourer is a scourer, right? My husband would have you believe that as he picks up the value range from the supermarket which need throwing away within a few uses, mainly because they've disintegrated or the dye is coming off the green sponge. I know (because I'm the person who uses them for cleaning as opposed to dishwashing) that if I want the sponge to last and be economical, then slightly more expensive and better quality sponges and scourers last longer and do a better job.

As you can see the PR was very kind and labelled the cost for me per item and per pack.

  • The heavy-duty scourer: £1.15 for 3 making them 38p each, but these are perfect for cleaning ovens, grills and hobs. It does cost 8p more per scourer than other brands, but it contains natural fibres of cellulose which are absorbent. It's also thicker than one, and (this is technical now) not as rough as the other, which means I'm not going to have scratched surfaces and hands.
  • The super-absorbent sponge cloth: £2.49 for 5, 50p a cloth. This is one of those cleaning products that I seethe inwardly about, they always seem to fall apart once wrung out and leave bright yellow or blue sponge foam over everything. Not the Scotch-brite one, which is as absorbent as the name makes you think: up to ten times it's own weight.
  • The non-scratch scrub sponge: £1.15 for 1. Other sponge scourers retail for around 50p for 3 so this is a lot more. What's different about this is the size and wave-shape, plus it is non-scratch and very absorbent.

In all honesty, the last item is a little more than I would be prepared to pay, however I will certainly consider the other two items in future because the few pence more saves money and time in the long run.

I was provided with these items for the purpose of this post. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Eco-Force (Review & Competition)

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I'm a little bit of an eco-warrior on the sly. I use environmentally friendly washing detergent and conditioner, washing-up liquid and dishwasher tablets. And before anyone points out the dishwasher elephant in the room, they use less water than washing by hand. I refuse to use the tumble dryer except in case of dire emergencies, everything gets dried on the line or airers.

When I was asked by Ecoforce if I would like to review some of their household cleaning products, I was more than happy to accept. I was sent a variety of sponges, brushes, dusters and clothes to trial.

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Sweeping Clean! (A GTech Review & Competition)

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About a week before Christmas, when Mr. TheBoyandMe was completely and utterly sick of the sight of strands of tinsel all over the floor, he asked if we could get a swiffer. I gasped at him and told him that in no uncertain terms, we would not be getting such an antiquated, useless and unhygienic contraption, to just get the vacuum cleaner out and stop complaining! (He doesn't even do the vacuuming, so I have no idea what he's complaining about.)

My reticence at agreeing to one was based on traumatic flashbacks to my childhood in the early 1990s which involved one of these items:

My nan had one in '70s brown, and we had one in '70s blue and I hated them! They were noisy, awkward, dirty, didn't pick up the bits and, if you tipped it at a certain angle, they emptied the few bits that they had picked up all over your still dirty floor.

My husband slunk away having realised it was a no-go, and retrieved our cumbersome vaccum cleaner out of the understairs cupboard. Upon I realised the point he was making, but was determined not to back down!

Then I had an e-mail asking me if I'd like to review a cordless electric-powered floor cleaners. Curiosity sent me to the site, and I realised that the GTech SW20 was the 2012 version of what my mother had used, but with added extras. I giggled to myself at Mr. TBAM's reaction when I showed him and agreed to test it quite happily.

I did not realise just how clever this little device was going to be. The SW20 is a floor sweeper in the conventional sense, but with the added bonus of being electric and cordless. To charge the sweeper, it is placed onto the small, charging platform and left for up to five hours. From that, it gives an hour's worth of run time. That might not sound a lot, however I charged it three weeks ago and have used it every other day without recharging it once. It's designed so that you can leave it on the charging platform as it has an auto cut off device which allows you also to safely leave it on the stand to maintain full charge, however we didn't have a plug at the right height and out of the reach of The Boy.

"A conventional vacuum cleaner (2000 watt) used for 2 hours a week on a 0.30 tariff, will cost £300 over 5 years. Using a Gtech sweeper for the same period and tariff costs £7.80 and an energy saving of 55.5 KWh per year, per home."

So it's cheaper to use as well then?

As for my concerns about how unhygienic they are? Unfounded. The GTech SW20 has Germguard built into the handle and bin. Germguard action traps and kills over 99.9 of bacteria including MRSA, Salmomella, Listeria and E-Coli. It is also incredibly easy to clean; there's a pull out 'bin' which neatly collects all the dirt (and it gets up a lot) allowing for easy emptying and cleaning.

I did vacuum yesterday, I promise! And I had been wondering where that jigsaw piece had gone.

The other thing that I really like about the GTech is how easy it is to use. The extendable handle has a swivel motion when attached to the sweeper which allows for excellent manoeuvrability. It's so easy, even a two year old could use it:

At £69.95 it is slightly more expensive than the conventional carpet cleaner, but then there's nothing conventional about the GTech SW20 and I do think that with the money it saves, along with the time and effort, that it is worth it.

And thanks to the kind folk at GTech, I've got one for you to win!

Simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was given a GTech SW20 for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.