Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, but not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy.Shakespeare · Hamlet, Act I Scene 3

How a product earns a listing

Editorial Standards

Nothing is listed because a supplier asked. Every product on this site has been through the same five stages, in the same order, and any one of them can end the process.

How it works

  1. Sector nomination

    A product only enters review when someone using it professionally names it — a head housekeeper, a head gardener, a chef. Supplier submissions do not enter here.

  2. 100 days in service

    It is used for 100 days in a working environment, not a test bench. A drain clear is judged in a real suite turnaround; a coat mist on a real double coat through wet weather. That trial is what the vetted mark stands for.

  3. Claim check

    Every claim we intend to print is checked against the supplier's own documentation. Anything we cannot evidence is cut from the copy rather than softened.

  4. Independent write-up

    The listing is written by us, not the brand. Suppliers see it at the same time as everyone else and cannot approve or veto wording.

  5. Annual re-review

    Formulations change. Every listing is re-tested each year and delisted if it no longer performs the way the original write-up describes.

What we commit to

  • We buy the products we review at retail price.
  • No paid placement, and no fee for a better position in the catalogue.
  • Where a supplier pays for anything at all, the listing says so on the page.
  • Negative findings stay published — a delisted product keeps its record.