This week Value4Money looks at Washing-up liquid

Fairy

1.54 (€3.08 per litre)

Highs: This generates vast amounts of froth, which makes cleaning dirty dishes much, much easier. It achieved better results than some of its competitors in half the time.

Lows: Truth be told, PriceWatch isn't overly concerned with the state of his hands when doing the dishes but is reliably informed that it can be an issue for some. For decades now Fairy has made much of its mildness, but it appeared to these untrained hands to be identical to the rest. And the froth is too bloody persistent. It has a staying power that verges on the irksome and the dishes require more rinsing than you'd want to bother with. It's also the most expensive product tested.

Verdict: Good but pricey

Star rating:  ***

Marks & Spencer

€1.49 (€2.98 per litre)

Highs: It's impossible to get excited about something as mundane as washing-up liquid. All you want it to do is clean your dishes with the minimum of fuss, and this does just that. It is virtually indistinguishable from the name-brands tested and comes with an anti-bacterial agent that is cropping up more and more of late, presumably in response to customer demand. Or is it just meaningless guff splashed on the front of the bottle?

Lows: Given that Marks & Spencer is spared the need to spend vast amounts of money advertising this product, you'd imagine the company could afford to sell it just a little cheaper.

Verdict: It'll do the job

Star rating: ***

Quix

€1.33 (€2.66 per litre)

Highs: Of those tested, this is the only washing-up liquid made in Ireland, which is to its immediate credit. Soaking plates first makes a substantial difference to ease of cleaning and the amount of elbow grease required to get dishes done is minimal. Then there's the price - it's quite a bit cheaper than its main brand-name rivals but loses nothing in terms of quality.

Lows: The orange theme is, perhaps, overdone. The liquid is vivid orange and has orange oil added (which helps cut through grease, the makers claim). The sickly-sweet, lab-developed orange smell is almost overpowering and lingers too long.Verdict: Good cleaning, good value

Star rating: ****

Tesco

€0.89 (€1.78 per litre)

Highs: Well, it's the cheapest of the bunch, delivers a substantial amount of froth and comes in an old-style washing-up bottle that would make for a fine improvised water pistol. And it does get dishes clean, eventually.

Lows: Leaving dishes to soak in the soapy water this washing-up liquid generates makes no appreciable difference to the amount of scrubbing that's required to remove burned-on food. (The burning was intentional, for the sake of the test.) It has virtually no smell and there is a suspicion that you could find yourself horsing through bottles of the stuff cancelling out its keen price. Verdict: A bit flat

Star rating: **

Excellent *****
Great ****
Fine ***
Below par ** 
Awful *