Does green range clean up?

Ecologically sound living is currently at the forefront of our minds, and Ecover hopes to extend that into car valeting with its new ‘green’ products.

First up is Wash and Wax, which has plant and mineral ingredients. When it’s left standing, the formula certainly looks earthy enough, as a brown residue forms at the bottom of the bottle! The instructions tell you to dilute in cold water, but it cleaned better using hot. Wash and Wax left a good shine, although it dried quickly, and you need to be fast with rinsing to avoid leaving marks. What’s more, it didn’t have the same beading properties as our class leaders.

The firm’s Glass and Interior Cleaner claims to cut the time involved in bringing a shine to the windscreen or cockpit, and again, is fully biodegradable. We sprayed directly on to the surface which was fine for large areas, but less suitable in sections of the cabin with lots of electricals.

The synthetic alcohol smell suggests it’s not the most natural make-up, and unless the cloth is 100 per cent clean it can smear. It seems the Ecover range’s green credentials come at the expense of cleaning ability, so it’s hard to recommend.