Fairy Liquid has undergone the biggest revolution in its 62-year history – with the iconic bottle turned ‘upside down’.
The new container sees the liquid dispensed from the bottom of the bottle, meaning the days of carefully balancing it on its narrow lid to get the last dregs out are behind us.
To mark the occasion, Fairy has unveiled a gallery of images showing how the design has evolved since the first bottle in 1960.
The early white, cylindrical bottles became a household favourite and, for many children, were used for crafts after TV show Blue Peter transformed them from a pencil pot to the famous Thunderbirds’ Tracy Island.
It became so iconic that one of the best-loved adverts from the brand shows children waiting patiently for the liquid inside the bottle to be used up, so they could take the empty packaging to create their masterpiece.
As there was a shift towards more consumer and eco-friendly packaging, the classic white bottle was replaced with today’s transparent container in the early 2000s.
However, the iconic white bottle made a limited-edition comeback in 2010 to mark the brand’s 50th anniversary.
Now, in a bid to make the bottle easier for people to use, the newest design sees the liquid released from the bottom for the first time, saying goodbye to the classic red nozzle. What’s more, its new and improved formula means four times less scrubbing.
A spokesperson for Fairy said: “The launch of the new upside-down bottle ushers in a new era for washing up in Britain.
“The bottles have been a staple in our homes for generations now – who doesn’t remember that seemingly never-ending wait for our parents to finish up with the bottle so we could make something out of it?
“But while we all love the iconic bottle, and the clear version which replaced it, our habits are changing, and we want to adapt to meet the nation’s washing up needs. That’s why we redesigned the bottle upside-down along with a leakguard protection specifically designed for ease of use, from the first drop to the last.”
The efficiently redesigned bottle means it’s much easier to get the last drop of washing up liquid out with the bottle, while its anti-leak technology means messy caps are a thing of the past.
The launch of the new bottle comes after a poll of 2,000 adults revealed they each spend an average of nearly 20 minutes a day washing up an average of 20 items.
That amounts to a total of 60 hours and 7,300 items a year.
And despite the rise of the dishwasher, 52 per cent still do all of their washing up by hand.
While even of those who do have a dishwasher, 78 per cent have certain items they will only wash by hand – with ‘special items’ such as expensive wine glasses, frying pans and novelty mugs at the top of the list.
But 48 per cent of adults feel the way they wash up has changed over the years, with 37 per cent admitting they wash up in less time as they are busier.
More than a third (36 per cent) leave more items to soak and 20 per cent are less likely to rinse.
It also emerged that 42 per cent of those who wash up like to listen to music at the same time, while 33 per cent use it as an opportunity to speak to their family.
Nearly half of those polled (47 per cent) even make it a family affair, with everyone taking on different roles to get the chore done together.
A third of those polled via OnePoll said the kitchen is a hub for household conversations, with one in five claiming that spending time doing household chores with their family is something they cherish.
However, the involvement of family can sometimes lead to debates on how to do the washing up ‘right’, including how much washing up liquid you should use – but handily, the new Fairy Max Power contains a dosing mechanism to control how much product is used.
A Fairy spokesperson said of the survey: “Washing up is a vital part of virtually every household in Britain – and that’s shown by the figures.
“Whether it’s after eating a meal together or even having a chat as you do the dishes, it’s an integral part of our life and it’s interesting to see just how much time and how many dishes we wash over the course of a year.”