I suppose I must be a marketing man's dream in that my mother managed, in her whole life, to do without I seem to need quite badly. In the UK I had grown very used to choosing two boxes of washing tablets; one for whites and the other for coloureds. But, alas, in my part of France I seem unable to spot any washing powders, tablets or gels that are specifically designed NOT to bleach ones clothes.

Is it my inadequacy with the language and being unable to spot the product on the supermarket shelves? Or is it really something not available here? Any tips what to look out for will be greatly appreciated. Ta!

Try shopping at Lidl.

In Scotland I use the non bio version of Formil.

We have bought the same jam in France and in Scotland, so maybe you can buy the same washing powder.

We spend ages wandering around supermarkets with dictionaries to hand (OK in Spanish, but same theory). The search for bleach for us was a long one.

Carrying a dictionary with you can be ideal, or writing down what you want and showing it to someone in the shop often works

My local Ldl stocks Formil
Lessive pastilles, liquide , poudre, tablets, liquid and powder either for white or colour. The one for white is in green and white packaging and the one for colours is in red and orange.
Personally, I prefer" OMO petit et puissant", I'm afarid I wash nearly everything at 40 degrees. The OMO does a good job on the whites at 95 degrees.