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I’ll be reviewing eco-friendly things that we test out along the way as part of our goal to living a more sustainable lifestyle. This is our first, so tell us what you think in the comments section!
Smol makes strong claims on its website, claiming to have developed “the world’s most effective concentrated laundry capsule…
It’s so concentrated that it’ll fit through your mailbox.’
The company has been anything but a failure, with interest in its products having tripled since lockdown and £8 million in fundraising last year.
Smol promises to be up to 50% less expensive than traditional laundry detergents, as well as being more eco-friendly and effective.
Claims that are bold.
I’ve been using their laundry capsules for over six months and have lately started using their dishwasher tablets, so I thought I’d share my thoughts.
Note: This review is not sponsored by Smol, and any opinions expressed are entirely my own, however we may gain a small compensation if you opt to sign up.
How does it work?
Smol offers a free trial pack at the time of writing this post, so you may take a look for yourself.
If you want to give them a try, you can get a pack of 9 capsules for just £2.50!
As a marketer, I must remark that the sign-up process is really user-friendly.
When you visit their website, you will be welcomed by this pretty plain homepage. The messaging is crystal clear, and it couldn’t be simpler to use.
Smol’s Simple and Clean Homepage
- Which type of detergent would you like?
- How many capsules per wash would you like?
- How many times a week do you run your washing machine?
Once you’ve decided to proceed with your free trial, you’ll be asked a few easy questions to help you figure out how many pills you’ll need.
Smol can calculate how frequently you’ll need extra pills by answering these questions.
Based on my responses, I would require a fresh pack at a cost of £4.50 every 21 days, however my daughter does not live with me full-time.
Those of you who have children at home may require a fresh pack every 21 minutes.
What’s wonderful is that you can easily log in to your account and change or delay your delivery, so you never feel overburdened.
I rapidly realized that I didn’t require as many medications as I had stated because, well, I’m a bloke…
That means I usually do three washes in one day and then neglect it for two weeks in the hopes that the laundry fairies will come in and wash and iron all of my clothing for me.
It hasn’t occurred yet, but I’m still holding out hope.
For those of you who are highly organized, you CAN order extra capsules sooner as well.
If you’re one of those folks, I admire you and your control over your life. Teach me your methods, please.
Are they environmentally friendly?
As consumers, we need to be more sensitive of the impact we have on the environment and more selective in the items we buy.
To be honest, the main reason I switched to Smol was because they advocate for 100% plastic-free and recyclable packaging.
The packaging is well-thought-out, with a child-lock mechanism put in to prevent smaller children from accessing them.
To be honest, I felt like Indiana Jones when I opened the first package.
If you’re into that type of thing, here’s some more information:
- The boxes are all Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved too, which means they’re sourced from responsibly managed forests
- The packs are printed using vegetable-based inks
- They products are Leaping Bunny approved (cruelty-free)
When you log in once you’ve set up your account, you’ll see something like this, which I think is AWESOME.
Price Comparison: Can Smol save you money?
Let’s get right to it…
If you use one capsule per wash, a regular £4.50 pack of Smol laundry capsules will last 24 washes — that’s just £0.19p per wash.
I looked at Tesco for this, but other supermarket costs will be equivalent; some may be higher, while others may be lower.
If you buy a 25 pack of Bold All In One Washing Pods for £5.00, you’ll pay £0.20p per wash, the same as if you bought 25 Fairy Non Biological Washing Pods.
Tesco is currently selling bulk boxes of 57 Fairy Washing Pods for £9.79, which works out to just £0.17p each wash.
You could, of course, use Tesco’s own brand Non Biological Laundry Capsules, which cost £2.75 for 20 washes and cost as little as £0.14p per wash.
If you want to spend as little money as possible, your best chance is to go with an own brand product or buy in bulk to take advantage of economies of scale.
Smol, on the other hand, comes out on top…
- Can’t be bothered with storing mountains of laundry capsules
- Want to make sure your clothes are decent wash
Want an ethical, recyclable product
Do they work?
As a parent of a four-year-old, I can safely declare that my daughter’s clothes are in desperate need of a good wash. Stains from food, grime, paint, glitter… Evie attracts everything (as she should – it’s part of being a kid!).
Because my baby has extremely sensitive skin, I was concerned that there would be some sort of reaction when we initially made the move, but there was none.
The capsules handle the majority of the stains we throw at them with no additional stain remover solution required, yet certain things, such as felt pen, usually give me a headache.
Everything smells lovely when it comes out of the washer, yet it never seems overpowering. Now that I’ve been using Smol for a long, I like to add a drop of fabric conditioner as well.
Dishwasher tablets
After a while of using the Smol laundry capsules, I began using the dishwasher tablets as well. They are packaged in almost identical packaging, complete with a child locking feature, which is fantastic.
Early impressions are positive, albeit they aren’t quite as successful in terms of clean quality as the washing capsules.
It’s not that they don’t clean well; it’s simply that they don’t seem to be as effective as my previous tablets.
That being said, I’m reserving judgment until I’ve had a chance to utilize them for a little longer!
The verdict
Smol is doing something quite well here, in my opinion. They’ve designed an easy-to-use subscription platform that eliminates all the heavy upsell bullshit and allows you to subscribe and manage your orders fast and effortlessly.
When I signed up, I was concerned that I’d run out of tablets and would have to keep a back-up pack in the cupboard just in case. That has only happened once since signing up.
The laundry capsules perform an excellent job of eliminating almost all stains, with the exception of those extremely difficult-to-remove blighters, for which you must ‘all in’ with industrial stain remover.
The pricing is competitive, albeit not the cheapest available, but for the extra couple of cents per wash, you’re helping to reduce single-use plastic and supporting an animal cruelty-free enterprise, which can only be a good thing.
If you want to try them out, sign up for a free trial here and see for yourself!