Smol Review: Could Smol Products Save you Money? | AD

Smol Review

Today I’m sharing a review of the smol range of dishwasher and laundry tablets.

If you’ve not heard of the brand, then smol is a subscription-based service that sends you regular deliveries of detergents via the post. The main advantages seem to be:

• smol products arrive in small packaging, reducing waste and allowing the boxes to fit easily through the letterbox
• tell smol how much laundry you do and they’ll recommend a delivery schedule that means you shouldn’t ever run out of detergent
• the company supplies a range of laundry detergents and dishwasher tablets, which claim to be highly effective and environmentally responsible
• smol claims you can save up to 50% on the cost of laundry and dishwasher detergent

First Impressions

Smol contacted me recently and invited me to work with them on a review of the latest smol products.

I’m always looking for ways we can reduce plastic waste and be more responsible for the environment in our household. And I was intrigued because I’ve seen some very positive reviews of Smol dishwasher tablets and laundry capsules online.

I’m also one of those people who can’t help wincing when I have to add a new box of laundry detergent to the weekly shopping basket. Why is it so expensive?

Our first smol delivery arrived a couple of days later. As promised the box fitted through the letterbox easily, meaning I didn’t have to be home for the delivery. Hurrah!

Each package was in a very slim, cardboard box. Inside the box you’ll find a plastic carton that contains up to 28 detergent tablets. The laundry and dishwasher tablets are different colours, so you won’t get confused!

According to the smol website, the plastic used is made from 100% recycled materials, and is itself recyclable. You’d need to check locally, but we’re able to recycle the plastic from our smol tablets in our household recycling.

The Smol washing tablets and dishwasher tablets ARE labelled so you’ll know which is which.

I liked the neatness of the Smol packaging. It can sometimes be a struggle fitting the large dishwasher tablet and laundry liquid box in the cupboard under our sink. With SMOL it’s a small box that’s not much bigger than a DVD case. Everything seemed pretty neat, and secure.

Smol Washing Tablets Review

The first product i put through its paces was the Smol laundry detergent. For a regular wash it’s recommended to use just one tablet, which is what I did.

My laundry goes through a fair amount. There’s Flea’s sports kit, then various towels used to dry off the dog. Oh, and I’m basically a child who can’t eat an entire meal without some of it ending up on my front. Hence this chicken cacciatore disaster:

Anyway, I used one smol laundry tablet in the wash, and ran it on my usual cycle of a 30 degree wash. Fun fact: washing clothes at 30 rather than 40 degrees reduces electricity consumption by 40% over a year.

In terms of stain removal, the smol did really well. Dirty dog blankets, school shirts and sports kit came up perfectly clean. Even the chicken cacciatore was removed first time, as you can see. If you have something really dried in, or a larger load, you can use two tablets, but we stuck to just one for this test.

The product does use optical brighteners, so school shirts came up lovely and white. The scent was subtle, which is perfect for us. Both Flea and I are prone to skin allergies.

Smol Dishwasher Tablets Review

Because we’re a small family, we tend to only run the dishwasher every other day. This means lots of dried on food and drink stains, and pans that need a LOT of cleaning.

Once again, we used one smol dishwasher tablet, on an eco wash setting. All I can say is that I didn’t notice any difference between the performance of smol versus our regular big-brand dishwasher tablet.

Everything came out perfectly clean, including a dish I’d used to cook lasagne and the dreaded scrambled eggs pan.

There was also no strong scent, which I find really off-putting when it comes to dishes.

Overall: Is Smol Worth Trying?

For me, there are probably three key issues I thought about when writing this review.

First is about the product performance. In this respect, I found the performance of the Smol laundry capsules and the dishwasher tablets to be perfectly acceptable, and comparable to the products I already use.

My second question is whether using smol helps us to be more environmentally responsible as a household.

The smol packaging is minimal, recycled and recyclable. This means we produce less waste, which has to be a good thing. And I’m guessing because of the neat packaging, distribution and associated carbon output must be lower for smol than other brands of detergent.

Lastly, I looked at the issue of cost. A 24 pack of laundry tablets from smol currently costs £3.85. Before you buy, you can claim 9 free tablets as part of a trial. As of this week, 20 Persil laundry tablets is on sale at Sainsbury’s for £5.50.

Doing a bit of maths that means the smol laundry costs a smidge over 16p per wash, while the Persil product costs 27.5p per wash. So almost double the price.

Now it has to be said that both these products are more expensive than buying washing powder, which usually comes out at more like 12p per wash. But I like the convenience of tablets, and I also know that liquids work better in cooler washes, so overall that’s my preference.

How Does Smol Subscription Work?

As I’ve mentioned, smol is a subscription based service. If you take the trial and like the results, then you can take a short questionnaire on the website about how many loads of washing you do.

Smol will then suggest a delivery schedule, which you’re free to change at any time. I run my washing machine 4-5 times a week, so this means smol would deliver to me around once a month.

Delivery is available throughout the UK and it’s completely free. Once you’re signed up, you can also log-in to the website at any time to stop, pause and change delivery dates and details.

 

I hope you found my smol review helpful! I was paid for my time in creating this content, but all views (and stains) are 100% my own. If you have any questions about the smol service or products, then let me know in the comments!