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As part of our commitment to living a more sustainable lifestyle, I’m going to review eco-friendly products that we try out along the way. This is our first one, so let us know what you think in the comments!
Smol make bold claims, stating on their website that they’ve created ‘the most effective concentrated laundry capsule in the world…So concentrated it is small enough to post through your letterbox’.
The company has certainly been anything BUT a washout, having tripled interest in its products since lockdown and receiving £8m of funding.
Customers love them too, with almost 4,000 Trustpilot reviews and a rating of 4.5 stars at the time of writing.
Smol claims to be up to 50% cheaper than the normal laundry brands, as well as being eco-friendly AND more effective.
Bold claims.
I’ve been using their laundry capsules for almost a year and will soon try the dishwasher, multi-purpose spray, fabric conditioner and washing-up liquid too. I thought it was time to write an honest review.
Note: This review is not sponsored by Smol and any views shared are my own, although if you choose to sign up, we may receive a small commission.
How does it work?
When I first tested their productse, Smol only offered two products: Laundry capsules and dishwasher tablets.
Since then, their product range has changed drastically.
Smol’s products range now includes:
- Laundry Capsules
- Dishwasher Tablets
- Fabric Conditioner
- Surface Sprays
- Washing Up Liquid
You can get a free trial of the laundry capsules, dishwasher tablets and multi-purpose sprays.
You can also order a pack of 24 capsules for just £5.90 you want to give them a go!
As a marketer myself, I have to say the sign up process is incredibly slick.
Once you land on their website, you’ll be greeted with this very simple homepage. The messaging is so clear and it couldn’t be easier to navigate.
Once you decide you’d like to go ahead with your free trial, you’ll get ask some really simple questions to help you understand how many capsules you’ll need.
- 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?
By answering these questions, Smol is able to calculate how often you’ll need more capsules.
Based on my answers, I would need a new pack priced at £4.50 every 21 days, but then my daughter doesn’t live with me 100% of the time.
For those of you with children at home, you may well need a new pack every 21 minutes 😂
What’s nice is that you can easily login to your account and adjust or delay your delivery, so you won’t ever feel like you’re getting too much.
I quite quickly found I didn’t need as many tablets as I had said because, well, I’m a bloke…Which means I tend to do three washes in one day and then ignore it for a further two weeks in the hope the laundry fairies will sneak in, wash and iron all of the clothes for me.
It hasn’t happened YET, but I’m still hopeful.
For those of you who are super organised, you CAN also order more capsules a little sooner too.
If you’re one of those people, I envy you and the grip you have on your life. Teach me your ways.
Are they environmentally friendly?
As consumers, we need to be more aware of the impact we’re having on the environment, and be more conscious about the products we choose.
To be honest, the main reason I made the switch to Smol was because they champion 100% plastic-free and recyclable packaging.
The packaging is well thought-out, which built-in a child-lock mechanism to prevent younger children getting access to them.
I’ll level with you, I felt like Indiana Jones when I cracked the first box open.
Some extra detail, if you’re into that sort of thing:
- 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)
Once you have your account all setup, you’ll be greeted with a message like this when you login, which I think is AWESOME.
Price Comparison: Can Smol save you money?
Let’s cut to the chase…
A standard £4.50 pack of Smol laundry capsules contains 24 washes if you use one capsule per wash – That’s just £0.19p per wash.
I looked at Tesco for the sake of this, although other supermarket prices will be comparable; some may be higher, some may be lower.
If you were to buy a 25 pack of Bold All In 1 Washing Pods at £5.00, you’ll pay £0.20p per wash, the same as you’d pay for 25 Fairy Non Biological Washing Pods.
Tesco are currently offering bulk packs of Fairy Washing Pods that contain 57 washes for £9.79, costing just £0.17p per wash.
You could of course go with Tesco’s own brand Non Biological Laundry Capsules came in at £2.75 for 20 washes, which would put it at as little as £0.14p per wash.
If you’re looking to spend as little as possible, then your best bet is to go with an own brand product or buy in bulk as you’ll benefit from economies of scale.
That said, Smol really comes out on top if you…
- 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 father of a four year old, it’s safe to say my daughter’s clothes need a good ol’ wash. Food stains, dirt, paint, glitter… You name it, Evie attracts it (And so she should – It’s part of being a kid!).
Because my daughter has quite sensitive skin, I was worried that it might cause a little reaction when we first made the switch, but there was nothing at all.
The capsules manage to tackle the majority of the stains we throw at it with no additional stain remover product needed, although there are certain things like felt pen that always causes a bit of a headache.
Everything always smells great when it comes out of the wash, but it never seems too much. Now I’ve been using Smol for a while, I tend to throw in a drop of fabric conditioner too.
Smol Dishwasher tablets
Once I’d used the Smol laundry capsules for a while, I started using the dishwasher tablets too. They come in very similar packaging complete with a child locking mechanism, which is great.
But that’s not what you’re interested in knowing about, right?
Of course you’re not.
These tablets, like their laundry capsule counterparts, are cruelty-free and eco-friendly too and give a pretty solid all-round clean.
I’ve used these tablets for around three months less than the tablets and in that time, the monthly delivery amount has almost always been spot on. I would recommend keeping a spare set of dishwasher tablets in the cupboards for emergencies though – it’s a bit of a pain to run out.
…I’m not one for marigolds.
I’ve yet to test Smol’s other products, but will update as soon as I’ve had chance to keep them a try.
The verdict
I think Smol are doing something very right here. They’ve created an easy-to-use subscription platform that does away with all the heavy up-sell nonsense and lets you just quickly and easily subscribe and manage your orders.
When I signed up I was worried that I’d run out and still have to keep a back-up pack of tablets in the cupboard just in case. So far since signing up, that’s only happened once.
The laundry capsules do a great job of removing almost all stains, with the only exceptions being those really hard-to-remove blighters that you need to ‘all in’ with industrial stain remover.
The price is competitive, although certainly not the cheapest out there, but for the extra couple of pennies per wash, you’re contributing to a reduction in single-use plastic and supporting a company that is animal cruelty-free, which can only be a good thing.
If you want to give them a go, you can sign up for a free trial here and see for yourself!
I certainly won’t be switching any time soon.
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