German Ariel Liquid

[labboy]

I was at my favorite little ethnic grocery yesterday. I noticed they had just received bottles of Ariel Liquid with all German labeling. The bottle/handle was similar to the one in this picture except for having German labeling.

Has anyone used this? Is it better than Liquid Tide HE or the same? I noticed it had "Acti-Lift" on the lid like our new Tide liquid does.

 

[launderess]

Are You Sure That It Is German And Not

The version sold in the UK? Am only asking as the word "biological" is normally something only laundry products sold in Great Britian promote.

Ariel sold in Germany though the same bottle, now "Actilift", but this could of course be older product.

Had several bottles of Ariel "Excell" gel in "Alpine Fraiche" scent sent from France am that well pleased. The detergent is *very* concentrated yet creates little to no froth in my Miele, and rinses cleanly. Quite good at shifting stains and soils on it's own, but for certain types one does need to add a bit of liquid oxygen bleach to step up one's game if you will.

Please do tell where you found this product. May have to see if we have friends/relatives in the area for a care package run! *LOL*

 

[mrboilwash]

Have not tried the new Actilift version yet but have been very pleased with the the former Ariel liquid.
It was very low sudsing even when generously dosed (120 ml in hard water)
It does not contain any kind of bleach but for me it has proven to be effective on some bleachable stains like red wine as long as I keept the temperatues very high. I would say it`s about the same quality level like German Persil liquid.

 

[labboy]

@launderess

This was from a small ethnic grocery store chain in San Diego called North Park Produce.

I was not able to take a photo of the product on the shelf. I got this off of the internet to show the bottle/handle style. The labeling was German.

 

[mrboilwash]

I`m just curious how much they are asking for a bottle in the ethnic grocery.
In Germany a 20 loads bottle would be around 5 Euros but it`s very frequently on sale for 3.99

 

[labboy]

I'm going to go over today and pick up a bottle and will let you know. I'm curious if this product contains any sort of oxygen type bleach. I know there are two types of liquid Ariel...one for colors and one regular. Is the formulation difference bleach and OBAs?

 

[mrboilwash]

There is no oxygen bleach in German liquid detergents. I think the reason is that bleach and enzymes wouldn`t be stable when mixed in a liquid formulation.

The green version has OBAs (flourescent whitenig stuff) in it and the color version should have dye transfer inhibitors instead.

 

[labboy]

Well, normally this place has great prices on everything. They wanted $12.99/20 load bottle. I decided to skip it.

 

[launderess]

With Current Technology

It is not possible to have liquid oxygen bleach with enzymes. The hydrogen peroxide basically "kills" off the later, resulting in very short shelf life for that part of the equation. To get round this some offerings come as "dual" action bottles where one side is the oxygen bleach, the other enzyme based stain fighters. One squeezes the container to push each out at the same time, once they "meet",they can come together and each do it's bit to remove whatever.

You also have the latest "dual offerings" from P&G in the form of "Tide" and "Ariel" stain pacs. These are pretty much as above, but in smaller containers.

As for the price of Ariel in the USA, well the dollar is shrinking against the Euro, so importing anyting from Europe isn't going to be cheap. Consider also shipping anything out of Germany never is inexpensive.

Probably the best deal anyone can get is if they are in military or have acess to someone who is, and therefore can use their shipping service for things going state-side.

Being as all this may, $12.99 is not that dear considering you will probably use much less per wash than what is on the bottle. Very few places in the United States have water as hard as what one finds in many parts of the UK/EU, so even the dosage for "Soft" on detergent containers can be cut by 1/3 to 1/2. Much will depend upon load size, soil levels and other factors, but still...

 

[mattywashboy]

I use Ariel Liquid over here in Australia, my local UK import shops bought in 90wash bottles and the stuff is just wonderful. Smells great and cleans really well. Give it a try and see how you like it

Matt

 

[hoovermatic]

This definitely looks like pre 'Actilift' generation UK Ariel liquid. I can smell it from here!

 

[labboy]

Thanks

Thanks to everyone for all of the information but especially to Launderess. Your posts are always so informative and detailed!

 

[labboy]

So, I decided to try a bottle. I picked it up today, used it for one load and love the smell. It produces no foam and is extremely clean rinsing (more so than Tide HE).

One question: The label has an icon of a washing machine with a red X over the dispenser drawer. It has an arrow pointing to a little dispenser ball like that is the preferred method for dosing. Why is this?

 

[launderess]

Ariel Gels

Along with some liquids are so thick that they often will not completly flush down dispenser drawers. This can not only lead to poor wash results (only partial dosage sent into the tub), but a situation where the remaining product is flushed down into the subsequent rinses. Finally such product residue can lead to a gunked up dispenser drawer and the hoses that lead to the tub.

To counter the above, many detergent makers such as Henkel and P&G have created various dosing balls. One dispenses the proper amount of detergent into these gadgets, then place on top of the wash before closing the door. Once the machine starts the liquid/gel will be dispensed through out the wash.

The French Ariel gel one has uses such a system, and it works a treat.

 

[labboy]

Launderess...you are a rock star.

My LG FL has a small insert tray for liquid detergents. So, in the absence of the dispenser ball, is it best to remove the dispenser tray and pour the Ariel directly into the drawer as one does with powder? I did notice that the Ariel was much more viscous than other liquids in my stash.

 

[launderess]

No Need

Any small cup like vessel will do, such as those plastic cups that come with and or used for dispensing liquid (cough) medicines.

Or, simply post a message to the group asking a member from Europe or maybe even Canada to send you one. Those dosing balls/measuring devices are as common on the other side of the pond as detergent "scoops" given out with powdered detergents here. Though as a means of cutting down on landfill waste/pollution many Euroepan detergents no longer automatically give one a new dosing ball with each purpose. One is supposed to keep the first one and simply reuse, however there usually is a way to contact customer service to have one posted if required.

On my bottle of Ariel the dosage "scoop" is part of the cap.

 

[maytagbear]

P & G tried a while back

I think it was called the Tide Sidekick(?) It had a ball-point end, and a person filled it with liquid Tide, snapped on the lid, rolled it over any stains, and then threw the whole thing into the washer.

I think that was the deal, but am not completely certain.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[mrboilwash]

There are several reasons for the ball but I think it has little to do with viskosity except for Ariel Excel Gel. There are similar viscous products like Persil Actic Power that can be dispensed over the detergent drawer by manufacturer`s recommendation.

The main reason why you need a dosing ball is simply the way too small cap on the crapy P&G bottle.
Also some washers in Europe engage the pump for a few seconds at the beginning of a cycle to activate the detergent recovery valve. Not too clever if there is liquid detergent on the bottom of the drum.
Most other detergent manufactures leave the customer a choice to either use a ball or measure with the cap (which is often less accurate) and pour onto the laundry or into the drawer. The ball also makes sure that 100% of the measured product goes into the wash instead of dribbling back from the cap into the bottle. Talk about P&G sales tactics.
If your dispenser can generally handle liquids than you can probably also use it with Ariel.
Personally I never liked the balls because of the noise they make.
So with Henkel or store brands I use the provided cap to measure and with P&G products I found an American Pyrex measuring cup quite handy. Just pour into the drum and wipe it out with some of the dirty clothes.