Has anyone tried Persil the UK formula by Lever Faberge. If so did you like it?
Persil UK Detergent
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Persil
I don't know if the UK formula is different from what we would get here. I've been using their detergent for a number of years now. I suspect it could be the same because it comes to me with stickers of the English instructions for using the soap.
I have ordered it in the past from Prairie Vacuum but just this month I bought it from ABT in Chicago. They are offering a special of free shipping. Saves a bit when you've got a shipment that is that heavy.
I use the Persil powder for white and light colored clothes and the Megaperls color formula for colored clothes. It's amazing stuff. A small scoop in my front loader. The 54 load box of persil powder lasts well over a year.
I don't know if the UK formula is different from what we would get here. I've been using their detergent for a number of years now. I suspect it could be the same because it comes to me with stickers of the English instructions for using the soap.
I have ordered it in the past from Prairie Vacuum but just this month I bought it from ABT in Chicago. They are offering a special of free shipping. Saves a bit when you've got a shipment that is that heavy.
I use the Persil powder for white and light colored clothes and the Megaperls color formula for colored clothes. It's amazing stuff. A small scoop in my front loader. The 54 load box of persil powder lasts well over a year.
So you're interested in the Non-Bio version? Are you allergic to enzymes? Any specific enzyme perhaps?
The Story of Two Persils
Ages ago posted this on THS, and have grown foggy on the details, but in a nut shell:
The Henkle family of Germany developed Persil washing powder (the name comes from two original chemicals), and the product was an instant hit. Persil gave a cleaner and whiter laundry when compared to soap flakes most haus-frau's were using at the time.
During the "war" the Henkle company ran into some trouble and the fore-runner of today's Lever Brothers in England began to produce Persil also. Again not sure of the entire story and too knackered to find my notes.
Long story short, both Lever Bros and Henkle own the rights to the Persil name. Lever Bros has the UK and the former "Empire" and Henkle Europe and most of the rest of the world.
There have been times when Lever Bros and or Henkle have come close to buying each other out, but things always fell through. As Persil is the premium detergent brand for both today, don't see any movement on that front anytime soon.
Regarding Persil Non-Bio sold in the UK:
Originally Lever Bros had planned to discontiune enzyme free Persil in their markets. However they hadn't counted on the housewives of Britian, Scotland and Wales launching a revolt. Lever Bros soon saw the light and the plan was shelved.
Persil Non-Bio is marketed heavily to mums, and those with allergies/prefer a non enzyme detergent. Mums were some of the loudest protesters against the plan to discontinue the product, and Lever Bros discovered just what a huge market they had.
Really is a shame Persil costs so dear in the United States. Equally shame making is the fact the entire product line from Germany is not available. Tablets, liqui-tabs, various formulas of mega-perls in sundry sizes, and stain removers are part of the Henkle line up.
American's whom love front loaders would be amazed at the depth and breath of detergents, bleaches, stain removal products and so on for front loaders in any Tesco's or corner market. There are even some pretty good store brand detergents for front loaders that are very economical.
Launderess
Ages ago posted this on THS, and have grown foggy on the details, but in a nut shell:
The Henkle family of Germany developed Persil washing powder (the name comes from two original chemicals), and the product was an instant hit. Persil gave a cleaner and whiter laundry when compared to soap flakes most haus-frau's were using at the time.
During the "war" the Henkle company ran into some trouble and the fore-runner of today's Lever Brothers in England began to produce Persil also. Again not sure of the entire story and too knackered to find my notes.
Long story short, both Lever Bros and Henkle own the rights to the Persil name. Lever Bros has the UK and the former "Empire" and Henkle Europe and most of the rest of the world.
There have been times when Lever Bros and or Henkle have come close to buying each other out, but things always fell through. As Persil is the premium detergent brand for both today, don't see any movement on that front anytime soon.
Regarding Persil Non-Bio sold in the UK:
Originally Lever Bros had planned to discontiune enzyme free Persil in their markets. However they hadn't counted on the housewives of Britian, Scotland and Wales launching a revolt. Lever Bros soon saw the light and the plan was shelved.
Persil Non-Bio is marketed heavily to mums, and those with allergies/prefer a non enzyme detergent. Mums were some of the loudest protesters against the plan to discontinue the product, and Lever Bros discovered just what a huge market they had.
Really is a shame Persil costs so dear in the United States. Equally shame making is the fact the entire product line from Germany is not available. Tablets, liqui-tabs, various formulas of mega-perls in sundry sizes, and stain removers are part of the Henkle line up.
American's whom love front loaders would be amazed at the depth and breath of detergents, bleaches, stain removal products and so on for front loaders in any Tesco's or corner market. There are even some pretty good store brand detergents for front loaders that are very economical.
Launderess
Thanks Launderess for your contribution. The German company is actually Henkel, but I guess Henkle is the way you would write it in English when you hear it.
Personally I prefer the Henkel Persil, but I have used only one small box of Lever Persil Non-Bio. I think that Non-bio works fine, but you have to reckon with certain stains not coming out totally. If you have allergies, you could try Persil Sensitive from Henkel that contains some enzymes but lacks the most agressive one IIRC.
Personally I prefer the Henkel Persil, but I have used only one small box of Lever Persil Non-Bio. I think that Non-bio works fine, but you have to reckon with certain stains not coming out totally. If you have allergies, you could try Persil Sensitive from Henkel that contains some enzymes but lacks the most agressive one IIRC.
Persil
Persil is probably my favourite brand of detergent here in the UK - good all round performance, and relatively cheaper then the P&G counterparts. I've actually found that Persil doesn't affect absorbency of towels at all - P&G detergents are oodled with softeners and do affect absorbency of towels I've found. With towels washed in Persil, I find time and time again that towels are still dry even after use. I've also found all Lever powders and tablets rinse out extremely well. Louis was watching my washer on a whites wash the other night on my webcam. I was using Surf (Unilever's other flagship product in the UK), with suds halfway up the window in the mainwash. Suds lock etc in the spin after the wash. By rinse 2 (of 4) the rinse water was clear!!!
Anyway my opinions of all the Unilever Persil products I have/used:
Persil Bio powder:
Good all round detergent. Great on whites, and has a nice fresh but subtle smell. Rinses out great.
Persil Non Bio powder:
Again, a good all round detergent, but not so good on whites and other stains due to lack of enzymes. Also higher chance of colours fading, due to the increased amount of bleach and brightening agents to make up for the lack of enzymes. Again rinses out well.
Persil Colour powder:
My favourite detergent for clothes. Great smelling, and also good at cleaning. Basically the same as Persil Bio but without optical brighteners or bleach so keeps colours good. Rinses out very well, but unlike Persil Non Bio and Bio, it does leave behind quite a strong, floral, but pleasant fragrance.
Persil Non Bio tabs:
Same as Persil Non Bio powder, but in tablet form. However suds up a fair bit (up to where suds can come halfway up the window), but all suds disappear by rinse 2. Always create suds locks in the spin after the wash, but that adds to the washer fun :-D. Very subtle smell, and makes towels extremely absorbent.
Surf tabs:
Identical to Persil Non Bio tabs in terms of sudsing and rinsing, but has more fragrance. Also biological, which means are more effective on whites than it's Persil non-bio cousin.
Haven't tried Biological or Colour Care tabs yet.
Liquitabs:
Only perform OK. Not too bad, but then again not outstanding. Also very high sudsing, and sometimes still a thick layer of suds in the final rinse.
Persil Liquigel:
This has the classic smell of 1980's Persil and smells very nostalgic. However, very very very very!!!! susceptible to sudsing, even half the recommended dose caused the drum to fill entirely with suds and the overdosing light to flash at me, and it triggered 3 extra rinses!!! So I only use this with the more delicate cycles with the less vigorous tumbling.
Persil Silk & Wool:
Smells like shampoo in the bottle! Was very off put at using it at first but actually smells really nice on the end result. This is a high sudsing detergent at warm temperatures (30/40*C) to "cushion" woolies and the like, but is designed so that it doesnt suds in cold water, I guess for better rinsing results.
That's my basic review on all Unilever Persil (and Surf) products (I'm not sure if it all made sense, its half past midnight here and I'm not very with it). I'll post some pics of how different varieties suds/rinse out, as and when I use the different products, if that will be of any interest to anybody
.
Take care all,
Jon
Persil is probably my favourite brand of detergent here in the UK - good all round performance, and relatively cheaper then the P&G counterparts. I've actually found that Persil doesn't affect absorbency of towels at all - P&G detergents are oodled with softeners and do affect absorbency of towels I've found. With towels washed in Persil, I find time and time again that towels are still dry even after use. I've also found all Lever powders and tablets rinse out extremely well. Louis was watching my washer on a whites wash the other night on my webcam. I was using Surf (Unilever's other flagship product in the UK), with suds halfway up the window in the mainwash. Suds lock etc in the spin after the wash. By rinse 2 (of 4) the rinse water was clear!!!
Anyway my opinions of all the Unilever Persil products I have/used:
Persil Bio powder:
Good all round detergent. Great on whites, and has a nice fresh but subtle smell. Rinses out great.
Persil Non Bio powder:
Again, a good all round detergent, but not so good on whites and other stains due to lack of enzymes. Also higher chance of colours fading, due to the increased amount of bleach and brightening agents to make up for the lack of enzymes. Again rinses out well.
Persil Colour powder:
My favourite detergent for clothes. Great smelling, and also good at cleaning. Basically the same as Persil Bio but without optical brighteners or bleach so keeps colours good. Rinses out very well, but unlike Persil Non Bio and Bio, it does leave behind quite a strong, floral, but pleasant fragrance.
Persil Non Bio tabs:
Same as Persil Non Bio powder, but in tablet form. However suds up a fair bit (up to where suds can come halfway up the window), but all suds disappear by rinse 2. Always create suds locks in the spin after the wash, but that adds to the washer fun :-D. Very subtle smell, and makes towels extremely absorbent.
Surf tabs:
Identical to Persil Non Bio tabs in terms of sudsing and rinsing, but has more fragrance. Also biological, which means are more effective on whites than it's Persil non-bio cousin.
Haven't tried Biological or Colour Care tabs yet.
Liquitabs:
Only perform OK. Not too bad, but then again not outstanding. Also very high sudsing, and sometimes still a thick layer of suds in the final rinse.
Persil Liquigel:
This has the classic smell of 1980's Persil and smells very nostalgic. However, very very very very!!!! susceptible to sudsing, even half the recommended dose caused the drum to fill entirely with suds and the overdosing light to flash at me, and it triggered 3 extra rinses!!! So I only use this with the more delicate cycles with the less vigorous tumbling.
Persil Silk & Wool:
Smells like shampoo in the bottle! Was very off put at using it at first but actually smells really nice on the end result. This is a high sudsing detergent at warm temperatures (30/40*C) to "cushion" woolies and the like, but is designed so that it doesnt suds in cold water, I guess for better rinsing results.
That's my basic review on all Unilever Persil (and Surf) products (I'm not sure if it all made sense, its half past midnight here and I'm not very with it). I'll post some pics of how different varieties suds/rinse out, as and when I use the different products, if that will be of any interest to anybody
.Take care all,
Jon
henkel
Unfortunately Henkel (that produces detergents directly in Italy, for the italian customers) doesn't produce Persil for the italian market: here we have Dixan (it's the detergent I use and prefer); when in Italy the first washing machines begin to appear after the second War, yes, we're a bit late :-( there where just two detergents to be used with machines: Dixan and Dash (produced by Procter & Gamble). But my mother remembers that, in the earliest '60s Persil appeared, for a few years, on the Italian market. For toy washing machines just Dixan (you can see the box in my collection) and (yes, from the USA) Tide...
Unfortunately Henkel (that produces detergents directly in Italy, for the italian customers) doesn't produce Persil for the italian market: here we have Dixan (it's the detergent I use and prefer); when in Italy the first washing machines begin to appear after the second War, yes, we're a bit late :-( there where just two detergents to be used with machines: Dixan and Dash (produced by Procter & Gamble). But my mother remembers that, in the earliest '60s Persil appeared, for a few years, on the Italian market. For toy washing machines just Dixan (you can see the box in my collection) and (yes, from the USA) Tide...
How is Persil Aloe?
Are there internet companies that will export to the US?
Are there internet companies that will export to the US?
Peter,
Click on the link and it will lead you to a site where you can order British detergents for the US. I've never used Persil aloe vera myself (it's basically the non biological detergent but with extracts of aloe vera added), but I'd assume that the cleaning performance would be similar, if not the same to that of the standard non bio Persil which I use.
Chris,
How are you finding the Persil?
Take care all,
Jon
Click on the link and it will lead you to a site where you can order British detergents for the US
. I've never used Persil aloe vera myself (it's basically the non biological detergent but with extracts of aloe vera added), but I'd assume that the cleaning performance would be similar, if not the same to that of the standard non bio Persil which I use.Chris,
How are you finding the Persil?
Take care all,
Jon
hooverac216
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2005
- Messages
- 89
u know i use the uk verson of persil power
and it is brillant
and it is brillant
But Persil Power was discontinued in 1995, only a few months after it was introduced, as it was so powerful it ate clothes...
Do you have a stash or something? ¬_¬
Jon
Do you have a stash or something? ¬_¬
Jon
Acrone,
Really like the Persil (German)regular and Sensitive,but refuse to pay the highway robbery prices demanded by stores here. Am getting enough nerve up to begin asking friends coming across the pond to bring me some Persil tabs tough.
Persil Aloe Vera has to be one of the biggest "much ado about nothing" laundry products out there. Aloe Vera straight from the plant is great for one's skin, but the tiny amounts in Persil's washing powder have no effect at all. Smells nice though, but not sure if that alone is worth the price.
Persil Power:
Persil Power contained a "new" type of bleaching agent based on manganese (sp). Darn stuff worked fine in bleaching spots, but also kept going and destroyed laundry! Product was withdrawn and detergent makers went off the "activated" oxygen bleach band wagon until safer alternatives were found.
Persil Tabs:
Many parts of Europe have water hard enough to chip teeth, and many washer owners complained of detergent powder residue in the dispensers caking up and growing moldy. Both Lever's and Henkels's answer to this was Persil tabs. One just put the tabs in the net, chucked the net into the washer with the load and that was that. Tabs were supposed to disslove quickly and disperse, being totally gone by wash end. Some customers did complain of finding bits of powder/tablet on their laundry after wash was done, but that could have also been caused by over loading the washer.
Problem with Persil tabs is the same with Wisk and Tide tabs in the United States, many customers weren't impressed with the "ease" as much as they were ticked off by having to use set dosages. Also during the intro, both Lever and Henkel gave away the net free with each box, now one has to send away for a net.
Launderess
Really like the Persil (German)regular and Sensitive,but refuse to pay the highway robbery prices demanded by stores here. Am getting enough nerve up to begin asking friends coming across the pond to bring me some Persil tabs tough.
Persil Aloe Vera has to be one of the biggest "much ado about nothing" laundry products out there. Aloe Vera straight from the plant is great for one's skin, but the tiny amounts in Persil's washing powder have no effect at all. Smells nice though, but not sure if that alone is worth the price.
Persil Power:
Persil Power contained a "new" type of bleaching agent based on manganese (sp). Darn stuff worked fine in bleaching spots, but also kept going and destroyed laundry! Product was withdrawn and detergent makers went off the "activated" oxygen bleach band wagon until safer alternatives were found.
Persil Tabs:
Many parts of Europe have water hard enough to chip teeth, and many washer owners complained of detergent powder residue in the dispensers caking up and growing moldy. Both Lever's and Henkels's answer to this was Persil tabs. One just put the tabs in the net, chucked the net into the washer with the load and that was that. Tabs were supposed to disslove quickly and disperse, being totally gone by wash end. Some customers did complain of finding bits of powder/tablet on their laundry after wash was done, but that could have also been caused by over loading the washer.
Problem with Persil tabs is the same with Wisk and Tide tabs in the United States, many customers weren't impressed with the "ease" as much as they were ticked off by having to use set dosages. Also during the intro, both Lever and Henkel gave away the net free with each box, now one has to send away for a net.
Launderess
Hey Launderess,
I use both Fairy and Persil tablets (as mentioned before) quite frequently, and I've found that they give good results. With P&G tablets (Ariel, Daz, Bold, Fairy etc), you can put them directly into the drawer for easier use. However Unilever products do need a net as you stated; however I think that Unilever have received enough complaints now to the point where they've started putting nets in their products again. Certainly the last 4 or 5 boxes of Persil tabs, and the couple boxes of Surf tabs have come with the net already provided. Of course, now it means I have a huge collection of nets, but they are always useful for kids arts projects etc, and a lot of the kids art programmes (Art Attack, SMart etc... not sure if those TV programmes are shown on any kids channels in America) now use them for different kinds of art projects. Anyway, a lot of people who complain about tablets not dissolving in the nets; either overloaded as you suggested, put the net in the centre of the load (one is supposed to place the net on top of the load, or in the drum before loading clothes on top), or simply they put 3 or 4 tabs in (yes, a lot of people seem to have this mentality that more is better sometimes).
I remember mum tried Persil Power once (must have been about 6 or 7 when it was out). We didn't experience it eating the clothes, but it didn't half make us kids itch!! I believe at the same time, Persil Power replaced the Non Biological product for a while; however there were so many complaints especially from mothers that they put a Non Biological product back onto the market again.
In reference to Aloe Vera, I don't think you pay anymore extra for it - its just another product in their line the same price as all the others. Which is good, as I guess many people wouldn't pay extra for Persil Aloe Vera if it was for the smell alone.
Happy washing!!
Jon
I use both Fairy and Persil tablets (as mentioned before) quite frequently, and I've found that they give good results. With P&G tablets (Ariel, Daz, Bold, Fairy etc), you can put them directly into the drawer for easier use. However Unilever products do need a net as you stated; however I think that Unilever have received enough complaints now to the point where they've started putting nets in their products again. Certainly the last 4 or 5 boxes of Persil tabs, and the couple boxes of Surf tabs have come with the net already provided. Of course, now it means I have a huge collection of nets, but they are always useful for kids arts projects etc, and a lot of the kids art programmes (Art Attack, SMart etc... not sure if those TV programmes are shown on any kids channels in America) now use them for different kinds of art projects. Anyway, a lot of people who complain about tablets not dissolving in the nets; either overloaded as you suggested, put the net in the centre of the load (one is supposed to place the net on top of the load, or in the drum before loading clothes on top), or simply they put 3 or 4 tabs in (yes, a lot of people seem to have this mentality that more is better sometimes).
I remember mum tried Persil Power once (must have been about 6 or 7 when it was out). We didn't experience it eating the clothes, but it didn't half make us kids itch!! I believe at the same time, Persil Power replaced the Non Biological product for a while; however there were so many complaints especially from mothers that they put a Non Biological product back onto the market again.
In reference to Aloe Vera, I don't think you pay anymore extra for it - its just another product in their line the same price as all the others. Which is good, as I guess many people wouldn't pay extra for Persil Aloe Vera if it was for the smell alone.
Happy washing!!
Jon
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