Which? Detergent Tests 30°C Jan 2009

[2drumsallergy]

Hi Folks,
The latest Which? Magazine arrived earlier today with the latest round of UK detergent tests. This time they seem to have tested just Persil Small & Mighty Liquids and Ariel Excel Gel at 30°C.
The winner with a score of 75% was Ariel Excel Gel. Second place with a score of 60% goes to Persil Small & Mighty Bio and third place with a score of 58% goes to Persil Small& Mighty Non Bio.

David

Ariel Excel Gel
Score: 75%

Ariel Excel Gel is a great laundry liquid for removing stains while keeping whites white and colours bright.

The gel also washed out food stains such as chocolate ice cream and bolognese sauce with ease.

Laundry liquids often struggle to keep whites bright as they don’t contain bleach. Detergents containing bleach are notorious for stripping colour. Yet this gel is unusual – whites don’t grey and colours aren’t washed away. This means that colours in brightly contrasting clothes, such as blue and white striped Breton jumpers, last longer.

New Ariel Excel Gel is claimed to clean at a chilly 15°C, but as there are few washing machines on the market that can wash at this temperature, we tested it at 30°C.

Price £3.99 Bottle size 666ml Washes per pack 18 Cost per wash 22p

Persil Small and Mighty Bio
Score: 60%

Surprisingly, this bio is only slightly superior to its non-bio counterpart. The bio version of Small and Mighty has the edge on the non-bio version for cleaning on food stains. It cleaned away more pureed carrot (baby food), egg yolk and cocoa.

We tested this laundry liquid at 30°C. Because Persil claims its laundry liquids 'can produce brilliantly clean clothes even at low temperatures'.

Whiteness may look poor, but apart from the Ariel Excel Gel, Persil brightened to a greater degree than other liquid detergents previously tested at 40°C. Persil Small and Mighty does not contain bleach.

Price £3.99 Bottle size 730ml/1470ml Washes per pack 20/40 Cost per wash 20p/17p

Persil Small and Mighty Non Bio
Score: 58%

This Non-bio from Persil excelled by removing more fatty stains than the other Best Buy liquids, but struggled with food stains.

Like most non-bios, food stains like egg yolk, cocoa and chocolate ice cream proved problematic. Yet fatty stains didn’t faze it – this non bio removed more lipstick and dirty motor oil from our test clothes than any of the other liquid detergents tested at 40°C, even though Persil Small and Mighty Non Bio was tested at 30°C.

Price £3.99 Bottle size 730ml/1470ml Washes per pack 20/40 Cost per wash 20p/17p

Credit Which?

 

[jerrod6]

I ordered Ariel Gel from the UK in October and used it for a few weeks. My cold water is now 48F but when I tried the Gel it was 67F. I really don't care for it.
It left ground in dirt remaining on my white socks and it took for ever to come out of the dispensing cup. 12 minutes after the wash started some of the gel was still in the cup which doesn't work well with a normal 10 to 20 minute wash in my machine. It did better using an extended cycle but still, this is 12 minutes wasted.

The color Gel contains optical brighteners. I didn't know this until I looked at a set of dark navy blue towels and noticed them shimmering under the lights. Don't want that for any colors. In my water conditions It was also rather sudsy.

 

[2drumsallergy]

Ariel Excel Gel

Hi Jerrod,
Please bear in mind that Ariel Excel Gel is designed for European Front Loaders with very long cycle times, typically over two hours on a normal Cotton cycle. The wash part of the cycle usually lasts over an hour on most UK washers so the gel has plenty of time to disperse.
I must admit it is my favorite detergent and I get great results with it especially on whites including my Nike sports socks.

David

 

[launderess]

I've Done Told You

And told you, and told you. *LOL*

Detergents are tested and marketed towards countries/areas they are sold. And while in theory it shouldn't make that much of a difference,in reality it can make a great deal of difference.

Even P&G tests Tide (and probably other brands as well), in many different areas of the United States due to the varying nature of water and soil conditions.

European and UK detergents have to cope with water hardness that rarely arises in the US. In addition to this the water must be conditioned in such a way that also copes with limescale prevention on internal heating units of washing machines.

American detergents, by and large are designed to be very aggressive in order to clean in short wash cycles. This is mainly because most US households continue to use top loading washing machines. Even when "HE" detergents are introduced, they tend to be built along the same lines as their high sudsing counterparts, with just some anti-foaming agents bunged in. Proof of this is how easily it is to get any version of Tide "HE" to cause massive amounts of froth, and how difficult it can be to rinse the stuff out.

Being as all the above palaver may be, have had great sucess using Persil and other European detergents. However they are being used in a vintage Miele washer which as long cycle times, even on "short". When we had the a Malber unit, there really wasn't that much of difference between Persil and say Wisk tabs.

Though have some American detergents in my stash, mainly Wisk tabs and "Power Scoop- unscented), find nothing rinses cleaner than European detergents.

 

[peterh770]

Persil S&M bio = Wisk 3x
Persil S&M non-bio = ALL 3x

IMHO...

 

[spoodles]

Thanks David!

I remember you mentioning that they were testing it. Not surprising that it won - it's still my favourite detergent too.

Considering what they say about the Bio version being good for colours I wonder if there's much difference from the Colour version? I know the ingredients listed are the same but I still wouldn't wash colours in anything but the Colour version! They are right about the whiteness though - amazing, especially for a liquid.

Thanks again for posting David.

Simon

 

[jerrod6]

David

I knew Ariel Gel was formulated for Europe so I expected some differences. On my white load I used my machines "Extended" cycle option which gives me a long European wash cycle so I didn't have the problem with the Gel remaining in the cup...the white socks were still not clean though. Now I also tried it at a temp of 120F and had no problem...but this is supposed to work in cold water of 15C.

You are washing your sports socks with good results at a temperature of 67F? I guess that's about 19C?

Years ago I had a very bad problem with skin rashes and found it was caused by detergent residue so the reason I try Euro detergents is as laundress said...most of them rinse very well and most clean very well in my water conditions too.

No matter, I enjoy trying different things so I am not upset at the outcome I received and Ariel powder works great for me.

 

[jeffg]

For heavily soiled whites try Ariel Gel + 1/3 cup STPP in a 60C cycle. Also make sure loads are large enough to get adequate tumbling/friction action during wash cycles.

STPP rinses very easily and shouldn't cause skin rash or irritation problems.

 

[dj-gabriele]

I love Ariel! Too bad it's not sold down here in Italy!!! There only are 3 hand washing versions of it, all high sudsing for you bubble lovers! But apart the name there's nothing to compare!
I still have bottle of the bio liquid left... I love the smell!
And it also cleans farly good, even if I always use powders if i'm washing at more than 40° because the results are way better than any liquid.

 

[MrX]

Tried it, didn't like it.

I tried Ariel Excel Gel and found it to be all marketing hype and quite a mediocre detergent.

1) The lid / dispenser is solid and bangs around in the drum, it also became wedged into the door seal of our Aqualtis towards the end of the wash. I am not a fan of these devices, and I don't like using them.

2) It's messy and difficult to dispense. Because the gel's so thick, it's quite difficult to dispense, particularly when the pack's nearly empty.

3) The lid leaks. When stored in the 'correct' upside down position the lid got quite messy and leaky.

4) Performance - not very impressive at all. The detergent is no where near as good as Ariel Powder or Persil powder.

5) Scent - I am not a fan of Ariel Liquid's sent generally and I found this new product to be as unpleasant.

6) The product didn't seem to disperse into the wash very quickly as it's so thick. On an Aqualtis FASTWASH (30 mins total cycle run time), I checked the cap at the end of the wash portion of the cycle and there were still traces of detergent sitting in the cup! Which means it was still dispersing during the rinses!!.. At least with a normal liquid or Persil S&M you know it's well dispersed very quickly.

Overall, I didn't like the product and felt it was a marketing gimmik. I certainly won't be using it again.

Persil S&M is a lot more practical as you can just pour a cap of it into the drawer, or even into the end of the drum before the start of the wash. It's free flowing and easy to deal with. I quite like it for use on FastWash / Quick wash type programmes.

I didn't find Ariel Excel to be any better than Persil S&M, but I FAR prefer the Persil liquid scent and practicality.

For dirty clothes, I will stick with powders though.

 

[aquarius1984]

So glad im not the only one who finds Ariel Excel Gel a poor excuse of a product.

I have given it many chances and it really does not cut the mustard at any temperature for me - manky dishcloths that come out still grey, shirts that still have spill marks on them and yes it does leave a vile scent.

I popped around to my parents this morning and noticed the dosing saucer atop the LG but didnt say anything.

Mum came back over to my place a bit later and noticed my bottle beside the washer and asked how I was finding it...

We both agreed neither of us were lowering our temperatures to cold although she IIRC sticks to 40*c for coloureds and 40/60*c for whites occasionally.

I casually mentioned about disliking liquids for the gunge/smell thing to which she exclaimed her machine reaks, she just thought it was just hers.

Explained the whole washing weekly whites at 95*c with a decent powder will stop the problem.

Noticed also that her Hoover Crumble Dryer was no more, empty space where it sat next to the washer. didnt make it to its 6th birthday.

Rather disgusting really considering the amount of 20+ year old dryers still going, I mean is making a reliable dryer too much for Candy to handle I wonder?

Ariel Gel? not for us in Christmassy Cheshire im afraid.

 

[jerrod6]

I tested it in cold water so that is the temperature I expect it to perform well in, as advertised. If I am going to get good results from it at 60C then I can use something else and get those results. What is the point of using it then?

My thoughts about it really don't count that much because it IS made for the UK and I live in the USA - different water conditions.

 

[spoodles]

What exactly are people doing with it that means it doesn't work?!

Or is it just a general dislike for P&G products? ;-)

It cleans wonderfully well at any temperature. No gimmicks whatsoever.

If it was all mouth and no trousers I doubt they would have the gall to make some of the claims that they do about the product. Seems like the Which review is pretty accurate to me and judging by the previous thread about it, most others agreed too!

 

[sudsmaster]

Not so sure how well Euro detergents rinse.

I have the Mieles set up to drain into a white plastic laundry tub, which slowly drains into a commode some 50 feet ways via a 3/4" diameter garden hose hookup.

When I was using regular Persil powder in the Miele, I noticed a lot of grayish white flaky powder build up in the laundry tub. It was like lint, but it was the zeolites that Persil uses to build it powder detergents with.

I then switched over to my usual top loader detergent: Sears Ultra Plus HE with 33% STPP added. Result: no more linty build-up in the laundry tub. Fabrics had about the same feel as before, although the Sears product does suds more than the Persil as the wash temperature increases (to a max of 170F).

Why the switch? Well, I was concerned that the zeolite sludge would build up in the garden hose used as a drain line, and eventually clog it. I was also curious as to how well the Sears/STPP mix would clean compared to the Persil (about the same).

Now it's possible that the zeolite sludge gets completely removed from the fabrics during the rinses, but I just don't like the idea of using dirt to get rid of dirt ;-).

 

[launderess]

Zeolites

Well, it wasn't long ago that one stated didn't like the stuff either, but IIRC, was assured by one of the "Suds" (cannot remember which or even who), of the virtues of zeolites in replacing phosphates.

IIRC, also stated many commercial laundry products have moved on from the stuff, or at least use products that do not contain it when laundering items that will be later run through an ironer.

Powedered "Wisk Power Scoop", in my stash is heavy with zeolites (aka aluminosilicates), and yes the rinse waters one can still see "lint". However ith proper dosage normally the final rinse water is clear.

Have not used Persil powder in ages, and though the Persil Megaperls in my stash does contaiin zeolites (SASIL is Henkel's patented name), normally by the third or certainly final rinse, the water is clear. Perhaps they use less of the stuff in the megaperls formula versus powders.

Zeolites are next on the EU's environmenal hit list, and may be banned. If you think it can clog up one's washing machine, imagine what all the stuff does to waterways, or hard to filter away.

The commercial European detergent in my stash is zeolite free, and it does leave items laundered with a softer hand.

L.

 

[rolls_rapide]

What exactly are people doing with it that means it doesn&#3

Zanussi IZ16: Cottons @ 40 degrees Celsius, wash time: 2hrs 6 mins approximately. Dosage: 40ml in dosing device.

And it did not remove all trace of bolognaise sauce from a tea towel; merely faded it.

Also, I'm not convinced that it cleans towels very well either; left them smelling musty.

It might be suitable for lightly soiled coloureds, but I'm not sure that it is at all suitable for heavy soil conditions.

 

[2drumsallergy]

A general dislike of P&G products

Hi Simon,
I don't know what is going on here either!

I do suspect a general dislike of P&G products amongst some on this board, but this is often the case where highly successful companies and their products are concerned.

Another possibility is the washers being used are poor performers. Not all washers are created equally!

Ariel Excel Gel is without any doubt the best detergent I have ever used. My whites are positively radiant, in fact a number of the care workers that help with my Grandmother have asked me how I get my white towels so white, I tell them its Ariel Excel Gel and when they try it they are hooked.

The Which? tests speak volumes as to its superior performance.

David

 

[MrX]

I have to say I didn't find it all that great. I washed some tea towels with grease stains with this product and they didn't come out.

Rewashed them with normal Ariel powder and they came out perfectly.

It's good FOR A LIQUID, I don't like the packaging or the scent though.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Zeolites

"The use of zeolites considerably increases aluminium content of sewage." CEEP, page four.

I have often wondered about that grey-white sludge that builds up in the filter area of my Zanussi. It has to go somewhere, and if it ends up clogging sewerage systems that can't be good.

Take a look and see what you think. Here is a link:

http://www.ceep-phosphates.org/Files/Document/79/CEEP%20phosphates%20in%20Europe.pdf