Which is the best UK detergent stockist?

[nickuk]

I went to ASDA today, and having recently visited all major supermarkets, decided this was in my opinion the best for detergent. Why? (1) Price. Beat all other supermarkets on all (from what I could see) products. (2) Great fun uber sized packs. (3) Range. I bought Fairy Snow! Stergene! They still stock Aloe Vera Tabs - Sainsburys and Tesco don't.

Anyway have conflicting views? I will also speak a little of the detergents I got. This follows on from threads elsewhere.

Bix box Ariel vs big box Ariel. First impressions. Ariel box lid does not open nicely - the hinge at the back is not present. Nor does it close properly. Nor is there a scoop. None of these three can be said of the Persil. The Ariel dose suggestions are way inflated, Persil dose suggestions quite inflated. However, Ariel would win slightly on scent and appearance of the powder IMHO. In use, Ariel is still a bugger to rinse out. The scent is very strong after the wash. Persil is a little better on both these aspects. Cleaning I think is fine with both - I'm not clever enough to comment on this.

I still prefer the Persil tabs over both of these powders as I like a clear rinse and I believe only Unilever tabs give a clear final rinse. As I've said previously, I drank a glass of it a couple of weeks ago!

I also bought Daz powder - new scent. Blue bits in it. (Were there before? I think not). Well you'll either love or hate this. I washed one pillow cushion cover in it three days ago with softener too and it's still perfuming the lounge. To me it's very `tropical', a bit like a previous incarnation of Daz and orange Lenor, in short a bit common! I quite like it but I couldn't use it everyday.....Sophie was sneezing like mad when she sat down on it, I still haven't told her why...... having two people in the family with genuine detergent / conditioner allergies is really interesting for a detergent tester! Does that make me an absolute git?!!!!

Fairy Snow is lovely - a really light scent like the normal Fairy scent but much lighter. And unlike Persil non bio handwash powder it's phosphated and doesn't contain any fragrance allergens. I like! This will be my handwash detergent of choice I'm sure.

I bought a large bottle of Ariel Color liquid - 2.5l for £4. I don't much like the scent of this product but it's a superb pretreater / cleaner of oven racks / biological presoak.... you get the idea, it's one of my laundry room staples. It also clean rinses. I prefer the scent of Persil liquigel but that's about the only advantage it has IMO.

Look after y'selves

Nick

 

[lavamat_jon]

Nick - I've actually found Morrisons are better at stocking a wider range of detergents. They have every product from every brand there - and with most they have most brands of powder in 1, 3 and 5kg packs, whereas Asda don't sell 3kg boxes of their own bio detergent or 1kg boxes of Persil Colour. However because Morrisons is a bit crappy at stocking everything else besides detergents/conditioners, hardly go there and if I do it's often just to add stock to my detergent collection. Competitive prices too, though nowadays all supermarkets seem to have the same sort of price.

I have to say though that if you stay loyal to the big box names and use a lot of it then Asda really is the place of choice; they seem to stock more 2.5l bottles of liquids and also have huge boxes (7 or 9 kilos) of Persil, Ariel, Daz, Fairy and their own brand of powder.

BTW when I last used Daz powder about 6 or 8 months ago, it had blue specks in it then - what are the blue bits like in the new formula? Are they just speckles, or are they big blue "sugar stands" like the new formula of Ariel?

In terms of rinsing I've always found P&G tabs and powder a bugger to rinse out at times (though my mum's new Miele seems to cope well with Bold and Fairy), and Persil have always had the best rinsing powder (2nd rinse is always clear for me using a full 160ml scoop), however though the Persil tabs are great at rinsing out I find they are a bugger for sudsing in the wash and almost always cause a sudslock in the wash spin. I haven't used Persil tabs yet in the new Miele but the distribution tumbles in the wash does contribute a bit to foaming (not unlike the Hoover New Waves which spun in the wash), so because detergent is driven into clothes I find less is needed so that does help somewhat on the sudsing issue there, and of course with tabs you are limited to dosing so that's not really a possibility anymore.

Anyway that's enough of me rambling for one night

Jon

 

[aquarius1984]

said it once. Say it again. Persil. Every variation does what its designed for. Im not plugging tesco as i work for them but we have a decent range of detergents that work. We also just launched a new range of own label enviro friendly household goods to compete with ecover called naturally something i cant remember even though im sat in the staff room posting this. persil 3kg boxes on offer at min and comfort on too. Ariel does not cut the mustard where whites are concerned and if anybody wants to meet me with their washed in ariel only whites or daz for that matter too i will prove i have the cleanest whites without using silly dosages in the uk! Muhahahaha. I use about 160mls myself in a 95.c cotton cycle any machine with a super rinse.if something has a a stain on i do add about 1 tablespoon extra but no more. I never use additional stain removers either. No calgon. Its a waste of money anyway. but i do use comfort easy iron conc.

 

[aquarius1984]

i think we do need to get a grip too. Does it really matter if a powder has little sparkly bits of crushed diamonds in it Just to look nice? If it does the job then who cares? Lol not meaning to sound bitchy just my opinion. I would also rather have weaker smelling powder as i love my comfort fragrance to shine through. I use softener in every load so its not an issue with me.

 

[zanussi_lover]

I use ariel colour & style powder (purple box) on everything, it has the old ariel smell (i used to use the green box ariel before they changed the packaging and scent) and i find even though it doesn't have bleach in it, my whites come out ever so white after going in on a 60 degree wash, i'd expect them to go dull but wash after wash they still come up nice and white, my work uniform gets washed at 30 with ariel colour powder and some comfort and it still looks brand new, my friend washes her uniform with daz and it looks tired and worn, i like my clothes to last and this detergent i'm using is amazing.

another detergent i'd recommend is surf tropical, my grandma uses it and it gets stains out really well even on a 40 degree wash and gets whites really white, she doesn't use softener so her conservatory smells lovely when u go into her house and you can smell the surf.

I'm allergic to the new ariel biological powder, its scent is too strong and too overpowering, it makes me itch in fact, i can only use the colour version,

Kyle xx

 

[aquarius1984]

Nick Jon my deepest apologies. i just realised after an hour of ranting to myself on the shop floor about proctor and gamble that i need to grow up. I now realise that part of the fun you guys have about laundry is choosing and trying new detergents and softeners and its not for me to say thats wrong. I feel that i have just as much fun even though i have selected what is imo the god of products and enjoy using that one brand in a variety of machines. So. . . . If you love the new ariel im totally happy you do and keep enjoyin it. And i really do mean that. Just keep me informed of its performance and who knows one day . . . Well i always kinda liked the smell of ariel bio liquid. Better than persil bio liquigel. Lol Nick

 

[aquarius1984]

kyle how scary is that we posted at exactly 7 mins past. Do do do do lmao

 

[zanussi_lover]

Ariel bio powder

Hey Nick i hate the new ariel bio powder!!!!

It stinks and makes me itch

Ariel colour and style powder for me any day!!!

Kyle x

 

[aquarius1984]

im not commenting. I done enough damage tonight about ariel. Will email you my mobile number at some point this week. Dont fancy doing it here you dont know whos looking but there are a few members here i not had a chat with yet and i really must do.

 

[zanussi_lover]

you got msn nick??

Kyle x

 

[aquarius1984]

no i dont sorry. If you check out my post on wash boosters in delux i explain how i use the internet at minute. I expect to get my own internet connection soon though so i will be. Your up late? My excuse is i work nights and its my break time at min. Mmm boring cup a soup. How exciting lol x

 

[zanussi_lover]

snap i work nights too, i work at subway its horrible, i work 6-midnight friday and saturday nights, i'm so sick of subway!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kyle x

 

[aquarius1984]

swap my tesco chinese chicken flavour cup a soup for a italian meats 6inch honey and whatever it is sub. Dont forget my m and m cookie either! I also want olives girkins and well everything i can have on it. Ranch dressing.

 

[zanussi_lover]

gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh would you like that toasted?? single or double cheese, gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what am i saying i'm not at work I HATE SUBWAY!!

 

[nickuk]

Thanks for your responses....

Jon, the speckled bits in Daz are the same as ever - not the new blue `lugs'.

We don't really have much Morrisons down South but there is one over near Maldon which I'll certainly visit!

Zanussi lover, `purple' powder is fine to use on whites and they will stay naturally white (if not `whiter than white') if always washed separately with appropriate wash conditions. But it cannot chemically remove certain stains, namely dye stains. So in this respect it will never perform as well as a `green' powder. But I guess you know that adding any `oxy boost' type product to the `purple' products is a way around.
that. Vanish oxi action crystal white contains tons of brightener - you could have some fun with that! It's not cheap though.

The new bio Ariel scent is certainly very strong and is designed not to rinse out no matter how many rinses you do. I like the scent though.......it's fresh and crisp to my nose.

Nick, it is ok for someone to freely ask any reasonable question relating to detergent in this `super' forum (the correct place for such matters) and subsequently it is ok for someone to answer that question without having a third party jump in first and make a sarcastic comment. I won't speak for Jon, but you do not have the right to tell me to `get a grip'. It's not the first time you've posted something which goes against the ethos of this friendly sight and then a while later apologised. However, thanks for the apology.

If I were a less tolerant person I would question the politeness of this legitimate thread being hijacked in order for two people to have a dialogue about supermarket tea breaks and fast food outlets!

Nick

 

[lavamat_jon]

Bio Ariel

Nick - shame that you don't have Morrisons down there - they really are the Aladdin's Cave when it comes to varieties of detergent. More selection than Asda, and definitely a lot more than the measly range Sainsburys and Tesco offer at least here in Lincoln - both of the latter which are quite big supermarkets, and both definitely bigger than Morrisons which manages to stock more than any other supermarket. (Our local Tesco doesn't even sell 5 kilo boxes of powder). Another great Aladdin's Cave when it comes to detergents is Wilkinson's - they only sell 1 kilo boxes but they do sell all the exotic brands (Acdo, Washpods, Aquados etc..) as well as the mainstream ones. Our Wilkinsons is a bit thin on the liquid detergent side, but Dan's local Wilko's up in Hartlepool has a bigger variety than ours and it sells more or less every brand of liquid too, whereas my local Wilkos just has Ariel Daz and Bold I think. Wilkinsons often have great offers too - often selling 2 bottles of Ariel liquid or Ariel powder for £3, and Comfort concentrates are often at offer for below £1.

I have to say I agree with you on Ariel bio - I don't find it repulsive at all, and it is a very nice, fresh scent almost like the old Alpine version if I'm remembering correctly. I have to say though from that my experience it doesn't really leave a strong scent on the laundry (less subtle than Bold, and for me I even struggle to smell Bold at the end), however the scent does remain in the washer drum even if you've done 5 washes after in a different detergent. Plus, I haven't had any complaints of itching either when I've used Ariel bio on the laundry - and my sister and dad both have very sensitive skin. Mind you Daz is a different story - even after all the maximum rinsing options you can do in the Miele I still get complaints of people itching... Daz certainly isn't the most sensitive of detergents; plus because it's cheaper it seems to have more bleach to compensate for the ingredients that haven't been added which are in the more expensive powders, so it definitely isn't the choice for colours or darks (or even whites in my opinion).

Nick I also agree with you about colour detergents on whites - whilst they probably can clean I feel that bio stuff (or even non bio for that fact) leaves them whiter because of the bleach which works better on those dye stains - especially on white garments where stains are more visible thus the importance of the stains getting removed is more important.

On the Ariel Persil argument, I have to say that I believe both brands perform similarly to each other - though I do prefer the rinsability of Persil products, I find that Ariel Sensitive seems to perform slightly better than Persil Non Bio. I siwtch between Persil and Ariel all the time and I haven't noticed any difference in how white my whites are between either brand like I can between Ariel and Persil, and cheaper brands of detergent such as Surf or Daz. However I do limit to 60*C when I wash whites (and often do them at just 50*C or 40*C if there are temperature sensitive garments in the load) as I find socks underwear etc can't withstand any higher temperatures, so perhaps Nick's (aquarius1984) 95*C washes contribute to results there. In terms of non biological stuff mum is using Fairy powder at the moment in a bulk box from JTF (as you probably know by now my mum is a fan for bulk buying), and that actually seems to perform better than I remember it doing.

However to further throw a spanner in the works, I've found that both Henkel's Filetti brand and those Aquados powder capsules seem to perform just as well as Ariel or Persil, though in the long term I'll probably just stick with Ariel and Persil as I always fall back on them because they're what I know. However, staying with the "alternative detergent" scene, I've given the new formula of Ecover (which has Ecover bleach integrated into the formula eliminating the need to add extra Ecover bleach) a try and I have to say on normally soiled laundry it's great, however the performance was pure dismal on whites - I used a full hard water dose (nothing I ever do with other detergents, I usually use the amount for medium water) and even after a prewash and a long cottons wash with Stain action in the AEG there was still brown stains on the bottom of socks, something which Ariel, Persil, Aquados etc lift off completely even on a short 60*C wash.

But anyway before I speculate on whatever detergent I will stick to using I've still got a cupboard full of detergents to get through, including 2 unopened 30 wash boxes of Bold and an unopened 7kg box of Persil with Comfort!

Take care all,

Jon

 

[aquarius1984]

Nick, i could not agree more about my antics the other night. In a moment of not thinking and getting carried away i can assure you that i understand the friendly ethics of this site and im not out to make enemies. Quite the opposite especially now i know now there are people out there that share my hobby too. Apologies again. Jon you didnt comment and thats up to you whether you want to but the same goes in apologies to you too. norrisons here in both our local stores carry a better selection than tesco but we do have 5kg most 1kg and all 3kg as well a fileti and ecover. The ecover rival we launched is called naturally kind. Im not sure if there is a powder on th way. Not seen it but there is a wash liquid and softener i notice.if we get decent regular sales off it which we dont with ecover i may try a bottle but i will see what the public do first. i admit but as with any retailer variations go from region to region and tesco do operate with the ethos that if it dosnt sell well they dont stock it. The only way to get a certain product back into store is plenty of requests from customers to get it back and then maintain sales. Although it can be very hard for customers to achieve this. On the flip side our wilkos for the size store it is (a disused normid store) only has a select display of detergents namely 1kg packs and tablets. Few liquids last time i was on. No lever ones except persil silk and wool. I also have a couple of theories about socks which i will post later if i get time. Nick 84

 

[sadose]

I have to agree with Jon, Morrisons all the way for me, and if you're a northerner...like me, you are spoiled with the sizes and varieties of Morrison's stores on offer. Sheffield has four of them all unique and different and each one offers slightly different lines of detergent but by far the best range and choice with some good offers on.

I've temporarily moved to Harrogate in North Yorks, still haven't explored the area yet....Reminder to self, do a water hardness check before flogging this Bosch I have the privelige to use up here...