This week's review is of plastic free, eco-friendly direct to consumer brand Smol.
We've actually signed up to their dishwasher tablets and laundry wash subscription, but we're yet to try the laundry offer. The subscription itself is nice and easy, but just a quick comment on ordering from multiple brands directly - it does mean that we're racking up a number of regular orders, all with different accounts and payments taken. This is completely nothing to do with Smol individually, but the multiple subscriptions is starting to grate against my need for simplicity and minimalism - which extends to the digital world for sure. It may be the reason why eventually we end up using someone like Bower or whoever gets to offering multiple products across a range of household needs in one hit. Having said that, Smol are currently extending their range - so we may well do a wider comparison another time.
But back to dishwasher tablets. I am a GREAT fan of dishwashers - rightly or wrongly. There's some evidence out there to suggest they are more water efficient than handwashing, so I'll be easily convinced on this one as we're a family of four. We do still do some handwashing for pans, chopping boards, kitchen knives and the like, and that is enough!
So we were super keen to find some more environmentally friendly, plastic free options versus our traditional supermarket brands which were starting to sound like an 80s sci-fi or Bond film with things like "PowerBall" and "Quantum" in them. Who knows what they meant, but the marketers sure had fun with it I'm sure.
So along with the plastic packaging, the ingredients of our last store-bought dishwasher tablets stated: "15-30% Non-Ionic Surfactants, 5-15% Oxygen-Based Bleaching Agents, Polycarboxylates, Phosphonates, Contains Enzymes (Subtilisin, Amylase), Perfumes (Limonene)". Eek.
Smol still has nasties in it - but claims to be at "lower concentrations" but with no loss in performance. And so far I'd have to agree. Absolutely no complaints from using them. But I guess this is incremental improvements in formulation rather than revolution.
Where Smol stands apart is on the packaging. With Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved card and paper, the packaging is all sustainably sourced and is fully recyclable. One more step towards a smaller plastic footprint. And the delivery is super efficient with no additional packaging for home delivery which is pleasing. And the extra thought into making the packaging child friendly is a bonus - something that the very shiny plastic pack of the store bought tablets certainly didn't have.
All in all, a good improvement on what we'd had.
Let us know if you've seen other options for dishwashers that work harder on the ingredients.
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