Laundry detergent subscription brands such as Smol, Splosh and Bower Collective also claim to offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to what's in the supermarket.
We've tested Smol and Splosh to see how they compare against supermarket brands - and each other - and whether their green claims will make a world of difference.
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Price comparison
While a commercial product such as Ariel All-in-One Pods can cost 28p per wash, a supermarket brand liquid detergent like Aldi's Almat Bio costs just 10p per wash. So, while Smol is on the cheaper side for a laundry tablet, it's certainly not the thriftiest option.
Smol's 'free' trial isn't technically free - you'll have to pay £1 to cover postage - but you can try it out with 9 capsules sent to your door.
How frequently you'll need a new pack delivered will depend on the number of tablets you use per wash (you can use two if you like) and how many washes you do a week.
For example, if you do five washes a week with one capsule per wash, a new 24-pack will be delivered every 33 days. You can choose to delay the next pack being sent, or request one earlier if you've been doing more laundry than usual.
Green claims
All Smol packaging is made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved sustainable materials and is 100% recyclable.
Household products sold in the UK can't be tested on animals, due to EU law. Because Smol is a British operation that currently doesn't have a parent company, you can be sure that no international branches or sister companies test on animals either, which isn't the case with large internationals Procter & Gamble (which owns Ariel) and Unilever (which owns Persil).
Smol claims to have lower levels of added chemicals than other capsule brands. However, all cleaning capsules have to be safe to be sold in the UK and just because a product contains more or less chemicals than another does not affect how sustainable that product is.
The first delivery of tablets comes with a 'bottle for life' made using recycled plastic, which you can reuse with every delivery of tablets to help reduce plastic waste.
How well does it clean?
Splosh
Price comparison
All three are pricier than many supermarket brands, but similar in price-per-wash to Ariel, Fairy and Persil liquid detergents. Branded laundry capsules tend to be more expensive, with commercial products such as Ariel All-in-One Pods costing 28p per wash.
However, Splosh SuperSize non-bio refills are available to buy for £18.95 (including postage). One refill box contains enough liquid to top up your bottle five times – equivalent to 115 washes. Splosh says that this means each wash will cost you around 16p.
Green claims
Splosh products are delivered as concentrates, which you then dilute at home with tap water. As such, Splosh claims that it uses three or four times less plastic packaging compared to supermarket products. Splosh pouches also weigh about 70% less than bottles and dispensers.
Combined, Splosh claims this means its refill pouches reduce plastic waste by around 95%. So as not to waste the other 5%, you can send your used refill pouches back to Splosh where they can be cleaned, sanitised and refilled. If pouches can't be refilled, they are made into new products.
Just like Smol and Bower Collective, Splosh is a British company, so it doesn't test on animals and it isn't connected with any international companies that may do so.
How well does it clean?
Live more sustainably –Bower Collective
Price comparison
It also sells lots of cleaning products, including dishwashing liquid, plus a variety of personal care items and kitchen accessories such as bamboo cutlery, compostable bin liners and recycled aluminium foil, most of which can be included in your subscription.
Green claims
Bower Collective says all its products are made using ethically sourced ingredients and manufactured in the UK to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
It also says that you can fold empty pouches and return them in your pre-paid postal return box (customers are advised to collect around four pouches before returning). The used pouches are cleaned and sterilised before being refilled for another round.
On top of this, every Bower Collective purchase will help fund the Marine Conservation Society's Save Our Seagrass appeal to protect one square meter of endangered seagrass meadows in the UK. Once the appeal reaches its target, all subsequent donations will go towards the Marine Conservation Society's ongoing conservation work to protect and enhance the health of our oceans.
Bower Collective is a British company set up in 2019, and is not currently owned by an international company. This means that it won't be complicit in animal testing carried out by international branches or sister companies in other countries. It's also B Corp-certified, meaning it meets high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
How well does it clean?
undefinedsource https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/smol-and-other-laundry-detergent-subscriptions-are-they-worth-trying-aabyr4V4CZCU