Cleanliness at a price

My new post is a product review for Ariel Excel gel with actilift, a great washing liquid but with a large price tag...

I have been very happy with my usual choice of washing liquid but when I saw this one on offer at half price I decided to give it a go. The washing liquid is Ariel excel gel with acti lift and the adverts for it make it out to be very good at removing stains and marks.

~~PACKAGING~~

The liquid comes in a white plastic container, it is sort of teardrop shaped. The front of it has a green label on with the product name on and on the back is another label which has all of the information you will need including the directions for use. The bottom on the bottle is green and this is where you get the liquid out, there is a plastic flip lid which is very simple to use. The top corner of the bottle is the liquid holder, this comes away from the bottle and goes inside the washing machine with the liquid inside.

Down the side of the bottle is a clear strip which shows you just how much of the liquid you have remaining in the bottle. The whole design for the washing liquid is very good as the opening is at the bottom and this means the liquid is always ready to come straight out with a little squeeze and I know I am not going to run out as there is in indicator on the side for me to look at.

~~USE~~

It is very simple to use the liquid. The corner cap needs to be removed, this is easily done with a slightly pull and the liquid poured into the holder in the middle of it. The holder does stand firm on a work surface so you can use both hands to pour the liquid in. The liquid comes out of the bottle with ease and the flip cap makes it easy to open and close.

The dosage required does depend on the load size and how hard your water is. For a normal load which is not overly dirty and in a normal water area then ¾ of the cap is needed but for dirtier clothes or hard water areas then the full capful is going to be needed.

The liquid holder goes into the drum of the machine and not into the regular dispenser like other liquids.

The liquid can be used at a variety of water temperatures from as low as 15 deg Celsius all the way up to 95 deg Celsius.

~~RESULTS~~

I have to admit that I was being very hard on this liquid as I did put rather a dirty load in for my first try, the boys had been playing at a very muddy park so I did test it to the limit. I was very pleased with the results which the liquid gave and fortunately all of the marks and stains did come out. I also found that the white t-shirts looked very white and they had not gone slightly grey like they sometimes do.

The clothes also had a very fresh smell, the smell reminds me of visiting the laundrette. It is very hard to pinpoint the exact smell but it is very nice and light and not over powering. I noticed that the smell was still faintly noticeable when the clothes had been dried and then hung away, I was able to smell it for at least 2 days after they had been hung away in the wardrobe. I noticed that the smell was also apparent when the machine was doing its cycle and I felt good when I got a waft of the smell as I felt like my clothes were getting a very good clean.

I do have a habit of mixing my coloureds and whites in the wash as I have 3 boys ad the amount of washing I get is rather a lot so for easy this always happens, the liquid did not make any of the colours run or fade and they still looked nice, bright and white.

I have also switched my machine temperature down to 30 deg Celsius and have not noticed any difference from doing so, I am pleased to be able to do my bit for the environment in this small way without having to sacrifice the cleanliness of mine and my families clothes.

~~INFORMATION~~

The bottle size for the washing liquid is 667ml and there is a claim on the front of the bottle that this will do 18 washes. I have used one full bottle now and have actually had 20 washes, I think I got the two extra as I only use ¾ of the capful in each wash and find this is more than enough to get my clothes clean.

There are some warnings on the back of the bottle and these really are just eh standard ones including, keeping out of reach of children avoiding contact with eyes and skin, washing hands after use, not to swallow. There are no dangerous warning from this washing liquid but it warns that it may cause irritation to sensitive skin. My hubby has sensitive skin and he has had all of his clothes washed in this now and he has had no bad effects from it, although he has not come into direct contact with the liquid as he never does the washing.

The washing liquid is not suitable for wool or silk garments but I have not had any bad results from using it for these items of clothing.

The packaging is fully recyclable but I would recommend saving one of the liquid dispensers as you never know if you may loose one in the future.

~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~

This washing liquid is widely available in all good supermarkets. The price tag is the problem as it comes in at £6 for one bottle. I was very fortunately to only pay the offer price of £3 so when I realised how good it was I stocked up on another 5 bottles whilst the offer was still on. I would not be willing to pay the full price as we do get through a lot of washing liquid being a family of 5.

~~RECOMMENDED?~~

I am more than happy to give this washing liquid a high recommendation. I find it cleans clothes exceptionally well and leaves a lovely light scent on them. I can only give this 4 stars though as one has been dropped due to the price tag. If you can afford to pay the full price then do so but if not stock up when on offer.