Little Green Bubbles! (Persil Biological Capsules)

Member Name: Belfastgirl

Product:	Persil Biological Capsules
Date:	21/01/04 (643 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wash clothes well, Gentle on Fabric

Disadvantages: Expensive

When it comes to house work, I am lazy, particularly when it comes to washing clothes. When I first moved into my own house, I just opted for the good old washing powder that my mum uses, as I suppose most people do. After a while, I got fed up with cleaning out the little drawer in the washing machine which was usually full of congealed washing powder. The other problem that I have is that I am a nurse, who has a royal blue uniform with navy trousers, which HAS to be washed every day after work - so you can imagine the wear and tear that was had on it.

One day I was in Safeways and saw Persil Liquid Capsules. You just pop them into the washing machine on top of the clothes, shut the door, and that's it - no more yucky sticky powder making mountainous formations in the dispenser drawer!

Persil Liquigel Capsules come in boxes of 20 and in boxes of 40. At present the box of 40 is in a re-useable blue plastic container with a screw top lid. The labels are removable so that they can be used to store other things once the capsules are finished. A box of 40 generally costs £5.36.35, and a box of 20 costs £2.68.

Details of the product:

The Capsules are basically little plastic "bubbles" (roughly 6cm in diameter) that are filled with the washing liquid. Initially they appear to be delicate things, but they are not so delicate that they will burst when you touch them. The plastic that surrounds the actual liquid is dissolvable, and so they should not be touched with wet hands, as this will lead to the plastic breaking down in your hands! There is a slight detergent smell to them, but it is not over powering, and is quite pleasant. There is a large warning sign on the back of the packet, stating that these capsules have been classified as an irritant. This would be because it is a really concentrated solution that is inside the capsules - it may be a small amount, but the contents o
f 2 capsules are enough to carry
out a full load of washing. Consequently, this is strong stuff, and care should be taken with them.

How to use them:

It's simple. You load up your washing machine as you usually would. (Note to my husband - separate light colours from darks). Place two capsules on top of the load, near the back of the machine, close the door, set it to the correct temperature and off you go. The moment the water hits the capsules, they start to dissolve. If you happen to have a particularly soiled item that you want to wash, it may be advisable to add another capsule.

They should not be used on silk, wool or to pre-treat stains.

In my opinion, I have found these capsules to be brilliant. They leave my towels feeling soft, and always clean the clothes well. I have yet to have a complaint about them.

Persil recommend, that if you have sensitive skin that you should try to minimise contact with the capsules (as you should with any sort of detergent that is likely to irritate your skin). It is important due to the concentration of the solution that you should not pierce the capsules, nor should they be used to hand wash clothes.

I have found Persil capsules to be gentler on my clothes. Back to the uniform story again, with ordinary powder, I found that my uniforms faded, after just a year they looked as though I had worn them for 5 years! I got new uniforms a year ago, and since have been washing them with the liquitabs, and they are almost as good as the day they were given to me, brand new.

The capsules I have reviewed here are the non-biological ones. Persil also make capsules in biological and in Persil Colour (supposed to help maintain the colour of your clothes), so there is quite a good range for everyone.

All in all, I would recommend these, they may be a touch on the expensive side, but they wash things well and are gentler on the clothes. Now all I need is to convince m
y husband that it is better
to put clothes into washing machine instead of leaving them lying on the floor, and life will be perfect (well, almost!)

Summary: