This is a review of Persil Small and Mighty, a liquid washing detergent that we bought in a small bottle to try. I am a fan of the liquid rather than the powdered form just because it seems to last better and is less awkward to carry home and not as messy to use. My husband however prefers powder so we do end up buying both and whoever is doing the washing uses their preferred method!

The purchase
I had used the last of my Fairy Non Bio gel and do not tend to be that loyal with washing brands, just buying whatever is on offer as long as I have not had a bad experience in the past with it. With the Persil Small & Mighty, it was on offer and I'm not sure really whether I meant to buy the bio version as we will have a brand new baby soon which means lots more washing and I'm pretty sure I remember from last time that you're supposed to use non biological but this is only a small bottle so it will probably be gone by the time Little Sis is here. The bottle does advise that people with sensitive or damaged skin should avoid prolonged contact with this product. You don't need to touch the neat product really as the bottle and cap provide a non-touch process.

Packaging
The Persil Bio Small & Mighty is 630ml (although available in larger bottles) and promises 18 washes with wash booster. The screw top cap is green and the bottle is plastic so recyclable with a clear strip down the side so you can see how much product is left inside. It has a built in stain remover and also pledges to clean tough stains even in a quick wash. I do have a bit of a grumble about the packaging though, which I note others have struggled with too. I couldn't get the measuring cup off the actual lid of the bottle (they are sort of stuck together when you buy them). My husband used his pliers in the end to separate them when I asked him as I had improvised with another old lid that I had saved from another liquid laundry gel. Once separated, I kept them apart to avoid them reattaching to each other!

The dose
The measuring cup is a round shape with two options of measures on them: 35 or 52 ml - you decide which you want for either a standard load with soft to medium water or the larger measure for larger loads with hard water. I have always used the lower dose for economical reasons.

In use
I have now used this for around half a dozen washes and it has been a straightforward process, adding the 35ml to the round lid and placing that in the drum with the laundry. I have used this on whites, colours and darks all with good effect, and was most impressed with the stain removal on some pretty soiled bibs that went in to the wash.

Price
I bought our 630ml bottle for £3.50 at Asda which I think is quite a good price for 18 washes. I have used this with fabric softener and the laundry comes out clean and smelling nice.

My thoughts
I would definitely buy this again in the future but I think my next purchase will have to be non biological in view of the new baby! Despite reading the back of the bottle, I am still none the wiser about what this product's "Wash Booster" is although it mention something about polyester (a fabric I am not keen on) and grease and oil stains which are not particular problems for us!

Final word
I am happy with the performance of Persil small & mighty and feel that the technology seems to be really advancing these days compared to the traditional powder wash. The only thing I found annoying was the struggle I had removing the lid from the washing ball cap. I understand that they need to stay together during transit and whilst on the supermarket shelf but having to use pliers on them seems a bit over the top!