One of my goals for this year was to make small lifestyle changes to become more sustainable. As a family, we already do many environmentally friendly things, such as recycling but I believe there is more we can and should be doing. My first product switch on our journey to becoming more sustainable was trying smol. So here is my honest smol review.
Firstly, I would like to note that this post is not sponsored by smol in any way, I have no obligation only to share the positives. This is an honest smol product review from a Mum who is trying to do her best for the environment and her family! However, later in the post, I will share my referral link, if you choose to purchase through my link, I will earn a store credit.
In this review, I will discuss these sustainable household products, how effective smol’s eco-friendly products are and how they compare to leading brands. I’ll also look at the cost of smol compared to their leading high street competitors. Ultimately, is switching to smol worth doing?
WHAT IS SMOL?
Smol is an eco-friendly household brand committed to helping our planet without compromising quality. They aim to cut down the amount of plastic ending up in landfill sites, reduce carbon emissions and eliminate harsh chemicals that cause harm to our bodies and our planet.
They offer a range of products including, dishwasher tablets, laundry detergents, cleaning products and hand soaps. Some come in plastic-free packaging while others are tablets to which you add water at home.
smol environmental impact report – 26th Jan 2025
REASONS I CHOSE TO TRY SMOL
I had already made the decision to focus on eco-conscious living in 2025, but why smol in particular?
- They advertised to me A LOT via social media
- They offer a range of products. I saw a lot of eco brands that just offer laundry detergent (for example). As a busy mum, it’s easiest to get a range of great products from the same place if possible.
- They claim it’s an easy-to-manage subscription – I will go into this in more detail below.
- They also claim to be cost-effective compared to leading retailers – again, I will share thoughts on this below.
- All products are also vegan and cruelty-free
- They did a great trial deal – you can try a range of their items for just £6 including delivery, just click here to try. Again, I will discuss this more below.
THE COST OF SMOL
I’ve been specifically looking for affordable eco-friendly household products for families. While it’s great to support our planet, I appreciate, that a lot of families don’t have the budget to increase their outgoings just to be more sustainable. Here I’ve broken down the cost of smol compared to their leading competitors.
| smol | Leading High-Street Brand | |
| Laundry Detergent Capsules | £5.80 for 24 = 0.24p each | Fairy Pods £12 for 51 = 0.24 each or £8 for 33 = 0.24p each |
| Dishwasher Tablets | £6.30 for 30 = 0.21p each | Finish Ultimate £13 for 92 = 0.14p each or £9 for 34 = 0.26p each |
| Washing Up Liquid | £2 per 500ml (shipped as 4x packs) | £2 for a 645 ml bottle |
| Cleaning Spray | £6.60 for 6 tablets you mix with water = £1.10 per bottle | Detol £1.99 per bottle |
| Foaming Handwash | £10 for 6 tablets you mix with water = £1.67 per bottle | Meathod Foaming Handwash £3.25 or Carex standard handwash £1.50 |
| Stain Remover Gel | £6 for 500ml (shipped as 2x packs for £12) | Vanish Oxi Action £6.70 for 500ml |
| Fabric Conditioner | £5.50 per 500ml (shipped as 2x packs for £11) | Comfort Sensitive £2 for 990ml |
| Bathroom Spray | £6.60 for 6 tablets you mix with water = £1.10 per bottle | Flash £2.49 |
*All prices are taken from the Tesco website at regular RRP. Note: Supermarkets often have offers on these products, reducing this price further and stores’ own brands will also be cheaper.
So far, I haven’t seen any discounts on smol products. Note: you don’t have to subscribe to all of smol’s range, you’re free to choose which ones work for you.
Overall, I feel smol is competitively priced, I would like it if they did a larger discount for bulk orders though!
The only product that stood out as expensive was the fabric conditioner. I looked into this a little further and smol claims their 500ml bottle will last 62 washes (0.09p per wash) while Comfort states 33 on their bottle (0.06p per wash) which makes them more comparable.
HOW DO SMOL PRODUCTS COMPARE?
So, do these eco-friendly cleaning products actually work as well? This was my main concern, if the products don’t work, then I don’t want them, even if they’re cheaper! I have been testing out smol products for a couple of months now. Below, I’ll discuss if smol cleaning products are worth it.
Smol Laundry Pods Review
Smol tablets do not smell as nice as my Fairy pods did but they do clean just as well. My son suffers from eczema, I was really hoping to see an improvement due to the lack of harsh chemicals used by other brands but so far, I sadly haven’t noticed any change.
The pack has a handy child-safe feature which I liked. My husband struggled with it and just tore the box open so I feel like this feature sounds cool but is actually not that useful.
As a mum, the below section in the smol newsletter hit me quite hard. The fact that some families struggle to send their children to school with clean uniforms is so sad but I think it is amazing smol is working hard to change that!
Smol Dishwasher Tablets Review
These do just as good, if not a better job than my Finish tablets did. I can’t fault them. As they are also priced the same, this really is a no-brainer when trying to be more sustainable.
Smol Washing Up Liquid Review
The liquid bubbles and seems to clean as well as my Fairy Liquid did. I don’t think it lasts quite as long as Fairy Liquid however it is a superior product to cheaper / store’s own brand washing up liquids.
Smol Cleaning Spray Review
I have been pleasantly surprised by how well this cleaning spray works. Even on tough areas such as the hob, it has cleaned well. I especially love that this product comes from a tablet you mix with water and I will be keeping this from now on.
Smol Foaming Handwash Review
I love the foaming handwash and so do my kids! Unbelievable that it comes from a small tablet you mix with warm water! It smells good and leaves hands smiling clean. Again, I don’t think it lasts quite as long as the regular hand soap I previously used but the sustainability saving of plastic bottle waste here is huge. I will be sticking with smol’s handwash.
Smol Stain Remover Gel Review
So far, this has tackled stains well! I have two small children so it has been thoroughly tested on stains including pen, mud and all sorts of food. It has even removed some set-in stains my previous Oxy spray couldn’t manage.
Smol Fabric Conditioner Review
Due to my son’s eczema, I didnt use fabric conditioner before so I don’t feel like I can compare here accurately. I will say, that with smol, you do need to add the fabric conditioner if you want your laundry to smell nice.
Smol Bathroom Cleaner Review
This cleaner works fine as a general cleaner however it won’t replace any heavy-duty cleaners such as mould & mildew or limescale remover. I also don’t think it works so well on glass and mirrors.
HOW DO YOU ORDER?
Smol products are sold exclusively through their website as a subscription-based service.
I initially placed two orders with smol. The first one was for their home starter bundle. This includes:
- 9 x dishwasher tablets, in plastic-free packaging
- 9 x non-bio laundry capsules, in plastic-free packaging
- 500ml recyclable carton of washing up liquid and reusable bottle
- 500ml recyclable carton stain remover gel and reusable bottle
- 500ml recyclable carton fabric conditioner and reusable bottle
- 1 x tablet of cleaning say you mix with warm water and a reusable bottle
Future products will be shipped without reusable bottles, avoiding extra plastic waste. I paid £10 for this bundle and I thought it was great value. Smol have since given me a referral code so you can try this bundle for just £6!
GET YOUR HOME STARTER BUNDLE FOR JUST £6 HERE.
Using my link also gives me a £6 smol store credit. I believe this referral link is given to all customers, so if you sign up and refer friends, you’ll also get this saving!
The second order I placed was for some additional products I wanted to try. This was for 2x foaming hand soaps (£3 each) and a foaming bathroom cleaner for £2. I now realize it would have been smarter to only order 1 soap as it’s easy to add an additional one later if you like it.
They also have a floor cleaner you can try for £2. I didnt do this as I use a steam mop.
Alternatively, you can order a trial pack of 9 dishwasher tablets, laundry pods or cleaning spray for free, you just pay £1 shipping for each item.
NOTE: smol is a subscription service. Purchasing a trial will sign you up for regular deliveries. The frequency is made clear when you order and you can cancel/amend this at any time free of charge.
IS THE SMOL SUBSCRIPTION EASY TO MANAGE?
As long as you remember to log in and amend it, the smol zero-waste cleaning solutions are very easy to customize the delivery to suit your needs. You get a helpful email a couple of days before your order is due to be dispatched so if you need to change anything, you can.
In your account, you can see your upcoming deliveries and their dates/costs. By clicking on any product, you can amend the delivery. You can edit the date of the next delivery to whichever date you like, this is perfect for if you’re going to be away for a while.
NOTE: The next order date is the date it will be dispatched, not the date it will arrive.
You can also amend the automated date to any number of days. So if you find your products constantly lasting longer, you could make it 35 days rather than 28 for example.
Finally, you can pause your plan for up to 6 months. To cancel a product, you do need to email customer service, so this isn’t quite so convenient.
My address blanked out for privacy reasons!
CONCLUSION
To conclude this review of smol products, smol is doing something great here. While some products are slightly more expensive than the leading competitor, many actually work out cheaper.
The only product I’m not 100% convinced by, is the laundry pods. I really wish they smelled nicer however, I am going to perceive with them for now as being more sustainable is important to me!
I am going to delay some of my smol subscriptions to allow us to use up the partly finished previous products we have, then will be using smol where possible going forward.
Thank you for reading my honest smol review, I believe they are one of the best sustainable alternatives to traditional cleaning brands!
