Review: Ecover Concentrated Non Bio Laundry Liquid

Last year I tested and reviewed Ecover household cleaning products. The lovely Melita from Bray Leino emailed me recently to ask if I would like to try Ecover's new concentrated laundry liquid. I asked to try the non bio version.

I already use non bio concentrated laundry liquid, so this would be a direct comparison. Concentrated liquids require less packaging and less transport miles and give you more washes per bottle.

I liked:

• The clean smell. It's not an over-powering floral or soapy smell and it doesn't linger on the washing.
• The packaging, particularly the measuring cap. No drips or messy lids here.
• The washing. All perfectly clean (and boy do my children know how to get their clothes dirty)!
• The green credentials: no optical brighteners, no phosphates and no petrochemical-based surfactants.
• I have sensitive skin and had no reaction to this gentle product.

I didn't like:

• It's currently only available at Waitrose and Ocado, although Ecover are working on this.
• It's slightly more expensive than Fairy or Persil. Ecover is £5.69 for 750ml or 21 washes. Fairy is £4.49 for 740ml and Persil is £4.18 for 730ml. (Prices taken from Ocado.com today).

Would I buy it?

• Yes. In line with us trying to be more eco-friendly I will be using Ecover for my laundry as well as my washing up and cleaning.

Review: Ecover Concentrated Non Bio Laundry Liquid

Review: Ecover

I saw on British Mummy Bloggers that Melita from Bray Leino PR was looking for people to review Ecover products. I emailed her and was sent a trug containing everything I would need to do a thorough test of the new Ecover hard surface cleaning range against some of the UK's leading brands.

I've used Ecover washing up liquid for years so I was keen to try other Ecover products.

So far so good.

Then of course it hit me. I'll have to do some serious cleaning now!

These are the Ecover products and their petro-chemical competitors. The blurb is taken from the press release, with my comments in red:

• Ecover Multi Surface Spray Cleaner – RRP £2.84 (500ml) – twice as powerful as Ecover’s previous spray surface cleaner, SquirtEco³ thanks to Ecover’s Eco-Surfactants, this versatile spray cleaner is safe around food. It cleans as efficiently as Flash Multi Purpose Spray, leaving all washable surfaces sparkling clean. // Agreed!
• Ecover Window & Glass Cleaner – RRP £2.69 (500ml) - this brand new product can be used on windows, mirrors, glass and chrome. Up against Mr Muscle Window Cleaner, it took victory on performance and finish, and was described as ‘efficient’, ‘very effective’ and ‘easy to use’ in consumer research. // Agreed, no smears, wonderful.
• Ecover All Purpose Cleaner – RRP £1.59 (500ml) - the concentrated form of this new formulation is over 70% more powerful than the old one. It naturally and hygienically cleans all hard washable surfaces just as well as Flash All Purpose Dilutable and was found to ‘remove stubborn marks’, be ‘good in the bathroom’ and ‘make taps sparkle’ in consumer research. // I gave this and the Flash to my mother in law to test. I didn't tell her anything about Ecover. I just asked her to clean her kitchen floor with it and let me know how she got on. And I quote "it was really good. No leftover suds. I'd definitely use it again. It's the green one, isn't it?'. So there you are. High praise indeed!
• Ecover Power Cleaner – RRP £3.99 (500ml) – this new power degreaser is great for tackling grimy ovens, bbqs, cooker hobs, extractor hoods and grills and consumers have found it to be as effective as Cillit Bang Power Cleaner Degreaser when it comes to ovens and pots and pans. // This is the reason I took so long to write this review. I kept putting off cleaning my cooker hood. When I eventually got round to it I had mixed results. The Ecover didn't remove every scrap of grease, but I couldn't leave half a cooker hood to soak. The Cillit Bang removed the grease and the coating from the other half of the cooker hood. I had to clean the Ecover half with Cillit Bang to even it up. Now both sides are dull. :-(

Overall I prefer the Ecover products because they are effective, eco-friendly, natural, plant based, pH neutral and don't smell like traditional cleaning products - and that's a Very Good Thing!

Review: Ecover