FEATURE: CLEANING & LAUNDRY
DETERGENT DILEMMAS: WHEN IT COMES TO DETERGENT DOSING
N OVER HALF OF BRITS ADMIT TO BEING CLUELESS
ew research released by Samsung Electronics UK has revealed that Brits are bamboozled when it comes to
their laundry detergent. The survey found that 58% of people are confused about how much to use and only 24% of people regularly adjust the amount of detergent they dispense based on the weight of their wash load. The poll of 2,000 UK adults also
revealed that while two thirds of Brits (66%) use a liquid or powder detergent, over half are unsure about what quantity they should be using, while 87% admit that they tend to guess how much to use. Clearly, dosing is a real concern, as 66% of those who use capsules, do so because it saves them from deciphering how much detergent they need to dispense. But what’s the problem with using too much or too little laundry detergent? Firstly, expense. Brits believe they are spending an average of £78.31 a year on laundry detergent
-and while only 14% think they are spending more than they need to, this is actually nearly double what the average household should be spending*. Guesstimating then, is clearly not the most economical way of monitoring detergent volume and more than a third (35%) of those surveyed did agree that they think they use too much detergent. The amount should be calculated in proportion to the weight of the wash, however less than a quarter of Brits say they regularly do this. This means that many are likely to be throwing their money down the plughole.
Damage is also an unwelcome side
effect of using too much detergent – to our clothes, our washing machine and our skin! Almost half of people surveyed (49%) believe it can damage their washing machine, while 19% of people said over- dosing detergent has damaged and stained their clothing in the past. Most concerning though, is the 72% of people who believe that too much detergent can be detrimental to skin, with many citing it as the cause of unwelcome reactions such
“Less than a quarter of people (24%) regularly adjust the amount of laundry detergent they use based on the weight of a wash – costing energy and money!”
as itching and rashes. “We’ve always known that consumers find detergent dosing confusing, causing them to default to easy alternatives like capsules or
UNILEVER REVEALS WORLD-FIRST PAPER-BASED LAUNDRY DETERGENT BOTTLE
Unilever is using a new technology to launch the first ever paper-based laundry detergent bottle. A prototype has been developed for leading laundry brand OMO (also known as Persil, Skip and Breeze) and is set to debut in Brazil by early 2022, with an ambition for roll-out in Europe and other countries soon after. Unilever is also piloting the same technology to create paper-based hair care bottles. This ground-breaking technology has been developed in partnership with the Pulpex consortium, a collaboration between Unilever, Diageo, Pilot Lite and other industry members. Unilever has been able to use the technology to package liquid products in first-of-its-kind paper- based bottles, made of sustainably sourced pulp and designed to be recycled in the paper waste stream. The bottles are sprayed inside
18 DIY WEEK FEBRUARY 2022
with a proprietary coating that repels water, enabling the paper-based packaging material to hold liquid products like laundry detergent, shampoo and conditioners, which contain surfactants, fragrances and other active ingredients. Creating recyclable, paper-based packaging without additional plastic layers is a huge challenge. Pulpex’s patented pulp packaging provides a promising solution to radically reduce the use of plastic and will help Unilever achieve its commitments to a waste-free world. Richard Slater, Unilever Chief R&D
Officer, said: “To tackle plastic waste, we need to completely rethink how we design and package products. This requires a drastic change that can only be achieved through industry-wide collaboration. Pulpex paper-based bottle technology is an
just guessing how much to dispense; but there are environmental and economic
impacts of doing so,”
explains Ruth Storey, Head of Marketing, Home Appliances, Samsung Electronics UK Ltd. “We’ve listened to customers’
feedback and are proud to have developed an Auto Dose feature which uses sensors to determine the weight of
the wash load
which in turn adjusts the time, detergent volume and water usage automatically. By taking a load of people’s minds, we can help consumers save time and money on their domestic responsibilities.” Samsung’s
top of the
exciting step in the right direction, and we are delighted to be working together to trial this innovation for our products. “Innovating with alternative materials is a key part of our sustainable packaging strategy and will play an important role in our commitment to halve our use of virgin plastic materials by 2025.” Consumers are becoming
increasingly aware of the impact of products on the planet and are making purchasing choices based on sustainability factors.
line
Washing Machines (WW9800 series) and Washer Dryers (WD9800 series) also have the Auto Optimal Wash feature which is intelligent enough to assess the level of soil within the load. For heavy soiling, it can automatically add more detergent towards the end of the wash cycle, if necessary, adjusting the wash time accordingly in the process.
* Cost per wash based on the average price of six brands/own brand pods, liquid and powder detergent in Tesco as of September 2020, including mix promo/off promo pricing. Usage based on 284 cycles per year, source Energy Saving Trust.
www.diyweek.net
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