As Diwali is coming, we tend to clean everything in the house. At my house, mom usually likes using Ghadi or Fena for regular use, but uses Tide for expensive clothes. However, she is not satisfied. Last year, during Diwali, I decided to buy Surf Excel and Ariel, both to test out which detergent is better for expensive clothes and even items that get dirty a lot like curtains, bedsheet. Both Ariel and Surf Excel are quite expensive so we cannot buy them during monthly groceries as compared to Ghadi and Fena.
Ariel Complete Detergent Powder:
I used Ariel Complete Detergent Powder with green, pink, and blue speckles, and I found that they really deliver the power you need for cleaning. The pink speckles work like a brush to tackle stubborn stains, making them perfect for both top-loading washing machines and hand washing.
In my experience, when handwashing, I usually use two or three spoons of detergent, and for machine washing, four to five spoons work best. I start by filling the bucket with water and soaking my clothes for about an hour. Then, I add Ariel washing powder, making sure to thoroughly soak the clothes, and let it sit for 20 minutes to work on the stains. Afterward, I wash the clothes well and hang them out to dry in the sunshade. It’s important not to use too much powder, as it can create a sticky residue on the fabric, leaving a white layer after drying.
From my personal experience, Ariel is excellent at targeting and eliminating stubborn stains. It offers an improved and delightful fragrance that adds a pleasant scent to your clothes. I have consistently seen great results in machine washing as well. The best thing is that it lasts a long time as you need very small quantity for washing.
Bad things about Ariel:
While Ariel detergent certainly excels at tackling tough dirt and stains, it does come with a few drawbacks. Occasionally, it can fade the color of clothes. I also think it is on the expensive side.
Surf Excel Blue Detergent Powder:
This is another one that I tried in expensive detergents and I think it also does a good job in hand washing as well as machine washing. In my own experience, I’ve found that Surf Excel requires a significant amount of water and more time to effectively remove stubborn stains. But this doesn’t mean that it isn’t good, I think it does a great job. It is also great for expensive clothes. You need to put clothes in detergent water a bit longer to get the best results.
Please don’t use excessive powder as it can make your clothes lose color just like Ariel. You also need to use it in more quantities than Ariel.
Final thoughts:
If you are spending money in detergent for expensive clothes, then I would say that it is better to go for Ariel than Surf Excel. Both of them are expensive, but my personal usage has showed better results in using Ariel and that too in less powder for both hand and machine washing.
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Surf Excel and Ariel both are almost similar. They clean good. And overuse can cause visible damage to colour.
Ariel feels better but is expensive.
The better alternative is Tide+ which is the least expensive and has almost similar qualities for cleaning. The only downside of Tide is the scent. Ariel gives a very nice scent and Tide has the worst. But would you pay extra for the scent? Or use a deodourant? š
The reason I prefer Ariel is for the quantity it saves. I know it is expensive but you have to use it very less as compared to Tide or any other detergent. I don’t think they cause color damage. In fact, this is the first time I have seen someone complaining about color damage from Ariel and Surf Excel, I think they both are known for keeping clothes better. I am sorry but you may be wrong here. Or can you elaborate on how it happened with you. I am asking because since I was a kid, my mother used to use Ariel or Surf Excel to wash expensive clothes just because of their ability to keep fabrics color restored.
I have been using surf for ages and now its surf excel and for machine its surf excel matic liquid detergent.The amount of powder or liquid usage depends on the quality of water.If the salt content is more you have to use more washing powder only that helps in real washing.Tide is good for hand washing
Good point about liquid detergent. I had never seriously thought about liquid detergent until I discussed this with a friend when we visited their house. With liquid detergent you will get rid of that dusty spots which can appear from powder detergent overuse or unused detergent in the folds of the clothes.
Does anyone know why detergents like Wheel and Nirma are much cheaper?
Wheel powder is very abrasive in nature and doesnt clean that well. I think Ariel and other costly ones have spent a lot in r&d and that reflects in their product.
I don’t think I can specify why they are cheaper but Nirma and Wheel won’t give you quality wash like Ariel. You need to use Nirma and Wheel like detergents in larger quantities to get result. They also cause damage to clothes and their colors whereas the case with Surf Excel and Ariel is completely different.
Surf excel is a better choice according to me. We have been using it for more than a decade. It is gentle on the fabrics yet offers excellent cleaning results. There is no fading of colors or abrasive effect. In fact, clothes feel and smell great. It is an economic choice of detergent; if not the cheapest atleast it is at par with its counterparts.
Surf is good for both washing machine and hand washing, as there are different variants available. People must give it a try atleast once.
Yeah, both are good. I prefer Ariel because of the quantity. I need to use it very less as compared to others and that’s the best part. It’s expensive but washing quality along with the scent is what I prefer.
I would say you get what you pay for. Companies that charge more do so because they spend a lot in R&D. Did you know what all goes in the detergents? Much more than just Soda.
Expensive detergents often contain a bunch of different chemical compounds to do specific tasks. Compounds that prevent colour reaction in air and sunlight (i.e. preserve colours).
Compounds that make the clothes appear brighter by absorbing UV and converting that to visible light.
Etc. Etc.
This is what makes some products expensive.
Bottomline is, if you have some expensive clothes you want to take good care of, use a relatively costlier detergent. For others, where you don’t care about colour fade etc, use any detergent.
That’s a new perspective that we needed. Thanks for sharing this information.
Exactly, what I think. If a company is charging more, their products might have something better. That’s why whenever my mother used to wash expensive clothes when I was young, she used to ask me to bring Ariel. Now, we have completely switched to it and I think it performs really well with low quantity.
My mom used Wheel and Nirma back in the days. Now we use Surf Excel for most purposes. Few findings:
Wheel, Nirma etc, everything around Rs 100/kg do clean well. Colour fades a lot.
Surf Excel is almost the same as Ariel. Colour damage is minimal.
Best option is Surf Excel liquid. That saves a lot of hassle. Otherwise many times excess detergent powder remain stuck on the clothes and we ended up putting the clothes again in machine for cleaning with only water.
Liquid detergent at around 150 rupees /litre is a good replacement for detergent powders. Once you switch to a costlier detergent, you will save a lot indirectly. Less effort, time saved, water saved, colours last longer and your clothes appear good for a long time. Especially, less caustic residue on the clothes is safer if you have kids at home.
The caustic residue is something that definitely goes away with Liquid detergent. Ariel as I said is required pretty less so I have had a really good experience with it. I think it really depends on what amount we are using it in.
Ariel is usually a bit expensive. That is because it is stronger and uses enzymes and brighteners. Compared to that, Surf Excel is cheaper for day to day usage. Try Ariel when you want to handle tough stain once in a while. A stronger detergent also fades colours faster. So, stick to Surf Excel unless you have some specific stains to remove.
Ideally keep a soap to apply locally on the stains before putting in detergent in washing machine.