Ariel Capsules: A Surprisingly Good Value for Money

I'm not a fan of laundry capsules, but I decided to give Ariel a try after my parents raved about them. The smell from freshly washed laundry was overwhelming, but these capsules had a different scent, so I thought they'd be okay. And they were.

Price: I picked them up for 200 rubles on sale, which is a decent value. However, considering they only last for 12 washes, I'm not sure I'd pay full price. I usually buy 2.5 or 3 kg of powder, which lasts me two to three months.

Sold in many supermarkets near my place, including Magnit and Pyaterochka, but finding these specific capsules can be a bit tricky.

Quantity: You get 12 pieces, which should be enough for a month if you live alone or have adult kids.

Packaging is super convenient – it's plastic, closes with a click, and is easy to use. However, it's not airtight, so if one of the capsules were to burst, it'd probably leak out.

Looking at the packaging, you might get scared with all the warnings and scary illustrations.

What really caught my attention was the ingredient list. At first glance, it seemed pretty standard, but then I noticed a big letter '0%' with a star next to it, claiming zero phosphates. Yet, the ingredient list still includes a phosphonate. What's the deal with that? A quick search on Wikipedia gave me the answer.Phosphonates are essentially the same as phosphates, used to soften water. In reality, this component in a laundry detergent or other cleaning product is just a sneaky marketing tactic to hide the presence of phosphates

And if that's not enough, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has actually caught these capsule manufacturers violating the law. To put it simply, they produce a different formula for Russia, but don't mention it in the advertising. To fix this issue, they either need to produce the same formula as in Europe or just label it as 'made for Russia'. I wonder which option they'll choose? For more information, click here.

The capsules didn't cause any allergic reactions in me or my family. No issues whatsoever.

The capsules just sit in the box without any protection.

The triple-pack looks otherworldly. Each of the three pieces is attached to the next, and they're all connected. The blue and white parts are small, and they're more like an add-on to the main blue part.

Everything's attached to a flexible plastic case. There are some signs of the adhesive used to stick it all together. Overall, they're reliable, but I think if you press or apply too much pressure, the packet might tear. Scent. Oh, what a captivating aroma! It's so delicate and floral. I guess it's the sandalwood oil that smells like this. Our whole family loves it, unlike some other Ariel capsules that can be overpowering. This one inspires and lifts my mood instead. You can smell it even from the capsule, and the laundry smells amazing too... Mmm, the whole house is filled with this scent at first, but after it dries, it's not as noticeable, and after a day or so, it's almost gone when I start wearing the clothes. But that's not perfume, so that's okay.

Usage. We bought these capsules for washing jackets. Luckily, our jackets don't have membranes. I think they might be too harsh for membrane fabrics. The capsules themselves are in a packet, but it's already saturated with the mixture, so when you touch it, you get a slight oily residue, and of course, the scent. So, it's best to wash your hands after using them. I just add them directly to the laundry.

I was blown away by how much detergent comes out, regardless of how many items you're washing. Check it out for yourself.

I washed the jacket in the 'Down' cycle, which is gentle at 30 or 40 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

I'm really happy with the cleaning results, especially since I bought these capsules at my husband's request. His jacket always had white residue and stains after washing.

Ariel got rid of all the stains and residue completely.

Here's a before-and-after photo of my jacket - it got really dirty after a car ride, kids' muddy boots, and a toner. The stains on the sleeves were especially stubborn. But after a week of washing with Ariel, it looks brand new.

The results are pretty impressive. The photos might be a bit shaky due to the fabric, but you can see that most of the dirt is gone, leaving only the worn-out areas.

These Ariel capsules are a 2-in-1 laundry gel and fabric softener. And let me tell you, the softness of my clothes after using them is just amazing. I was curious to see how they'd perform on my husband's jackets, so I decided to give them a try. I washed a few other items alongside the jackets, just to see how they'd do.

I didn't take any photos of the colored items, but I can assure you that the fabric of the capsules didn't damage them, and the colors didn't run. It's like the laundry detergent is 'selectively' removing the dirt. I washed my colored clothes at 60 degrees for 1.5 hours.

White Clothes

I have a bunch of white clothes in my closet that I don't wear, but I like to take them out and give them a spin every now and then, just to see how different laundry methods work. I don't wear them because they've got some stains or the white has turned yellow, and so on. I've washed these clothes about 6-7 times already - but the stains were still there, even after all that. I didn't boil them, though. I decided to give the capsules a chance. I washed them for 2 hours and 25 minutes at 90 degrees.

I tried them on a cotton sweater with a small knit pattern. There was this weird stain (I think it was rust) and the white had turned yellow. But nothing changed after using the capsules.

I also washed a blouse with those intricate yellow patterns. And guess what? They came out completely white, just like new. Regular laundry detergent couldn't handle that.

I was a bit surprised to see that the armpits of the white synthetic blouse turned yellow from deodorant, and the fabric as a whole became a dull gray - the armpits faded, but the gray didn't wash out.

My husband's shirts lightened up to a tone, the yellowish tint from the armpits was almost gone, but the stains remained.

Overall, I was satisfied with the result.

To be honest, for the price, I expected a lot more. But this scent just won me over. And these capsules are stronger than regular powders and do a better job of removing stains. I'd definitely recommend them.