Where did the tradition of spring cleaning spring from?
National Spring Cleaning Week was just a couple of weeks ago, which is all about a complete room to room clear out and clean for the home.
In days gone by we used coal, oil and wood to heat our homes when it got colder. Add to this the fact that we lit the way using candles and you can imagine the amount of dust, dirt, and soot that built up over autumn and winter.
The arrival of spring was a sign to clean away the winter grime and welcome in a new cycle of life. When the first warm and sunny day arrived... folk got busy washing, cleaning, sweeping and wiping. And the tradition has stuck ever since.
We love a spring clean here at smol HQ but not before we've caught up with all the news... time for some smol talk.
In days gone by we used coal, oil and wood to heat our homes when it got colder. Add to this the fact that we lit the way using candles and you can imagine the amount of dust, dirt, and soot that built up over autumn and winter.
The arrival of spring was a sign to clean away the winter grime and welcome in a new cycle of life. When the first warm and sunny day arrived... folk got busy washing, cleaning, sweeping and wiping. And the tradition has stuck ever since.
We love a spring clean here at smol HQ but not before we've caught up with all the news... time for some smol talk.
let's take a smol trip down memory lane...
Cast your minds back to March 2018... what you were up to?
Theresa May was in Downing Street, Black Panther (Marvel film) had just earned $1 billion and the world's last male northern white rhino died in Kenya.
smol also burst onto the scene bringing a laundry revolution direct to your home in recycled plastic packs with a FREE TRIAL! 5 years later, we're still sending capsules to people who signed up in that very first week.
2019 saw our award-winning dishwasher tablets enter the frame. You loved the fact they were all in one with no need to buy salt, rinse aid or glass protector and their ingenious use around the home (like cleaning the oven) is an equally much-loved feature.
Theresa May was in Downing Street, Black Panther (Marvel film) had just earned $1 billion and the world's last male northern white rhino died in Kenya.
smol also burst onto the scene bringing a laundry revolution direct to your home in recycled plastic packs with a FREE TRIAL! 5 years later, we're still sending capsules to people who signed up in that very first week.
2019 saw our award-winning dishwasher tablets enter the frame. You loved the fact they were all in one with no need to buy salt, rinse aid or glass protector and their ingenious use around the home (like cleaning the oven) is an equally much-loved feature.
In 2020 we launched our world-first patented cardboard packaging for both laundry and dishwash. It's still one of our proudest acheivements. A move that even shamed some of the big brands into reconsidering their single-use plastic laundry packs.
2020 also saw another world-first! A super concentrated animal fat-free fabric conditioner. Many of us were shocked to learn the big brands base their fabric softners on animal fat but just 4 pumps of smol's fabcon gives wonderfully soft and fragrant laundry without the need for our farmyard friends.
Not resting on our laurels we ALSO launched our refillable smol surface spray for 2020. No more single-use plastic spray bottles, we said YES to refill and NO to landfill.
The following year we launched fragrance-free laundry capsules, hand sanitiser PLUS with YOUR help we launched our Suds in Schools campaign to install free mini launderettes into schools that could help families who were struggling. The scheme is going from strength to strength... more on that soon!
Last year we added our super bleach-free stain gel to the smol family amongst many other items and we're continuing to expand for 2023. Our much-awaited washing up liquid is finally here and already taking sinks by storm. We've so many new products coming this year there's certainly no slowing down. So here's to the next 5 years, we LOVE having you along for the journey and remain incredibly grateful for all your loyal support.
2020 also saw another world-first! A super concentrated animal fat-free fabric conditioner. Many of us were shocked to learn the big brands base their fabric softners on animal fat but just 4 pumps of smol's fabcon gives wonderfully soft and fragrant laundry without the need for our farmyard friends.
Not resting on our laurels we ALSO launched our refillable smol surface spray for 2020. No more single-use plastic spray bottles, we said YES to refill and NO to landfill.
The following year we launched fragrance-free laundry capsules, hand sanitiser PLUS with YOUR help we launched our Suds in Schools campaign to install free mini launderettes into schools that could help families who were struggling. The scheme is going from strength to strength... more on that soon!
Last year we added our super bleach-free stain gel to the smol family amongst many other items and we're continuing to expand for 2023. Our much-awaited washing up liquid is finally here and already taking sinks by storm. We've so many new products coming this year there's certainly no slowing down. So here's to the next 5 years, we LOVE having you along for the journey and remain incredibly grateful for all your loyal support.
Our tips for easier DIY.
The Easter Bank Holiday weekend is one of the most popular times of the year for DIYers to don their overalls for a spot of home improvement. In fact some surveys suggest up to one third of us carry out some type of project over the spring weekend. So here's two handy uses for smol's fabric conditioner!
HACK 1: Remove stubborn wallpaper.
Next time you're faced with bits of tough-to-remove lining paper that won't come off, or a wall of woodchip and no steamer - let smol fabric conditioner take some of the strain! It softens the paper brilliantly making it super easy to remove.
Simply mix some up in warm water and then use a sponge, spray bottle or paint roller to apply the mixture to the paper. Leave it to soak for 20 minutes and then scrape it off!
HACK 2: Bring your paint brushes back to life!
And how about a fab con hack to rescue those paintbrushes you forgot to wash from the night before? Yes, they're all stiff and might feel unusable but all is not lost! Just try soaking your brush in some fabric softener.
- Wipe as much paint as you can from the brush onto a paper towel or old cloth.
- Next, mix 500ml of warm water with 12 pumps of smol fabric softener.
- Swirl your paintbrush in the solution, and the paint should wash off.
- Finally, rinse your paintbrush under cold water and dry it so you're ready to get painting!
Washing clothes, brushing our teeth or using deodorant shouldn't be a luxury; yet many of us who experience poverty just cannot afford to stay clean.
In fact, hygiene products are often forgotten about when it comes to donating to food banks, even though items like nappies, toilet roll and laundry detergent are the most commonly requested items by those experiencing hygiene poverty.
In a smol online survey, we found that of the 66% of you that regularly donated to food banks, only 35% had donated hygiene products, opting to donate items like tinned food and dried goods instead.
We think that's because the issue of hygiene poverty needs more awareness, so we're working with The Hygiene Bank to get the word out there, because we believe feeling clean shouldn't have to be a privilege. Their recent study found that over 3.1 million people are thought to be experiencing poverty in the UK, which can lead to a further cycle of poverty, ultimately affecting mental health, relationships and friendships.
One easy way you can support the work of The Hygiene Bank is to simply add 'donate a wash' to you smol plan. Turning this option on adds 30p to your smol order each time a smol pack processes, and can be turned off at any time. Each 30p means TWO free washes are donated to those living in hygiene poverty on your behalf.
Here's Elena, our fabulous Fulfillment Supervisor who works in our factory at the frontline of all your orders! Let's get to know her better as we put her under the smol spotlight.
can you give a brief description of your job?
My job is to manage the labelling of products on a daily basis. I distribute and control the workload and motivate the team so that orders are packed and shipped exactly as they need to be!
what’s your favourite smol product and why?
I really like the fabric conditioner, it has such a pleasant smell and it makes clothes wonderfully soft to the touch!
what’s the best bit about your job and working for smol?
I have been working at smol for over 2 years now and love how my role has grown as the company has grown. smol as a company is also providing me career development at every step.
what’s a handy eco-friendly tip you can share for household cleaning?
Olive oil! This is an amazing natural alternative to furniture polish. Any standard olive oil will do. You need to apply a little oil on a rag, gently wipe the surfaces and let them dry. For a fresh flavour, you can add a little lemon juice.
it’s the weekend... where will we find you and what are you doing?
On weekends it’s hard to find me at home, I really like to spend time with my husband and son getting to know new locations, we love to travel and that's what brings us a lot of happiness!
can you give a brief description of your job?
My job is to manage the labelling of products on a daily basis. I distribute and control the workload and motivate the team so that orders are packed and shipped exactly as they need to be!
what’s your favourite smol product and why?
I really like the fabric conditioner, it has such a pleasant smell and it makes clothes wonderfully soft to the touch!
what’s the best bit about your job and working for smol?
I have been working at smol for over 2 years now and love how my role has grown as the company has grown. smol as a company is also providing me career development at every step.
what’s a handy eco-friendly tip you can share for household cleaning?
Olive oil! This is an amazing natural alternative to furniture polish. Any standard olive oil will do. You need to apply a little oil on a rag, gently wipe the surfaces and let them dry. For a fresh flavour, you can add a little lemon juice.
it’s the weekend... where will we find you and what are you doing?
On weekends it’s hard to find me at home, I really like to spend time with my husband and son getting to know new locations, we love to travel and that's what brings us a lot of happiness!
why choose a bottle for life?
Producing the average HDPE plastic cleaning spray bottle generates around 58g of carbon emissions. * Just think how many cleaning spray bottles you could get through in a year... Alternatively you can opt for a smol refill spray system.
For starters, actually producing our 37g recycled PET spray bottle only creates around 17g of carbon so you're already off to a good start. But THEN... that's it. No more bottles to buy because you have your smol bottle for life.
No more 58g of carbon each time you replace your cleaning spray bottle and on top of THAT, we're only shipping you a tiny 4.5g tablet to use with water from your tap to refill your bottle at home. No more pointless shipping of heavy bottles (which are mostly water) from place to place.
It's why swapping to a smol spray refill system is going to cut your spray cleaning carbon footprint by a gigantic 91%.***
So if you haven't taken advantage of our FREE TRIAL multi purpose spray... maybe now's the time? You'll be cutting carbon before you know it and have shining surfaces as well!
It's why swapping to a smol spray refill system is going to cut your spray cleaning carbon footprint by a gigantic 91%.***
So if you haven't taken advantage of our FREE TRIAL multi purpose spray... maybe now's the time? You'll be cutting carbon before you know it and have shining surfaces as well!
our MOST requested product is here!
Grab your gloves and snatch up your sponges because our most-requested product is here! A fab fruity, pink grapefruit washing up liquid in all its plant-based, biodegradable glory. It’s going to look sensational next to your sink. Your dishes will be spotless, the bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic AND you can return them for FREE for refill with our new returns scheme!
- Fill a bowl (or half of a split sink) with hot soapy water (if using smol washing up liquid, 2-3 pumps should be all that's needed). Then fill a second bowl (or half-sink) with clean hot water without any soap.
- Soak your dishes in the hot soapy water to loosen any debris. You’ll use less water and energy when the time comes to scrub them. Don’t hold them under a constantly running tap. Use the second bowl of clean hot water for rinsing.
- Leave items to air dry or use a tea-towel that can be washed and reused.
This method has been shown to reduce the costs as well as the energy and water consumption involved with washing up by hand which is good to know especially for those of us without a dishwasher or those of us who will not fill one on a regular basis.
Happy scrubbing!
That's all for this smol talk but if you want to share any sensational smol spring cleaning photos then head to our socials, we love to see a good before and after shot! And don't forget any spring cleaning hacks, we'll use any great ones in our next edition!
*Virgin HDPE creates 1.92kg of carbon equivalents per kilogram and average 500ml spray bottle weighs 30g.
** Recycled PET by GmbH in Wöllersdorf has a carbon footprint of 0.45 kg CO2 equivalent per kilogram of rPET.
*** Full LCA 2021 independent sustainability experts eLoop.
** Recycled PET by GmbH in Wöllersdorf has a carbon footprint of 0.45 kg CO2 equivalent per kilogram of rPET.
*** Full LCA 2021 independent sustainability experts eLoop.
