I've tried Vaska, and it seems to work very well.... although the scent does not seem to linger. Any thoughts on Caldrea, Le Blanc and other 'green' laundry detergents?

I used Vaska as our primary detergent for several months after it was released. During that time, I discovered several things:

GOOD:

- Cleaned visible dirt/soil pretty well

- Very easy on the skin (no itchies)

- Left clothes soft

- Universal, no need for separate detergent for wool/silk

BAD

- Ineffective on some stains (ketchup, oil-on-cotton) without extensive pre-treating

- Not good at removing body odors including those from nighttime potty training accidents (ewww!)

- AMAZINGLY sudsy in my Bosch Nexxt 500 washer, especially on hotter cycles that engage the on-board heater more. I.e. the more the water is heated, the more it oversuds and foam-locks the machine, even when you drop down to 1/2 the recommended dose (which is really not much.) It would probably work OK if you washed everything on tap cold water, but I won't do that.

- Very difficult to rinse out all the way due to the sudsing issues above.

I switched over to Persil Megaperls (color and universal) for our day-to-day laundry since it is much better at stain and odor removal and doesn't over-suds. I still use the Vaska in tiny doses for our wool and silk items since they'd get eaten up by the enzymes in Persil.

Thank you. I just ordered two bottles so I'll see how it works for me. It sounded too good to be true (as most are). I'll post here when I try it (hopefully next week). I hope I donÂt regret getting two Â

I have Persil Megaperls (color and universal) and just cannot do it. I find the smell too much for me. I'm hard to please in the scent department. I like a little to linger but not too much.

I like BioKleen but I really like the new Method (with "Smart Clean" technology). It seems to clean really well and leaves things bright and soft. I have to use half unscented with half scented to get a "perfect" scent for my liking.

IÂve been using Mrs MeyerÂs Lavender for my sheets and towels and was hoping that Vaska would be even better for them with more lavender scent remaining after drying.

Sorry rudin1969 I forgot to answer your question directly. I used to use Tide before I changed all my cleaning products over to more "earth friendly" versions.

I have used both Caldrea and LeBlanc (I did mention I was addicted to laundry right?). I find all of the Caldrea scents except for Lavender/Pine to be too strong for me. I prefer Mrs. Meyers Lavender to Caldrea as IÂm not found of the pine with the lavender in Caldrea. Mrs. Meyers uses lavender and orange (I believe). Having said that, my mother has a TL and uses the Basil scent from Caldrea and loves it  I donÂt find her things too scented. I find that Mrs. Meyers seems to clean well.

I also find the LeBlanc scents too much. I do own their down wash (which I like). I have also used their fine washable detergent  it is strong smelling for sure. I think they clean just fine but I wish their scents were not so strong.

As for other "green" ones  I like the BioKleen laundry products. I especially love the Bac-Out product and canÂt be without it now. My son used to have nose bleeds a lot at night and I was forever trying to get blood out of his sheets. Bac-Out just removes it no problem.

As I mentioned above, the new Method with the "pump" is performing quite amazing for me. Everything seems very clean but also bright and soft. I use half scented half unscented to get a perfect scent for me. I prefer the Peony scent over the Fresh Air one. I read yesterday that they have a new Sweet Pea one at Toys R Us (I suppose for babies) Â so IÂll be looking forward to trying that scent. It may be lighter than the others.

I donÂt use fabric softener for towels, linens or delicates. If I do use it I use the Shaklee Fresh Laundry one  the scent is heavenly and very addictive.

I have also tried Ecover, Seventh Generation, BioVert and Shaklee. I was not a fan of Ecover or Seventh Generation but found BioVert and Shaklee cleaned well. I do like the Ecover stain remover though.

Doing "green" laundry is a delicate balance. I find with no scent that the laundry smells clean when washed but after several days in the drawer does not. I find a need some fragrance (but not too much) to ensure that in 4 days when you pull something out to wear it that it still smells fresh. Anyone else notice this?

Many thanks, livebetter.
Funny you should say that you find Le Blanc scents too strong... I've been using both Le blanc and Caldrea and I'm a bit disappointed because the scents do not seem to linger....Do you think it might be because I have hard water? Le Blanc are about to launch a new product - Fragrance infusions that you add to the rinse cycle (they do not contain waxy softeners). At least that's what the site claims (it has not been updated for at least 5 months)... the company hasn't replied to my emails

PS: I've tried the new Method too (fresh air), works very well, but I'm not crazy about the scent. Will try Peony too

All this talk of Caldrea has me doing a load of towels (and one small stuffed dog) with Lavender/Pine. Ahhh ...

I find the lavender does not linger (I have found this with pretty much every lavender I've tried - thus now trying Vaska). Maybe I should get the Vaska fabric softener too?

I used the Basil Blue sage once and my whole machine smelled of it even after 5 more washings with something else. It was just way too much for me. I gave it to my mom who has a TL and she loves it.

IÂm sure there are a lot of factors for laundry. The machine, the water, etc  Everyone will have a different experience with the same product. Personal preference is also a huge factor when it comes to scent.

The LeBlanc infusion sounds perfect for me! I will be sure to try it when available. I just want the towels and linens to smell like lavender for awhile ... is it too much to ask? And a nice natural lavender not an icky "perfumy" one.

I'm not crazy about the Fresh Air scent either. Def like Peony better. I'm hopping Sweet Pea is even nicer!

rudin1969, I posted this on another thread but thought you might be interested.

I read that Method introduced a new scent - Sweet Pea - baby detergent. It is currently available online at Toys R Us. Unfortunately it will not be available in Canada until August at ShopperÂs Drug Mart. I wonder if it will smell anything like CaldreaÂs Sweet Pea? Hopefully this scent will be a winner for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Method Sweet Pea Baby

... is the scent of line-dried clothes. Especially if you can dry in the sun.

There's nothing like it, can't be beat.

Now that spring is here again I love that fresh smell every time I open the closet.

Try it if you can, even drying on a rack outside will do.

cryptandrus, I know ... my mom hang dries a ton and everything does smell so nice. I'm not really set up for outside drying (there was a bi law against clotheslines here until early 2008 - can you believe??).

I do hang dry things in my laundry room but I should try to get more outside.

I still want lovely lavender in my sheets though :)

mysteryclock, still waiting on my Vaska to arrive ...

I thought your comments on stains were interesting. Vaska seems to have gone to great lengths to show how amazing their product is at stain removal. Have you seen this video showing Vaska in a wash test against Tide?

Would you disagree with these results?

I'm curious how a detergent could clean stains well without the help of enzymes (which I don't believe Vaska has).

Here is a link that might be useful: Vaska Performs at the Fashion Institute of Technology

Livebetter, I NEED to try the new Sweet Pea Method detergent :) They're planning to launch a new 'pump' fabric softener too. I've just heard from the nice people at Le Blanc -- they don't know yet when the Infusions will be available (some time soom, I hope), but I'll keep you posted. Have you tried their Dryer Sachets? I love them

livebetter,

Yes, I saw that video a while back and my only thought was "Wow, Tide must ~really~ suck then!"

:-O

Seriously, though, maybe they were able to use a whole lot more than I was in their test machine. Anytime I tried to use extended wash times, super hot water or more than a full dose in our hard water here I ended up with a machine full of suds, literally. I would have to re-wash with no detergent 2+ times just to get it all out. And stains like ketchup and oil-on-cotton (probably the toughest one I see daily) were still present.

Rudin 1969, I know! Me too (are we crazy for laundry or what?). Unfortunately Sweet Pea wonÂt be here until August. I can order from some US sites if available on them sooner (ie. Drugstore.com). Let me know if you get some and how you like it.

I have not tried the Le Blanc dryer sachets  I havenÂt even seen those around here. Maybe the lavender one would do what I need  make my linens smell like nice lavender. Thanks for the heads up!

Mysteryclock, LOL Â I was thinking the same thing :)

I also watched this video of a commercial laundering company who does linens for tons of hotels (including 5 stars) and they switched to Vaska. They say it was the only green option that actually worked for them. Hmmmm Â

If it would wash my linens and leave a nice lavender scent  IÂd be happy. IÂll post here when I finally get to try it. It seems to take a long time to get the shipments from Drugstore.com here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Royal Laundry uses Vaska

So, Vaska arrived the other day.

Very different consistency than I'm used too (although I read about that on line so was prepared).

I like the smell a lot but it does not last when dried (makes me sad). I may order the lavender Herbasoft and see if that helps with scent retention.

I have done several loads so far and I have to say it seems great. My kids clothes came out feeling SO soft with no added FS. They were not filthy so after washing seemed clean and smelled "fresh".

I can't wait to try towels with this and see how soft they come out.

I have a smaller machine (9 year old Frigidaire Gallery) so I used only half a cap. There were quite a few suds which surprised me as I thought it was low sudsing. They did seem to rinse away though so that was good.

All in all, seem happy so far.

Just a follow up. I've been using the Vaska now for several weeks. I still like it a lot.

I ordered their Herbasoft FS, oxygen bleach and Spot Off stain remover.

I mostly use these for sheets, towels and more delicate items or my personal dark clothes.

According to Vaska, the top 150 hotels (in the San Francisco Bay Area) including the Joie de Vivre group, Kimpton Hotels, and the Ritz-Carlton launder their linens with Vaska.

I find my sheets come out clean and white with a subtle lavender smell that is very nice.

My youngest son still has a few night time "leaks" and I find the Vaska washes his sheets up perfect with no stains or smells left.

I have washed clothes with it and it seems to wash them up nicely. To get white clothes very white I do use the Persil Sensitive Megaperls.

I think this detergent would be very good for babies and people with sensitive skin.

It has found a very nice home in my detergent line up. I was searching a long time for a natural lavender line and this is finally it for me (for now) :)

Thank you for the recommendation. I've been a Charlie's Soap user for a few years now but have been having mixed results so I tried the Vaska. I love the smell...only wish it would linger a little after the dryer. My clothes seem to be softer and cleaner than when I have used the Charlie's. I have extremely hard water so I've been mixing with 2T of STPP and the results have been better than I've had in years.

I tried the Method and have decent results (and the scent lingers more but is not overpowering) but I so far have been loving the Vaska. I'm almost at the end of the first bottle, so I'll give it another run and see if the results keep going well.

I bought both the detergent and the FS. Has anyone had good luck with the pretreater? I seem to get a few oily stains on shirts (but don't know where they come from) that nothing seems to take care of. I'm hesitant to buy another pretreater but if it works, heck I'll try it.

I wish I would've had scrolled down sooner! I've been using the Le Blanc Linen wash for my linen and cotton sheets for several years. Love it. The Towel wash, however, is ridiculously sudsy. They suggest 1/8 cup (or less) in an HE machine, which I follow. How can that be efficacious?

I guess I need to email them. :\

Cohoss, I've tried the pre-treater and I'm not crazy about it. It smells great, and it works on some stains, but I've found that it's not as effective as Charlie's Soap APC.

I do, however, love the Vaska oxygen bleach. My whites are amazing since I've started using it with the Vaska detergent.

I have a stash of Le Blanc products and I hate HATE them. I suppose I can use them for pre-treating stains, in which case I now have a lifetime supply of spot cleaner! My problem with the Le Blanc products is that they left a terribly perfumy scent in my clothes even after 5-7 rinses in my Asko. The product causes excessive suds at the recommended dosage. It's just one of those smoke-and-mirrors expensive boutique detergents that overpromises and underdelivers.

Sshrivastava,
I really like Le Blanc detergents, but unfortunately they seem to leave NO scent in my case ... Strange, I know..... Maybe it's because I've got hard water. I've emailed them asking when their 'fragrance infusions' will be available... the product has been 'under development' for at least the past eight months according to the site.... why advertise a product a year (or longer??) before it becomes available ??

cohoss, I also have the Vaska Spotoff. I like it. I don't have crazy stains around here but what I do have, it seems to work on. You can always try something once :)

Here's a little blurb about it being used on the costumes for "Wicked".

"Gillian Kadish the Wardrobe Supervisor on "Wicked" at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco had the following to say about Vaska, "It is of the utmost importance to be environmentally conscious in the ÂWicked wardrobe Department and by using Vaska we are able to use earth friendly products. Not only are the Vaska products eco-minded, but the botanical formula in the laundry detergent helps prolong the life of our most delicate costumes. We are not sacrificing the ability to clean our clothes, just clean them in a more cost effective and environmentally sound way. The Spotoff stain remover by Vaska is my new favorite product. It has enabled us to thoroughly remove the Green Witch's body paint from her costume where other stain removing products had failed before!"

I also use BioKleen Bac-Out which cannot be beat for protein stains such as grass and blood. Even chocolate ... My son used to have regular nose bleeds at night and it got every stain out of white sheets, quilts, pj's and even the carpet.

I also recently started using my Method Smartclean Unscented. I squirt a little on a stain (particularly greasy spots) and it seems to take them out.

Bump

This is a super old post, but I "discovered" vaska one tablets about a year ago and I love them! They work awesome! I have used the vaska liquid also, but I prefer the tablets. If I have a small load I just break the tablet in half. (same with the dish tabs) Lucky for me they carry vaska at my local grocery. (Ingles for those of you in the south) I use their dish tablets also. They work great. I have tried the spot remover also. I think it works ok, but I have found pre treating with the liquid works just as good if not better.

I second the Bac-Out for blood...it also works awesome on pet stains. It really takes the smell out.