With two boys in the house, we get a lot of stains on clothing - grass stains, pen and markers, dirt, blood....you name it! So having an arsenal of stain removal stuff is pretty important to me. Still, I like to spend as little time as possible doing laundry so I appreciate products that are easy to use. Here are a few that I have tried:
Stain Removal Products
Vaska SpotOff - A spray-on spot remover made with botanical surfactants that will not harm fabric.
Thumbs up: Just grab and spray - it's so easy! Free of NPEs, chlorine, phosphates and optical brighteners. Biodegradable and color safe.
Second thoughts: Full ingredient list not available. Seems a bit pricey at approx. $10.99 for a 22-oz bottle but it will last you a long time.
Ecover - A plant based stain remover gel with a built in brush.
Thumbs up: Use brush to rub stain remover into stubborn stains. Affordable at $4.50 for a 6.8 oz bottle and you only need a smidge per stain.
Second thoughts: According to Goodguide and Skin Deep, there are a couple of questionable ingredients in the formula, including 2-BROMO-2-NITROPROPANE-1,3-DIOL, a preservative linked to immunotoxicity.
Roux Maison - Fragrance free, naturally derived liquid stain remover.
Thumbs up: Readily biodegradable and free of the usual nasties like parabens, SLS, phthalates and formaldehyde.
Second thoughts: Complete ingredient list not available. Expensive at $8.95 for an 8-oz bottle.
Home Remedies
If you would rather try your hand at home remedies, here are some ideas from my book:
What are your tried and true stain removal techniques?
(Full Disclosure: I received samples of Vaska SpotOff and Roux Maison stain removers in exchange for my honest opinion. There are affiliate links in this post.)
(This post is linked on My Green Resource over at Live Renewed. Check it out for more green living ideas!)
Thanks for this. all of little E's clothing stained! I have been trying different things. hopefully some of this will help!
Posted by: Good Girl Gone Green | February 02, 2012 at 01:53 PM
BioKlean Bac Out is awesome!
Posted by: Heather | February 02, 2012 at 03:37 PM
Hi Stephanie (GGGG) - Stained clothes are a fact of life with little kids! Good luck with the stain removal! :)
Posted by: Micaela | February 03, 2012 at 08:17 AM
Hi Heather - I completely forgot to mention Bac-Out - thanks for the reminder! I knew I was forgetting something!
Posted by: Micaela | February 03, 2012 at 08:18 AM
Thanks for the useful info. Yes, my two kids are always giving me chances to test my wits at stain removal!
Posted by: Anne | February 03, 2012 at 08:53 AM
I've had good luck with Biokleen's Bac-out. I use it for clothes mostly.
Posted by: Betsy (Eco-novice) | February 04, 2012 at 11:51 AM
Anne - testing your wits is right! Good luck with the stain removal. :)
Posted by: Micaela | February 05, 2012 at 01:13 PM
Yes - I need to add Bac-Out to my post. I totally forgot to mention it - it's a great product!
Posted by: Micaela | February 06, 2012 at 05:14 PM
Great cheat sheet, thanks!!
Posted by: Emily @ Random Recycling | February 10, 2012 at 02:14 PM
Hi Emily - glad you like the cheat sheet!
Posted by: Micaela | February 11, 2012 at 03:43 PM
I love that you care so much about the environment and being eco and world friendly. There is so much eco friendly technology out there, that it's kind of crazy to not embrace it like you are doing. Way to go. I really respect that.
Posted by: Gill Eco | May 03, 2012 at 10:16 AM