Green Review: Vaska herbatergent

I’m a die hard Biokleen detergent users, but I’m always willing to try something new. Options are good. Today a review of Vaska’s herbatergent.

PRODUCTS: Vaska’s herbatergent (unscented) from Vaska

USES: Washing clothing; suitable for adult and baby clothing. High efficiency friendly.

INGREDIENTS: Plant based surfactants, vegetable conditioner, water-soluble degreasing agent, lavender extract (leaves no scent) and filtered water.

COST: $9.99 for 48 oz – 32 loads (but I think it works out to more – read review below)

ECO-PERKS:

• 100% biodegradable.
• Graywater safe.
• Disclosure of ingredients at website and on packaging.
• Hypoallergenic.
• Phosphate free.
• Awarded “champion” status by the EPA – the highest possible award as a partner in the EPA’s Safer Detergent Stewardship Initiative.
• Herbatergent Scentfree and Oxygenbleach have been recognized as safe for people and the environment by the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program.
• Vaska bottles are made from up to 50 percent post-consumer content, and can be recycled in most major cities. Bottle has a recycling reminder which is awesome. Even the lid has a recycling reminder on it (rare).

WHAT I THINK:

I washed all sorts of clothes, cleaning cloths, cloth napkins, sheets, and more (including delicate pieces) in Vaska herbatergent. I used cold water for all the loads, and hung most of it up to dry.  All my clothing came out soft, smelled clean, and although the bottle says to use a full cap, I also tested a half cap and results were just as good.

I also tested a really greasy and gross load of cleaning towels using this detergent (spent the day cleaning then tossed the towels in the washer) the load came out perfectly clean and fresh. If I bought this detergent I’d probally get the lavender because I like detergent to smell nice. I tested the unscented and it was TOTALLY unscented minus the tiny soap scent so it’d be great for people sensitive to scents.

Other people like this detergent as well. The San Francisco Giants recently started using Vaska to wash their uniforms as reported by Consumer Reports.

THE BAD:

No clue if they test on animals or not. Product does not carry the leaping bunny symbol. The website states nothing on the topic. The product makes no animal testing statement. It’s possible the website offers this info, but if I have to go looking, then so do other consumers. This is a biggie issue and the fact that this info is not readily available makes me seriously think they might test on animals. UPDATE (10/6/09) - This company notes that they do not test on animals.

Not very available. I haven’t seen it in any local stores, and only one online store – Alice. Vaska offers some products on Amazon, but very few. It’s also carried in very few select store around the country.

Not available in a powder. A recycled cardboard container is more recyclable all over than a plastic bottle so I like to see a company offer both powder and liquid options.

OVERALL SCORE:

+

Three out of five little trees… PLUS ONE – SEE UPDATE BELOW. I actually liked this detergent as much as Biokleen, my old favorite which scored four trees. It cleaned just as well and for the most part it’s just as eco-friendly although it’s not available in a powder. I can’t however give a green product a four when it could be tested on animals. It’s also loosing a point for price. It’s a little more expensive then Biokleen, although less expensive than brands like Seventh Generation and some other eco-detergents.

Overall I’d recommend it if you can deal with the few cons – although if I find out about the animal testing I’ll update.

UPDATE (10/6/09!!!

The Vaska company got in touch and told me about their animal testing policy (they do not test on animals) and noted that they have a powder on the way. I’m bumping this product up a tree. Read more about what they told me.