I’ll admit that when it comes to doing the laundry, I usually pay minimal attention, other than sorting, pouring and starting. When I had the chance to try Vaska Oxygen Brightener, I was a skeptic, as I’d grown up with a grandmother who swore by bleach, and used it for pretty much everything.
Vaska is a company that was founded in Berkley, California, in 1999, by a fashion designer who decided that she didn’t like the traditional detergents available, and wanted to create a product that was delicate fabric + sensitive skin + planet friendly. The results include products that have been given the “Design for the Environment” Award by the U.S. EPA.
Vaska Oxygen Brightener is a product that is chlorine free, 100% natural, and doesn’t leave behind that tell-tale scent of bleach that reminds me of the bathrooms in my ancient elementary school. The product is biodegradable, it’s never tested on animals, heck, even the bottle is made of recycled materials!
I ran a side-by-side test washing identical dish towels – one with my usual eco-friendly detergent, and the other with my detergent + a capful of Vaska. As much as I was really hoping to be blown away by a noticeable difference, I have to admit, they pretty much looked the same after identical wash and dry cycles. The real question is: which one did I use the Vaska Oxygen Brightener on?
On the upside, knowing that I can whiten my whites, and brighten my brights without using chlorine bleach, is very appealing, especially since I hate the smell of bleach. Vaska also claims to keep whites white, without the horrible yellow tint that you get from traditional bleach. With only three ingredients, I know it’s safe on my clothes, and what’s more important is that I don’t worry about the chemicals that I’m adding to my kids’ clothes.
You can find a local retailer at http://www.vaskahome.com/where-to-buy/index.shtml or online at amazon.com. A 42-wash bottle retails for $7.99.
(The towel washed with the Vaska Oxygen Brightener is on the left!)
– Erin
1 comment
Even though I can’t really see a difference either, I would definitely prefer to use chemical free detergent over regular….. I would be interested to see if you can tell a difference when you try something white!