Since our first trial of Vaska in ’09, I’ve been a fan of their laundry detergent (review here) – it’s one of the best green laundry detergents available. So when I was recently offered a free bottle of Spotoff spray for testing purposes, I said sure. This past weekend, armed with the advanced botanicals spot remover, I put it to the test on a white organic cotton hoodie that was covered with all sorts of stains, including red ink, tomato sauce and soy sauce. (I know, what a slob.) Poor hoodie – I thought it might be headed to the re-use bin but much to my amazement all the ugly stains were lifted in just 2 easy steps.

I sprayed the garment with Vaska Spotoff, let it sink-in for about 30 minutes, and then tossed it into the washing machine with a load of whites. I used my usual Vaska Herbatergent (liquid laundry detergent), which I buy on a regular basis. When I hung the hoodie to dry I almost hugged it. It was spotless. Freakin’ aweseome. Needless to say, you’ll never see another bottle of Shout on my shelf.

Spotoff is biodegradable – derived from natural ingredients, and formulated to treat spills and stains on clothing, rugs and upholstery. Safe on colors, whites, natural and synthetic textiles. The company tells me it’s potent enough to remove wine stains, which I’m sure will come in handy (perhaps after that New Year’s bash).

ingredients: botanical surfactants, natural blending agents, lavender extract, alcohol and filtered water. Contains no dyes, chlorine or fragrances.

Body- and planet-friendly, find Vaska at Duane Reade in NYC and online at amazon.com; (priced at about $10 per 22 oz & worth every penny).

full disclosure – I received one bottle of Spotoff for the purposes of this Tried and True Green Product Review – no strings attached.