Saturday 23 October 2010

Ecover stain remover


As I've said many times on this blog, I love it when I can switch over to an eco-friendly product that is just as effective as the less environmentally-friendly alternatives. When I was contacted by Ecover to review their Stain Remover, I was really excited. It was voted the Which? Best Buy in a test putting fifteen of the stain removers on the market head to head. As Ecover proudly explain, "Scoring excellent marks on the removal of grease, oil and make up stains, Ecover was the only 'eco' product that made it into the top three." I find that very impressive as it nicely combines the eco-friendliness and efficiency that are sometimes hard to find in the same product.

I instantly set to work on my weekly wash. My lovely children had conscientiously prepared me a heavily-soiled load of laundry to use without me even asking them - how's that for dedication ?! Sophie had had a huge nosebleed and managed to get it all over her pillow case and, as I mentioned in my nappies review, Pierre has had a couple of leaks after some decidedly toxic teething-time nappies !

The clear gel comes out of the bottle very easily and you can use the soft bristles to really rub the stain remover into the material to help it do its work. Obviously, this is something you'd want to avoid with really delicate fabrics but for my cotton pillow cases and bodysuits, it was perfect. The only problem was - and again, I apologise for the details ! - the brush part did cling on to - sorry, there's no nice way of saying this ! - the little lumps of poo that were coming off Pierre's bodysuits. As I rubbed in the gel, I could tell from the decidedly brown-tinged mousse that formed that it was instantaneously removing some of the stain but it was difficult and decidedly yucky to get the little brush totally clean again at the end !

I decided to do a really thorough test and treated one leaky nappy bodysuit with the stain remover and washed one without. When I pulled them out of the laundry later on, there was still a slight stain on the one that I had treated with the stain remover but it was certainly much paler than on the one without. I was amazed to see that the bloodstain had entirely disappeared, which isn't usually the case.

I'm always a bit worried about stain removing products being so harsh that they might damage the material. As all Ecover products are made from plant and mineral based ingredients, I was much less worried about this aspect this time around. It also means that they are safer and gentler in the home and around children.

As a stain removing product, it didn't totally remove 100% of the stains but I wasn't expecting it to and it did efficiently remove some stubborn stains like blood and felt pen that are sometimes hard to shift. Even as a non-eco-friendly product, I'd have been pleased with its performance so when you take into account its green credentials, it's even more impressive.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £2.79 for 200ml

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