Note: While baking soda, washing soda, and borax are all different, they are safe to combine. In fact, I use all three in the recipe for my favorite homemade laundry detergent, along with Fels-Naptha bar laundry soap.
Using a spoon, mix together 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda. Add 1 tablespoon to a load of laundry. (Recipe makes 32 tbsp/32 loads.) Use borax as a natural way to remove stains from a stainless steel sink.
Both baking soda and Borax are effective because they are alkaline and abrasive. But Borax has a higher PH than baking soda, making it a slightly harsher but arguably more effective cleaning agent. It inhibits fungi, mold, and bacteria. Have a pile of clothing from your kid's sports that has taken on a stink?
So, forget the “popular” homemade “detergent” recipe and just use the Ecothrifty laundry cleaner — a 50/50 mix of washing soda and borax. If your clothes look a little extra dirty, let them soak before washing. If they're a little extra stinky, add a bit more washing soda.
Since borax contains sodium4, adding one-half cup per load helps to soften the wash water, so your clothes come out looking great.
Put ¼ cup of borax, ¼ cup of washing soda, and ½ cup of laundry detergent together. Let it fully dissolve. Pour hot water onto the laundry to cover them. Let sit until the water's fully cooled, stirring occasionally.
While the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies borax as being noncarcinogenic, it does pose some risks, including: skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. digestive problems. infertility.
Note: While baking soda, washing soda, and borax are all different, they are safe to combine. In fact, I use all three in the recipe for my favorite homemade laundry detergent, along with Fels-Naptha bar laundry soap.
OxiClean contains several ingredients, but the important one for boosting and brightening laundry is sodium percarbonate — basically, dry hydrogen peroxide plus washing soda (also called sodium carbonate, which is very similar to but not exactly baking soda).
Washing soda (sodium carbonate) has a very high pH level, making it an extreme alkaline compound that is very effective as a cleaning agent. Borax (sodium tetraborate) pH levels aren't as high as washing soda, and it doesn't have the same cleaning power as washing soda.
Borax is a naturally occurring mineral salt that's sold as a laundry booster. It promises to fight stains, brighten whites and help laundry detergent more effectively clean all kinds of fabrics, colored fabrics included. Unlike bleach, borax is safe to use on colored fabrics without fear of dye removal or other damage.
Oxiclean powder is essentially washing soda with sodium percarbonate, which turns into hydrogen peroxide. It's color safe and works great to get rid of stains and keeps whites white and colors bright. It's also much safer / less toxic than Borax. Borax works well too, helps get rid of stains, and whitens clothes.
Fill up the tub with hot water and add a full cap of detergent, a scoop of Oxi-Clean, about 1/4 cup of Borax, and about 1/4 cup of washing soda. I use a big spoon (that will never be used for eating or cooking ever again haha) to stir everything up, and then I throw in all of my laundry that I want to strip.
On Household Management 101 it was suggested to mix half and half of Oxiclean and Borax into an empty container, and then use one scoop (about 1/2 a cup) of this in all loads of laundry when you don't use chlorine bleach. This helps with both laundry odors and stains.
First, make sure to keep it away from children's reach. Second, avoid using it as a cosmetic product and handle it with care at all times. This usually means wearing a mask and gloves when using it. Finally, do NOT mix Borax with any boric acid products, such as pesticides.
Borax works by absorbing odors and stains while also having the ability to kill mold. When you add this laundry additive into the wash cycle with your laundry detergent it will remove stubborn grease stains, brighten fabrics, and work to deodorize the buildup of odors on the clothing material.
Yes, your whites are going to be extra white, fresh and soft. This is because the water in borax converts water into hydrogen peroxide, a natural whitening agent. No more will your white clothing have that horrible grey tone to them, and no more will you have to rely on bleach to whiten your clothes.
Instead of sprinkling borax in the bottom of your trash can, try baking soda or used (or fresh) coffee grinds, which all work wonders. You can also use baking soda and water to clean your trash can. Throw in some vinegar for extra odor-fighting action.
Borax, also known as sodium tetraborate, is a mineral that naturally occurs when a lake bed evaporates. While generally considered non-toxic in the form of borax (not to be confused with boric acid), it is recommended you avoid eye contact, ingestion or prolonged skin contact.
Borax causes irritation of skin and respiratory tract. The gastrointestinal tract, skin, vascular system and brain are the principal organs and tissues affected. It causes nausea, persistant vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, erythematous and exfoliative rash, unconsciousness, depression and renal failure.