Amongst many other advantages, Borax assists in the saponification of any organic oils and fats that may be soiling the linen weave. Oxiclean on the other hand is a fully built Hydrogen Peroxide producing, colour-safe bleach additive which can be used as a soaker or as a detergent additive.
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.
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.
Sodium sesquicarbonate, marketed under the name "Borax Substitute," is a non-toxic mineral compound with similar pH to borax, making it ideal for cleaning and laundry. It is more potent than baking soda. You can find it sold online as sodium sesquicarbonate or alkali washing soda in the US.
In your washing machine, borax helps absorb dirt. In your kitchen and bathroom, it's great for cleaning rust, grout, and even mold and mildew. Borax helps laundry smell better and is also extremely effective at fighting pet urine odor because it combats the ammonia.
Borax is extremely alkaline (pH of around 9.1), which creates a basic solution that can help fight acidic stains (like tomato, coffee, or mustard) when dissolved in water and used as a pre-treating solution. When added to a load of laundry, borax can help get white clothes whiter.
Adding up to 1/2 cup* of borax to every load of laundry—whites and colorfast items (check labels)—will do all kinds of wonderful things to keep your white things white, your laundry, and your washing machine odor-free. *The amount of borax depends on the hardness of your water.
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?
Borax (sodium tetraborate) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) aren't the same thing. They're both salts, and they're both popular as “green” household cleaning agents, but borax has a pH of 9.5, compared to baking soda's pH of 8. This makes borax considerably more alkaline than baking soda.
20 Mule Team™ simply refines the raw Borax that is mined from the ground and converts it to a powder for your easy use.
OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover should not be mixed with Chlorine bleach or household chemicals other than in the wash with your regular laundry detergent.
You can strip laundry without borax – use the above recipe but leave the borax out. Borax is a laundry booster and helps detergent work better, but you'll still see results without it. What is this? Another way to strip laundry without borax and washing soda is to use Oxiclean.
Add one-half cup of borax to each load to boost the cleaning power of your detergent.
According to BISM, the ingredients that make up Oxiclean can cause serious injury if breathed in, swallowed, or gets in your eyes.
Your best bet, though, is to buy pure sodium percarbonate (which you can easily find on Amazon for less than $20). Not only does sodium percarbonate not contain any unnecessary additives as do some store-bought products; Richardson says it's also much stronger than true OxiClean (which means you need less of it).
While the popular OxiClean formula on our list was the best-performing stain remover of makeup stains in cold water, Carbona's Laundry Stain Scrubber was the best-performing in four other categories of stains including outdoor and drink stains in both cold and warm water.
Borax has long been recognized for its disinfectant and deodorizing properties. Mix a 1/2 cup of Borax into 1 gallon of hot water or undiluted vinegar and clean with this solution.
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.
20 Mule Team Borax™ is an all-natural powder used to help with cleaning, laundry, odor control, DIY crafting, and more!
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.
If you're looking for a substitute fabric softener, all you need to do is add ½ cup of distilled vinegar onto the rinse cycle. In case you're looking to neutralize odors and whiten your clothes, then add ½ cup of Borax and ½ of vinegar.
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.
Borax can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if you ingest it by itself, and large amounts can lead to shock and kidney failure. It's banned in U.S. food products. It also can irritate your skin and eyes, and it can hurt your nose, throat, and lungs if you breathe it in.