No, borax does not damage stainless steel. In fact, it is widely used as a gentle, non-scratching abrasive cleaner and stain remover for stainless steel sinks, pots, and pans.
Here's how you can take care of your stainless steel sink: Scrub it with a mixture of powdered borax and lemon to remove stains. Avoid using salts and acids to avoid damaging the finish.
Never use the following products on stainless steel surfaces:
Recommended for metals
This natural sodium borate is great for dissolving metal oxides in non-ferrous metal recovery and can be used as a cover flux in ferrous metallurgical applications.
Mixing borax with popular cleaning products — like vinegar and bleach — to create those popular DIY cleaning recipes is not recommended.
Borax and baking soda are different compounds. Borax is sodium borate, a mineral, and salt of boric acid, while baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, commonly used for baking and neutralizing odors.
In other words, the European Chemicals Agency recognized that high levels of exposure to borax may adversely affect human reproduction or development. As a result, some products containing borax are banned for sale within the European Union unless they meet certain safety requirements.
DON'T...
All Natural
The only ingredient in Borax is a naturally occuring mineral called sodium tetraborate. It's free of phosphates, chlorine and other chemicals.
Borax is safe to use on your washing machine as a booster to your commercial detergent. It is often used like baking soda to deodorize clothes and as a water softener.
Stainless steel and chlorine do not belong together. Quite the contrary. We can safely say that chlorine and chlorine products are among the greatest enemies of stainless steel - certainly of the most commonly used quality, SS 304.
Caring For Your Stainless Steel Cookware: 12 Things NOT To Do
Hydrochloric acid and Sulphuric acid at some concentrations are particular aggressive towards stainless steel.
Crystalized boric acid was discovered between the two flanges that were made of SA-182 Grade F 304 stainless steel. The boric acid crystals had become wetted, and resulted in the continued boric acid corrosion of the studs, which was evidenced by the blistering and pitting (Ref. 1).
With some basic kitchen staples, there are several techniques you can use to clean a badly burnt stainless steel pan. You'll need baking soda, water, and white vinegar, and a scouring pad and scraper, such as a wooden spatula. One method uses a fresh lemon, cut in half.
Sodium tetraborate decahydrate (borax) is corrosive, as such it is highly toxic to the eye.
Borax is often confused with other cleaning agents, but it stands out due to its ability to soften water, neutralize odors, and enhance the cleaning power of regular laundry detergents. The combination of these properties makes borax a go-to solution for many households looking to elevate their laundry game.
Sodium sesquicarbonate, marketed as "borax substitute," is a non-toxic mineral compound with a pH similar 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 United States.
Hormone problems
High exposure to borax (and boric acid) is believed to disrupt the body's hormones. They may especially impair male reproduction, reducing sperm count and libido. In one study, scientists found that rats fed borax experienced atrophy of their testes, or reproductive organs.
Borax, or sodium borate, is an alkaline mineral salt.
Some of the insects that borax kills include ants, flies, and other insect larvae. Borax is an ant poison, and it controls flies around manure piles. It also prevents larvae from growing. The main insect borax kills are termites.
They work in different ways, so it depends on what you're looking to do. 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.
Step-by-Step: Make Stainless Steel Shine Again
Hydrochloric acid damages any kind of stainless steel and should be avoided. All types of stainless steel resist attack from phosphoric acid and nitric acid at room temperature.
7 Best Stainless Steel Cleaning Methods