I've been making a lot of my own cleaning and beauty products over the years, but for some reason, laundry detergent is one that I haven't given a try until now.
Now that I know how easy and inexpensive it is to make, I probably won't be going back!
This recipe actually comes from a good friend of mine. Renee and her family have lived overseas as missionaries for years and hope to be back on the field in the near future, so she's always looking for frugal and homemade ways to do things. Since we both love nutrition and healthy living, we are forever sharing recipes, ideas, swapping books, and planning days to try out new things that we want to make.
Renee's laundry powder was something that had been on my list for a while, so this week we buckled down and did it. The whole process took us about 15-20 minutes, and that was only because we were chatting and stopping to take pictures. There is no way that this would take me longer than 10 minutes to make by myself.
Does it really work?
Renee has been using this recipe for about a year and a half, and she LOVES it. She told me that she won't even consider going back to a regular detergent anymore.
This summer she spent a week staying at someone else's home and used their detergent to wash several loads of laundry. She said that she could actually feel the difference in the clothes, almost like there was a bit of soap residue and that they weren't as clean.
We were discussing what makes this laundry powder work so well, and this is what Renee thinks each of the ingredients do:
- Borax- stain removal and whitening
- Washing soda- odor removal
- Soap bar- degreasing
She wanted me to note that this powder won't suds up. This may be disconcerting to some of you, because we've been taught to think that bubbles = clean.
That equation just isn't accurate. You can definitely achieve clean, whether it's with your laundry or your teeth (think toothpaste without foaming agents), even without those desired bubbles. Look for the results of a product, not for something like suds to tell you whether it works or not.
I hesitate to add my two cents, because I just began using the powder this week, but the first three loads that I've washed have been very clean and fresh smelling and my whites look white. I'm excited to continue using this and to see the same results that Renee has!
Here's what you need to make it:
- 1 bar of soap (Fels Naptha is Renee's usual brand, or a bar of plain Castile soap also works, like the Dr. Bronners bar that I used)
- 1 cup washing soda
- 1 cup Borax
Of course, you can double, triple or quadruple this recipe to make a large batch all at once. It can just be stored in your laundry room cupboard and will not go bad.
If you're wondering about my washing soda in the big tub, it's because I didn't buy it. I made it. That's right, you can make washing soda! I had tons of baking soda but no washing soda, so I decided to give this tutorial a try. It worked!
Step 1
Grate the entire bar of soap.
This is what mine looked like. A nice, fine grate will mix up easier than larger pieces, but you can use any grater that you have.
Step 2
Add the grated soap to your blender, with 1 cup of either the washing soda or the Borax (it really doesn't matter which one).
If you don't have a great blender, you might want to process this in smaller batches. In my Vitamix, I did it in two batches which was perfect.
Basically, you just want to blend it until the pieces are cut more finely, so that you'll be able to get a good mix of all the ingredients in each scoop, and also so that the soap dissolves easily in the washing machine.
Renee noted that when she uses her older style glass blender, the blender can be difficult to clean, so she puts it into the dishwasher immediately after making her laundry powder.
Step 3
Add the blended mixture to a bowl, and mix in the remaining 1 cup of either washing soda or Borax.
Use a spoon to mix it thoroughly and break up any large chunks.
This is what mine looked like after I mixed it up. There are still a few very small chunks, but those won't make a difference.
That's it!
Can you believe how fast and easy that was?
I stored mine in a glass mason jar. One recipe made almost 1 quart of laundry powder.
Directions for use:
Add 1 heaped tablespoon to the washing machine as you fill it with water (it's always best to add powder before you add your clothes, so that it begins to dissolve first).
For extra dirty loads, use 2 scoops instead of 1.
Renee usually uses hers with warm water, because that's just how she prefers to wash her laundry, but she said it still works in cold or hot as well. I've been trying it with cold this week and it seems just fine.
Cost breakdown
This is based on the ingredients Renee regularly buys from Trader Joes. I paid a little bit more than this because I bought my Borax in Canada (I think I paid more like $7 for the box), and I used the Dr. Bronners castile soap bar which was $3.40.
- 1 cup Borax= $0.44 (1 box is $3.99, about 9 cups to a box)
- 1 cup washing soda= $0.44 (same price and amount as Borax)
- 1 bar Fels Naptha soap= $0.97
Total cost = $1.85 per batch
Based on 1 Tbsp this works out to 40-50 loads.
Cost per load: approximately 5 cents!
That's incredibly cheap for a simple, non-toxic and effective laundry powder. A couple of years ago, I did a review comparing some major brands of natural laundry detergents, and you can see the price comparisons here. Those brands ranged in price from 10 cents to 30 cents per load.
My cost, based on the more expensive Borax and castile soap bar was more like 10 or 11 cents per load.
If you try the soap out (or if you've been using a similar recipe) we'd love to hear how it works for you!
What do you currently use for your laundry detergent? Would you try a recipe like this?
This came up frequently in the comments below, so I thought that I would just address it in this post.
Updated: Is Borax safe to use in cleaning products?
Chemically speaking, Borax is "sodium borate". It is the naturally occurring mineral, and is more like a salt than anything else. The store-bought product Borax is often mistakenly (see here and here) thought to be "boric acid" and then vilified as a toxic and dangerous substance. This is an entirely different chemical. Sodium borate is alkaline, while boric acid is acidic (makes sense, right?).
There is good reason to be concerned with the household use of boric acid. It rates very high on the toxicity scale at Environmental Working Group, is known to be an eye and respiratory tract irritant, and has concerns for developmental and reproductive toxicity. I wouldnt' want to use boric acid, either!
Sodium borate, however, is a different story. It rates significantly lower on the toxicity scale, with specific mention that it depends on use. And that is what I have come to with Borax... it all depends on use. I would not put Borax in anything that would be consumed, nor do I leave it anywhere that my children can get it. Mountain Rose Herbs suggests that it is not to be ingested or used in large amounts and should be handled with caution. Another blogger also looked into it, as it was coming up as an area of concern for those with Etsy shops, and her conclusion was that it is safe for household cleaning. I have read comments about it being toxic to animals and insects, and this may be true (now we're back to ingesting it- bad idea, but one interested thing I noted in my online research was this thread, where a commenter actually posted a close-up picture of a sodium borate crystal, and suggested that it is harmful to insects partially because it happens to be particularly sharp and pointy in shape.
All that said, I can't and won't tell you which way to go with it or how you should use (or not use it!) in your home. I'll just tell you my own personal decision regarding it's use. I only use it in something that will be rinsed away, so for me, laundry powder is perfectly acceptable. Each scoop (1 load) includes about 1 tsp of Borax (a very small amount!), which is then rinsed away after. I'm absolutely fine with that. I also sometimes use it on carpet stains, which I then rinse and scrub very well. I have a friend who uses it in her homemade dishwasher detergent, because she also feels that due to the rinse and her use of vinegar in the dishwasher's rinse cycle, she isn't concerned about any residue (personally, I'm not 100% comfortable with that use). I have chosen NOT to use it in things like all-purpose spray which I would use on counters or tables, because it would leave residue in a place where we eat or cook.
Take this all with a big grain of salt. These are just my opinions, and there are plenty of people out there who have done more research, who understand the chemical compounds better than I do, and who would come to a different conclusion than I have. But hopefully that answers some of the questions about why I have personally chosen to consider it safe! I don't want the comments to become a huge debate about the safety of Borax, but I did think it was worth it to address those concerns as thoughtfully as I could. :)
I have been doing homemade laundry detergent for a over a year and have no complaints. I highly suggest using a food processor to "grate" the soap it takes forever to do it by hand. CHILL YOUR BAR FIRST !! makes it sooo much easier. after I chill it I cut into 4-8 pieces toss it in the ninja and voila powdered soap.
this is my second round of making wash powder. i love it leaves our clothes clean and fresh. i chop my bar of soap and put one cup of washing soda in blender with chopped bar of soap. mixes really well and less mess in the blender. also i use two tablespoons of vinegar in washer for fabric softner clothes come out of dryer with less wrinkles, fresh smell, and soft with no dryer sheets. cheapest vinegar will work. i am going to try some oxy clean to my next batch for summer since we will have a of whites dont think i really need it, just want see if it makes any difference. hope the tips make others as happy as i am with my home made products
Sorry that people attack you over whether it kills insects.The recipie is simple and people can decide if they want to use them are not. THANK YOU for helping others out.:)
I make this in my food processor, using the shredder blade on the soap and then the cutting blade to get it really small. It took me less than 1 minute to make. Works well in top or front loaders, hot/warm/cold water.
For those worried about mixing this stuff in a blender or food processor, If you properly clean the item used there is no need to worry.
Is the homemade soap safe for use on sensitive skin? I had to switch to arm&hammer because everyone in my family has issues with Tide and other detergents with dyes and
I have made this before and it works just as well as the Costco bulk detergent we've been buying. My tip to anyone making this and worried about these cleaning agents in the kitchen: if you're going to use a blender to blend up the soap, just blend the soap by itself. I mix in the borax and washing soda after putting my blended soap into the container I keep it in. I have a big plastic container with a large lid and I just mix it right in there. The only kitchen gadgets I use for this are my blender, which goes right into the dishwasher, and the cheese grater which also goes right into the dishwasher. I mix the ingredients in the soap container in the laundry room. No chances of borax floating around the kitchen if it never goes in the kitchen in the first place. :) If you don't have a laundry room, use the top of your washer, back patio, bathroom, etc.
Side note, I find the debate about the safety of borax so interesting. Are the laundry soaps/household cleaners/dishwasher detergents/etc any safer? Really? People question this formula, but do not question the hazardness of ALL the other products in the same aisle that this is sold in. If it wasn't safe to use as a cleaner, it probably wouldn't be sold by many stores in the same aisle as all the other household cleaners. Just a thought.
The only bar laundry soap readily available in my area is Zote. It comes in 7 oz bars and 14 oz bars. Can I use the smaller size bar for this recipe, and is it necessary to use the entire bar?
What size soap do I use a 7 oz. or larger. I have made one batch qnd love it my whites or already whiter
Hi, this might be a dumb question but am I blending this in the same blender I make shakes with? Again, sorry if this is a dumb question, LOL, I'm new to this all natural thing!
Maureen
this is the best soap ever!! leaves clothes clean and with my homemade fabric softner I am VERY pleased :)
are you sure 1tbs.is enough for a full load in your washing machine.
I've been wanting to switch to a homemade laundry detergent. My Husband works in the oilfield and you can probably imagine how nasty those clothes can get lol. Do you think this would get out the stains and nastyness?
Thanks so much :)
I also use this basic laundry soap recipe but I add 1/2 of generic OxiClean - Walmart has a Sun brand; generic rather than OxiClean or Biz because they have additional ingredient that I don't like. Generic brands are are just the oxygenated bleach and is safe for all colors plus it is half the price! Also, I fill the fabric softener cup in my front loader washer with white vinegar and my clothes are soft-no vinegar smell, just clean. Also helps to keep your washer clean. Another tip about which soap to use - you will get better cleaning results if you use a soap that is made for laundry such as FelsNaptha or Zote. I have used castile also & thought it worked fine. Zote is hard to find if you don't have Mexican/Latin stores where you live. It is a 14 oz bar and is a laundry bar that works very well; I prefer the white but pink works too. You can get it online but you'll pay more for shipping that you do for the bar of soap. Also, if you take the soap bar out of the wrapper and let it dry in the air for a couple of weeks it will grate much better & if you put those bars in the linen closet it will smell good in there too
I too will never buy store brand laundry again.......
is it necessary to use the soap at all? is that just a bubble provider. soap has grease in it, like coconut oil or lanolin, depending on the type. borax and soda are the degreasing agents.
just wondered. thanks for this though. i will be making some as soon as i get the chance. it is exactly my kind of thing. anything to get away from harmful chemicals. :)
for any concerns regarding borax, have a look at this web page. very informative.
thanks for this great recipe!
forgot to post the address, DOH!
http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/borax.html
Can this homemade laundry soap be used in a front loader?
after reading lots of posts, it appears that it is fine in a front loader,
Yes, you can use homemade soap in front loading machines. The primary concern of front loading machine is suds -- the homemade formula has pretty much no suds at all, making it IDEAL for high efficiency machines.
Also, we have a 1970s mustard yellow blender purchased at Goodwill just for grating the bar soap for detergent. I don't wash it, and I store it in the garage. Hope that helps someone.
FYI, Fels Naptha is heavily fragranced. I switched to a plain Cetaphil bar (which worked well) and now Kiss My Face. I am not sure if they are "degreasing", but they seem to work fine. The Castille soap bar is a great idea too.
Although the Fels Naptha laundry bar is heavily fragranced, you can't smell it on your clothes once they've dried. I want that "extra" smell of freshness. Do you have any recommendations? I made 4 batches of the homemade laundry detergent, so I have a ton of it. It just would be nice to have an extra smelly load of laundry.
I have been using this recipe for almost a year with no complaints. As will any heavy stained clothes, pretreat. It works just as good as TIDE, GAIN and DREFT (which we used previous to getting this recipe spent $$KK on as a family of 8) and there has been no reaction to my 'allergic' kids. I wish I had looked into it sooner!
To add scent you can add a couple drops of essential oils (glass bottle-look for 'oil' not just 'fragrance' in ingredients). Gain or Downy now have scent 'beads' you can add a TBSP or so to wash or rinse cycle and still save a lot of money. This detergent is HE washer safe and better for home septic systems (according to septic guy;-).
Essential oils are nice, but I've read that the scent doesn't linger as long as other commercial products. When I bought the ingredients to make my soap, I also bought some of the beads that Bethany mentioned -- they're called Downy Unstoppables and Wal-Mart had three different scents. I wasn't paying much attention but I think they were only $4-5, a small price to pay considering how much you save by making this detergent! Also, if you're familiar with Scentsy products, they make "Washer Whiffs" which are essentially the same thing. They are a little more expensive, but you have a much larger fragrance selection to choose from and it's a big draw if you're already a Scentsy lover.
I just made my 2nd batch of laundry detergent and I LOVE it! I will never go back to store bought. Just a thought: when i add the soap to my food processor, i add a cup of washing soda with it, to balance it out. I also add the Purex scent crystals for some scent. Dump everything in a trash bag and mix it up like that, its easier too, IMHO.
Absolutely love this recipe! I won't go back to buying regular detergent. Thanks so much!!
I found a Dr. Bronners lavender castille soap.... ok?? not ok???
I have used this or the liquid version (basically these ingredients plus water) for over 7 years now. The borax in this is much safer than all of the stuff in store detergent and softener (sodium laurel sulphates, for example). They also add chemicals to reflect light-yes they do! And you just think you like all the fragrance chemicals in the store detergent. When you quit using store detergent you will find that 1)your clothes don't have that gummy/fake soft feel any longer, 2)you will be nauseated by the fake smell of the commercial laundry detergent aisle at the store or by those who love the extra smelly detergents-you can smell them an aisle away (that is all chemicals you are putting all over your body baby! Borax would be the least of your worries) (Fragrance is the biggest addition of harmful chemicals in almost any product you buy) 3) your clothes are just as clean, smell clean-not like perfume and you saved a ton of money, and 4)mysterious skin conditions and occasional itchies in your family will disappear.
I totally agree!!! (with every single thing you said!)
I made this last week, and I absolutely love it.
You can put Purex Crystals in it to make it smell even better. This is the best laundry soap ever and I can't recommend it enough to people. It doesn't matter what washing machine you use, it works with all of them. Also, if you look at the boxes these ingredients can be used to clean your house with. My niece gave me this recipe with two kids under 3 years old and it gets all the stains out!
I've read that washing soda is bad for PVC pipe, is that correct?
I have not tried this yet, but I would like to. I would like to know if you can use this on front end loaders? Hasn't borax been used for years for doing laundry?
I have a front loader and it works fine. I put a scoop into the washer instead of the soap compartment. I haven't had any issues.
I am wondering about the Fels Naphtha and how healthy is that to use as I like to save money but get rid of the chemicals as much as possible. Has any research been done there? Thanks for the recipe.
I just made my first batch yesterday and I am very pleased with the results. I used the Dr. Bronners Castile soap. I paid $3.99 for the bar. Our family uses Trader Joe's Oatmeal and Honey soap or bathing, it only costs $1.99 for two bars. I'm just curious if anyone might know if that soap would work in the laundry detergent. Thank you!
I love love love making my own homemade detergent and wouldn't go back to buying the other stuff ever! I have been making it for about 4 years now and originally got the idea from Michelle Duggar's book 19 Kids and Counting (with Fels Naptha). I hesitated because it didn't seem like homemade detergent would REALLY clean my clothing... and who wants to walk around stinky!? But it works just as good (maybe better)!
Anyway.... I have been doing the liquid version for years and just today made the switch to the powder because it is less work, stores easier, and it more mobil when we travel! Hope all this is a good encouragement for those contemplating the switch.
To make the Fels-Naptha soap easier to grate put it in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes on high before grating on your hand grater. It will come out as a fine powder. Warning it ends up looking like some kind of weirdly shaped fungus when you pull it out of the microwave. I just made the laundry soap and I am testing it out on some Swiffer type re-usable/ re-washable cloths.
Thank you for this recipe and your very well worded comments about Borax. I have been on the hunt for a good homemade laundry detergent, as I am seeking to simplify and hopefully save some money on my household "stuff". I have read some much about the Borax debate, I appreciated your thought through response to the controversy. Do you have a recipe you might recommend for liquid laundry detergent? I have seen a few with castille soap, but I am not sure about them. I am learning to take baby steps in my simple and more natural homemaking journey. Thank you for the input you have had for me along the way!
Unfortunately I don't have a liquid recipe that I use, but my friend Crystal has one- http://www.thethriftymama.com/homemade-laundry-soap.html.
I have to say I have been making my own laundry soap for the past year. My family has not even noticed. I add lavender oil and use lavender soap, just so it has more sent. :)
How can I make it a bit more fragrant? I like to smell that the soap is working, and there's not a ton of fragrance. Thanks!
I read on another website that if you use Ivory soap for your bar of soap it makes your clothes smell really good.
Would the Ivory bar soap work as good as the Fels Naptha when it comes to degreasing?
I have been using this recipe for washing powders for months now and I love it. It works great and I also love the money I'm saving by doing so. My cousin told me about it, and she's been using it for several years... Thanks for sharing.
I love and use borax for many many remedies. I looked up the article on borax conspiracy and totally agree. Dr. Clark wrote a book The cure for all disease based on her lifes study and she actually was put in jail for. She speaks of the same things n recommends using borax. It is extremely cruel to say the least the the systems of this world actually want people to be sick to make a profit among a list of other things.
I made and used my first batch of this laundry powder and just LOVE IT...love that I am saving so much money, and love the end results which is super clean clothes! Am off down the road now to buy enough ingredients to make a super big batch cos I am NEVER, EVER going to be ripped off by the store bought stuff which is so highly overpriced! A THOUSAND THANK YOUS and may you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Sue
I used Ivory bar soap when making laundry detergent. It worked great.
Ivory? Thats good to know because the smell of the Fels Naphta kind of gets to me...
I use Sunlight laundry bar soap. I couldn't find any of the other soaps mentioned here in Edmonton Alberta and to order them online was too expensive for shipping. It works great and my clothes smell good. After I grate the soap I leave it on a tray overnight to dry a bit..then I put into the blender. Doesn't stick to the blender as much.
Hi Lynne, I live in Calgary, AB and I buy Dr.Bonners soap at Superstore. They have both the liquid and bar varieties in their natural foods section.
Is the Ivory soap a degreasing soap?
I was skeptical at first thinking that one tablespoon could not possibly be enough. I was truly surprised, and VERY happy with the results! Thank You!
You're so welcome!
Okay, I did some more research on Borax. It should be fine to use as directed on package. I personally would not make the powder version of the homemade laundry detergent, just the liquid. Borax is harmful if inhaled, and in powder form, that is more easily done. Also, there are warnings about keeping it away from food. So, I don't think I personally will be making any more laundry detergent with Borax using my kitchen utensils and appliances! To ensure it is getting fully rinsed out of your laundry you can use vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. The chemical analysis sheet says to clean up any Borax spills using acetic acid and water. Hope this info helps!
I appreciate the further research. Your first comment made me want to do more of my own. :) It's interesting, EWG is calling it only a 5-6 on Skin Deep, but giving it an F on the cleaning portion of their site. I'm a bit confused by why they're rating it in two different ways. But I would agree, inhaling is a problem and I think not using kitchen appliances might be a good idea, just to be on the safe side. Maybe I can just stir the Borax in after mixing up the other two, which would probably work just fine. Thanks for your insights!
Hi there,
I've been using this homemade laundry soap recipe for a couple months now. It seems to be working great, and I'm loving all the money we're saving as well. Tonight I stumbled across several websites that say the "Borax" is not safe for us to use. It's rated "F" on the EWG website. http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/2507-20MuleTeamBoraxNaturalLaundryBoosterMultiPurposeHouseholdCleaner
Anyone else researched this? This is making me consider using store bought laundry detergent again!
What if. You do not have a blender? Could I use my Kitchen Aid?
I made it without a blender, because I didn't want to put those things in my kitchen appliances. I just grated the bar of soap with a fine grater, put it in a bucket and used a spoon to stir in the cup of washing soda and cup of borax. I just mixed it the best I could, and it worked fine.
I have a septic system, not city water. Are these ingredients safe for a septic system?
I'm sorry, but that's something I'm just not sure about, as we're on city water.
I can't wait to try this recipe. I wondered if anyone had tried using it in the front loading washers or if it would work in those.
do not use the laundry recipe. it is TOXIC and a big waste of time. Borax makes boric acid. go to http://www.ewg.org/skindeep and look at their database of over 2,000 laundry detergents and pick out one that is not toxic. Borax is a 10/10 on the toxicity score, because it causes cancer and infertility.
Dawn,
I use the liquid version of this soap in my HE front-loading machine. I've only used this type of soap for 5 or so years now and never had a problem. You shouldn't have a problem in HE washers either due to the fact that this soap doesn't suds up like a lot of store bought detergents do.
Have you read this about washing soda? http://www.diaperpincorner.com/2002/04/baking-soda-or-washing-soda/
I am second guessing using washing soda. That being said I made it anyway and am so excited to try it out!
Can this be used with cloth diapers?
I've been using this with cloth diapers for years without problems!
Does this homemade laundry powder work alright for high efficiency washers? I would like to try it, but I have always used liquid detergents in my "he" washer because it doesn't use much water. Just wondering....
Shouldn't be a problem since this doesn't suds up like a lot of soaps do!
Actually, Borax is considered dangerous and even illegal in some countries, but that is BS. It is less toxic than tale salt. I have even been mixing borax with water and drinking it for health benefits. That may really sound WEIRD, but if you read this very learned article you will understand the Conspiracy Against Borax. See http://www.health-science-spirit.com/borax.htm for the whole story. Borax can cure osteoporosis and other calcium-deficiency disorders.
THANK YOU!! Agreed! Hopefully no one will take offense to my post as I am not criticising at all... I very much enjoy this site! :)
There has been an active campaign against natural remedies and non-toxic natural substances for many decades thanks to the AMA and other greedy corporate interests.
With Borax it's all chemistry, and the way they try to manipulate those who aren't as proficient in chemistry is beyond greedy and shows ulterior motives[those being it's not as 'profitable' for big corporations to market it which is why 'laundry detergent' is so expensive... Chemical companies profit more from synthetics than natural substances. Natural borax is even used in homemade 'cold cream' recipes and skin care. It is not harmful unless you inhale it into your lungs.. Incidentally, sodium 'bi'carbonate [baking soda which is non-toxic and edible] can be made into washing powder [sodium 'carbonate a bit toxic if ingested] just by heating it in the oven at 140F/60C until it becomes dull and opaque [this is how I make my own since the shops here don't have actual 'washing powder] All it is, is a removal of the water molecules and you got yourselves a different chemical. But it is still safe when used according to it's purpose!! Just don't eat or breathe it in it's caustic forms and you're ok [common sense, really...]
Here are some interesting facts:
According to conventional medicine it is not known if boron is essential for humans, but research shows that we do need it. The reason why it was difficult to answer this question is the presence of boron in all plants and unprocessed foods. Diets with a fair amount of fruit and vegetables provide about 2 to 5 mg of boron per day, but this also depends on the region where the food was grown and how it was grown.
In reality the average intake in developed countries is 1-2 mg of boron per day. Institutionalized patients may receive only 0.25 mg of daily boron. Chemical fertilizers inhibit the uptake of boron from the soil: an organic apple grown in good soil may have 20 mg boron, but if grown with fertilizer it may have only 1 mg of boron. Fertilizers combined with poor food choices have greatly reduced our boron intake compared to 50 or 100 years ago.
Further, unhealthy cooking methods greatly reduce the availability of boron from food. The cooking water of vegetables containing most of the minerals may be discarded during home cooking or commercial processing; phytic acid in baked goods, cereals and cooked legumes may greatly reduce availability, while gluten sensitivity and Candida overgrowth inhibit the absorption of minerals. All this makes health problems due to boron deficiency now very common.
Due to their content of boron, borax and boric acid have basically the same health effects, with good antiseptic, antifungal, and antiviral properties but only mild antibacterial action. In plants as well as animals, boron is essential for the integrity and function of cell walls, and the way signals are transmitted across membranes.
Boron is distributed throughout the body with the highest concentration in the parathyroid glands, followed by bones and dental enamel. It is essential for healthy bone and joint function, regulating the absorption and metabolism of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus through its influence on the parathyroid glands. With this boron is for the parathyroids what iodine is for the thyroid.
Boron deficiency causes the parathyroids to become overactive, releasing too much parathyroid hormone which raises the blood level of calcium by releasing calcium from bones and teeth. This then leads to osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis, osteoporosis and tooth decay. With advancing age, high blood levels of calcium lead to calcification of soft tissues causing muscle contractions and stiffness; calcification of endocrine glands, especially the pineal gland and the ovaries; arteriosclerosis, kidney stones, and calcification of the kidneys ultimately leading to kidney failure. Boron deficiency combined with magnesium deficiency is especially damaging to the bones and teeth.
Boron affects the metabolism of steroid hormones, and especially of sex hormones. It increases low testosterone levels in men and estrogen levels in menopausal women. It also has a role in converting vitamin D to its active form, thus increasing calcium uptake and deposition into bone and teeth rather than causing soft tissue to calcify. Also other beneficial effects have been reported such as improvement of heart problems, vision, psoriasis, balance, memory and cognition.
Borax is a naturally occurring mineral commonly mined from dried salt lakes, and is the source of other manufactured boron compounds. The main deposits are in California and Turkey. Chemical names are sodium tetraborate decahydrate, disodium tetraborate decahydrate, or simply sodium borate. This means it contains four atoms of boron as its central feature combined with two sodium atoms and ten molecules (or sometimes less) of crystallization water. All borax is naturally mined, there is no synthetic borax, the difference is only how much crystallization water it contains - decahydrate means 10 water molecules, pentahydrate means 5, and anhydrite means 0 water; chemically it is all the same.
Borax is commonly sold as technical or agricultural grade with 99 to 99.5% minimum purity. Potential impurities consist of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, bicarbonate, carbonate, sulphate and phosphate but not toxic or heavy metals. This grade includes the borax commonly used as household cleaner. Pharmaceutical grade is not noticeably purer or better.
Borax is the sodium salt of the weak boric acid. Because sodium is more strongly alkaline, this makes a solution of borax strongly alkaline with a pH between 9 and 10 (pH 7 is neutral). When ingested, it reacts with hydrochloric acid in the stomach to form boric acid and sodium chloride. The boron content of Borax is 11.3% while for boric acid it is 17.5% or about 50% higher. Ingested boron compounds are rapidly and nearly completely excreted with the urine. Formerly boric acid was widely used as a preservative in foods but is now banned for this purpose in most countries, and is also banned from public sale in Australia.
I'm wondering why so many are questioning the use of Borax, but not the use of Lye? Isn't Lye more toxic?
Which helps more with hard water? Vinegar or baking soda?
Can I use this solution with an energy efficient front loader? Thanks.
Is this soap okey from HE washers?
Yes, plenty of other commenters have said that they use the same recipe in their HE machines.