Borax has become very popular in the natural community for use in homemade laundry detergent and other housecleaning recipes. I myself had been making my own detergents with this product. The box itself claims to be a “natural laundry booster”. Alas, with further research, I am rethinking having this product in my house. Here is what I found:
“Borax is natural, but that does not mean it is automatically safer for you or for ‘the environment’ than man-made chemicals. Although plants need boron, too much of it will kill them, so borax can be used as an herbicide. Borax may also be used to kill roaches, ants, and fleas. In fact, it is also toxic to people. Signs of chronic toxic exposure include red and peeling skin, seizures, and kidney failure. The estimated lethal dose (ingested) for adults is 15-20 grams; less than 5 grams can kill a child or pet. For this reason, borax should not be used around food [i.e. the dishwasher!]. More commonly, borax is associated with skin, eye, or respiratory irritation. It is also important to point out that exposure to borax may impair fertility or cause damage to an unborn child.”
UPDATE: It appears after further research and from findings from our readers described in the comments below, that borax is not the same as boric acid, but rather that sodium borate turns into boric acid upon entrance to the body. It does remain a toxic substance, so please use with caution. It does not appear to be anything we should fear using, but rather use with wise judgment.
That being said, I am in the process of revamping my laundry and dishwasher recipes to avoid borax and to share with you!
What are your thoughts?
I just bought my first box tonight to make some dishwasher detergent with. Guess I’ll go return it… Thanks for the post
oh, and in the dishwasher I use the same mix of 1 part soap, 1 part baking soda, and put 1/4 cup white vinegar in the rinse aid compartment. No spots, super clean dishes, and safe as well. and we do have hard water here.
I do not use Borax in the dishwasher or kitchen, only as part of laundry soap (one part seventh generation deterget, one part washing soda, one part Borax, about a tablespoon of each). I do an extra rinse and have no worries about its safety as it is sodium borate and I have studied extensively its chemical nature (and so has my brother who is a toxicologial and forensic chemist).
Because we have cats and small children I do not use it sprinkled on floors for pest control. Kids are dumb and so are animals and they will eat whatever they can find, even if it doesn’t taste good and makes them feel ill.
The same web page states the Borax cleans by turning into hydrogen peroxide when mixed with water (probably a strong solution of it). Elsewhere you've said you like peroxide for cleaning, right? I am super paranoid about what I use in my house but I feel fine using this for laundry and floors. Great blog!
I was about to provide the same link as John. I tried using it as a health remedy per Earthclinic a while back. I think I put like 1/8 tsp. or something in a large amount of water. I didn’t use it that long, don’t remember feeling ill, and I didn’t die
I’ve used Borax for years as a toilet bowl cleaner, alternative bleach for laundry, and can’t imagine getting sinks shiny clean without it. Authorities in the area of “green” living have recommended it for bunches of years. I think it’s pretty safe.
I wouldn’t swallow Borax again (intentionally). I also have no affiliation with Earthclinic, but am so grateful for having discovered it. I must say that Earthclinic.com is a very empowering website that has clearly helped a lot of people, even those with significant health problems. Lots of wonderful and clearly legitimate testimonials, which are the jewels of the site. They don’t sell anything, no subscription needed, it’s all for empowering the people to heal themselves, naturally and inexpensively. We should have more such websites. So many of the people who have written testimonials there had already been to mainstream docs, who stole their money, made them worse, or at the very least did nothing to improve their health. Earthclinic is worthy–and they have much better remedies than the Borax thing
Dove
I think that perhaps you are being a bit extreme by worrying about potential ill effects of borax. (After all, you can die from drinking too much water.) There are even claims that you can take it internally, at very small dosages. They also note that borax’s toxicity is approximately equal to that of table salt. You don’t lose sleep over that one, do you? Here’s a website that extols the virtues of borax: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/borax.html
I have no connection to this website or to borax manufacturers…
googling to find out if borax is safe in laundry soaps. fyi…to the person who said that you wouldn’t ingest it in laundry..please note that the skin absorbs so much. I am considering moving away from ‘detergents’ because of hormone issues, and I can tell you that many things can be absorbed through the skin. still not sure which is worse though- detergent or borax. if anyone has thoughts..would love to hear
I strongly urge anyone who uses borax to kill fleas etc. by sprinkling on the floor, to keep pets away! and vacuum or sweep and mop up all the borax after the recommended time period. I failed to get it out from underneath some furniture and my cat Spike died of kidney failure from licking it off his paws.
Very effective, though and I use it if I can keep the animals away.
Lindsay,
I have a whole box of borax, that I bought before this enlightening post! Do you have an safe suggestions for uses? Can I use it to clean the toliet? Or should I just get rid of it? I don’t have any kids yet, so I’m not too worried about it being in the house, but for the time being it’s taking up precious space. What are your suggestions?
Thanks!
I would just use it with caution. I use my remainders for eliminating ants!
How do you use it to get rid of ants?
Check out my post: Frugal Pest Control for my recipe.
I’m okay with using it for laundry (and actually love the homemade laundry soap that I use). I am avoiding the use of it in the dishwasher. I did try it, but never had success and did not like the residue factor. The big ticket is ‘ingesting the chemical’ in the event of it being toxic. Laundry is not typically sucked on and thus no chemical is ingested. However, dishes can be another factor.
Are you familiar with http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com? I appreciate their info regarding hygiene items!
Children/babies typically suck on clothes. Just a thought…
Commercial Dreft also contains borax. Just a thought…
I had never thought of whether or not Borax was ‘safe’ or not, I just knew it was cheaper than dishwasher detergent or laundry detergent and didn’t emit toxic fumes (you know, out of the top of the dishwasher during the ‘dry’ cycle?). My son’s autistic and is super sensitive to chemicals, so I thought Borax and baking soda would be the way to go. Thanks so much for sharing this info, I’ll be re-thinking how I use it around the house!
Thank you for the information. I use a lot of borax to soften water and prevent water spots on the dishes. I’ve also rubbed it into my hands when I had stubborn sores and then rinsed it off. Works great and clears them up in a day or two. We also use it in our laundry. Had no idea it was toxic. My sister and I have been having some health problems for a while so, maybe we’ll try finding a substitute and see if that helps.
Borax is amazing at killing roaches. When living as a missionary in rural Arizona, we sprinkled it around our apartment, and it worked! I wouldn’t want to wash my dishes with it!
I use Borax in my DW for the hard water build up. It really eliminates the cloudy dishes. I just bought a bottle of lemi shine to try and take the place of the borax. It is all natural and made of fruit acids. Check it out and maybe give it a try.