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?
Oxalic acid is another acidic cleaner that could be experimented with. It occurs naturally in small amounts in some vegetables.
The concern with boron is that it’s only a tiny trace element in humans needed in such minute quantities that dust in the air supplies enough. Beyond that it is like any other rare earth metal that can cause typical metal exposure symptoms, which are rarely lethal but also never a good thing.
Also, using acidic vinegar followed by alkaline soda might be useful for some things, but combining them in any way before use would obviously only neutralize both compounds in a dramatic fashion.
First, I so appreciate all of the comments I’ve read. Shared intelligence moves us forward faster.
Now about this borax thingy. I feel like T. S. Elliot who said, if you think it is so, then it is so. So many opinions about everything.
Here’s my take: I use 2 C Laundry Soda, 1 cup borax, 1 cup baking soda ((Mother Earth News & Martha Stewart variation), that’s it. In my dishwasher I use about 2T, which isn’t a problem for me, because the ratio of 3 to 1 substantially reduces the amount of borax, then only 2 T in the dishwasher. Much of the time I wash my dishes in plain water, with sanitize. Pesticides on vegetables are far more worrisome for me that a little borax, so I choose not to worry about borax in a 3 to 1 mixture, particularly when I run two rinses.
The Cascade product ( and other brands as well) is the reason I started making my own dishwashing powder, as I could see the residue on my dishes and glasses, and I did not want to have those chemicals in my body, never mind those particles I couldn’t see.
Web sites doing good research but not asking what I call the second question, really bums me out, as this is where the better information resides. At the end of the day, we’re all captured by the paradigms (beliefs) of those writing on any topic, one good reason for and drilling down beyond those not trying to sell us a product.
Could you share your dishwasher detergent recipe with me or do you use the one above?
Thank you!!!!
Denise
centsiblegirl@gmail.com
di you use the avove recipe in your laundry?? if so, how much per load. do you use it dry, or mix w/water. thank you before hand for your relpy
Hey I love your blog. I found this information about borax http://www.enviroblog.org/2011/02/borax-not-the-green-alternative-its-cracked-up-to-be.html
Personally I avoid borax, I have some grate recipes without it and they work great.
What are the borax-free recipes you have that work great?
Oops, forgot the link to Mountain Rose Herbs
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/borax_powder.php
Wow, been a while since I commented here. Wild how so many ppl here are fearful of Borax, something I now wouldn’t be without. I’m wondering if some of you have confused BORIC ACID (not good to use) with BORAX–two different things. Rather than be unnecessarily fearful of MuleTeam Borax, it might be a good thing to read some of the 6 pages of testimonials at Earthclinic http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/borax.html (they’re good ppl, and they don’t sell, just inform/empower regular people on wonderful natural remedies with lots of for-real testimonials).
kk, are you serious? I’m curious as to what your symptoms were… I’ve never had a hospital stay nor a visit to ER in my life, and I use Borax daily. Have a shaker of it by the sink for scrubbing pots/pans and chrome fixtures. Big container of it in the bathroom for cleaning the toilet. A highly diluted bottle of it (with water) as a DIY shampoo and some in a spray bottle for disinfecting… I keep a shaker bottle of it among my personal care items that I often mix with aloe to pat on itchy skin spots and the like. Sometimes pat dry powder over that. It can be very drying, so ya’ have learn to temper usage. I also use it as a bug deterrent (some use boric acid, but I wouldn’t). It’s great for sprinkling in window sills as both bug deterrent and absorbs moisture. I don’t have pets, so I don’t have to worry about that. Those with children and pets, it must be quite a challenge in general to deter pests–as well as household cleaning.
Oh, and contrary to what I said above, I now keep a liter bottle of water on my kitchen counter that I add 1/8 teaspoon of Borax (not boric acid), and I sip a small glass of it here and there as I intuit
Never have I felt ill from doing this nor patting Borax on my skin–or any of the many household uses. I have gotten a bit too much while learning to use it on my skin, but jojoba oil will fix that right up 
On the other hand, I do my best to steer clear of the laundry aisle at Wally World (except for when I stock up with Borax), because the rest of that chemically stuff makes me woozy. If you fear landing in the hospital, that’s the stuff you should really be concerned about.
Here’s a link to a very reputable online herbal store based in Eugene, OR, Mountain Rose Herbs. Do ya’ think they could sell it as a cosmetic ingredient if it was going to put you in the hospital? And it’s strange how they say not to put it directly on the skin, yet indicate that it’s for cosmetic use
But I know they have to be very careful what they say, claims they make for products and all. Regardless, if you read up on it, you’ll see that it’s in lots of skin care products. And if it wasn’t helping people, why would 6-pages worth of people (on EarthClinic) take the time to post about it. What would be their motivation? Not logical. Read what “Ted” says on there, he’s a chemist 
Borax is awesome, so glad I overcame my initial fear of it. It’s empowering because it’s both effective and inexpensive.
Btw, I use almost no mainstream products (I can’t be around them, too sensitive), so my household cleaning expense is tremendously less than average. Gotta love that
Dove
Have you ever used it on oranish hard water stains in bathtub? I have very hard water, with alot of iron, and it is a nightmare to clean. Do you have any ideas that are safe and odor free, that you have personally used?
Thanks,
Kat
Have you tried hydrogen peroxide, followed by vinegar, and baking soda? Let one or all of these ingredients sit for awhile and then scrub.
Some good info here. I am still looking for additional info on natural health and would be thankful any recommendations. Thanks a lot!
Oliver-
I’m so excited you are interested in natural health! What do you use now?
My greatest natural health find was Young Living Essential Oils. I’ve been using them for 2 1/2 years now to help get over illnesses and stop using many prescriptions!
Check out http://www.youngliving.com
I hope that helps!
Sarah
YL # 1074157
Great post!! I had just done some research on Borax myself and found the same article that you posted a section of and am convinced to not use it on my dishes, etc. I do use it for my homemade laundry soap and like it well enough, but will be happier when if I can find a non-toxic alternative. I hope more people see this info, there are tons of recipes out there using it in dish soap. Toxicity builds up in our bodies and affects our hormones and allergies (overall inflammation) and I personally feel much safer not using it anywhere in my kitchen. Thanks!!!!
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.
That is pretty ridiculous wording. Kids are NOT dumb! Putting things in their mouth is a natural instinct. They just haven’t learned yet that everything doesn’t go in your mouth. That’s what parents are for, to teach them! Same with animals, it’s natural for them.
I thought it was funny. *shrug* Due to your well-developed sense of humor I’m guessing you’ve got some cool, fun, and very un-dumb kids, Em.
Oh please lighten up..her statement was CLEARLY meant in good fun…sheesh!
I thought it was funny too. Kids and animals are dumb. I have several of each
I can testify to the fact. 
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.
I was wondering what spikes symptoms were. did he have a weird creamy fluid leaking out of his rectum.? I think my cat is poisoned by borax also
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.
I washed with Borax and Peroxide because I had been around a child that I thought might have scabies. Read that this was a safe treatment. After three washes, I had to go to the emergency room. They did blood work. Will have more blood work done in the next couple of day to make sure the liver and kidneys are ok. They told me that it can be toxic even as a wash due to it being absorbed through the skin.
Borax, boric acid and other boron compounds are teratogens. Boron tends to accumulate in body. Be very careful when you are planing to have a baby. By the way, some of P&G’s liquid detergents contain borax and I am in the process asking why P&G use it while some of EU companies are very conservative not even trace of boron in consumer products.
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.
I love lemi shine. Just a tiny bit makes my dishes so shiny.