

Borax has a pH of 9.5, placing it somewhere between baking soda and washing soda on the pH scale.

The Difference Between Washing Soda And Boraxīorax is the common name for sodium tetraborate, a naturally occurring mineral with the chemical formula Na2B4O7⋅10H2O.

When used one after another (or together, in certain situations), baking soda and vinegar can be useful for cleaning. Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide also make a powerful cleaning duo, especially for tackling stubborn kitchen and bathroom stains. Baking soda won’t strip your laundry as well as borax or washing soda (more on that shortly), but it’s also gentler on fabrics, and you’re more likely to have it on hand! In the laundry room, you can add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of baking soda to your washing machine to eliminate odors and break down detergent and fabric softener residues. Only slightly alkaline with a pH of 8, baking soda can be used in baking both as a browning and leavening agent, and it’s highly useful for cleaning too! You can use baking soda to absorb moisture, neutralize odors, fix smelly towels, make your house smell good, and even remove carpet stains! Baking soda is not the same as washing soda, so if you substitute baking soda for washing soda in a cleaning recipe, you won’t get the same results. You start by filling a bathtub with hot water and then adding a 1/4 cup of Borax, 1/4 cup of washing soda, and 1/2 cup of laundry detergentif you are using a smaller container, use a 1:1:2. (You can also make your own washing soda at home, if you prefer!) The Difference Between Washing Soda And Baking Sodaīaking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a naturally occurring compound with the chemical formula NaHCO3. You can buy washing soda in most grocery stores - look for Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda in the laundry aisle. Because baking soda is much more mild than washing soda in terms of alkalinity, baking soda does not make a great substitute for washing soda in most cases. Basic solutions help break down acidic, fatty, and oily substances, making washing soda useful for treating stains, and it can also boost the performance of detergents and stain removers by countering the effects of hard water in your washer.Īs a cleaning agent, washing soda makes a great grease-cutting floor cleaner, and you can use washing soda to remove labels from bottles and jars. (Highly alkaline substances like these can be irritating to skin, so be sure to wear cleaning gloves when handling them.)Īdding washing soda to water creates a basic solution, which makes it useful both as a laundry booster and cleaning agent. With a pH of 11, washing soda is considered highly alkaline, similar to household ammonia and soapy water. What is washing soda? Washing soda (sometimes called “soda ash”) is the common name for sodium carbonate, a naturally occurring compound with the chemical formula Na2CO3. BONUS: What’s The Difference Between Washing Soda And Oxygen Bleach? Washing Soda vs Baking Soda vs Borax: What’s The Difference? What Does Washing Soda Do?
