Want to know more about what borax is, and if it’s safe for cleaning with? Here’s my extensive review, to help you make an informed decision.
There’s always a box of borax in my green cleaning kit. There are so many uses for borax around the house, that I don’t like to be without it.
Sometimes, when I mention borax, a well-meaning person comments, telling me that I shouldn’t be using it in my home or be encouraging readers to use it. They tell me that borax is dangerous and can have an impact on people’s fertility.
I genuinely appreciate this concern. As I don’t want to risk anyone’s health, I have done a lot of research into whether borax is safe to use around the house or not. I thought I’d also share the results of my research here, in the hope that it can be helpful to others who might have concerns about using it.
Borax Is Banned In The UK & EU
To get started, it is important to know that in the UK and the EU, you can no longer buy borax.
Back in 2010, the EU decided that the ‘Borate’ group of chemicals – the group that borax belongs to – may be potentially hazardous to health. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) classified borates as potentially harmful to reproductive health.
Borax was therefore banned from sale to general consumers in the EU as a cleaning product. And even now, post-Brexit, it is still banned in the UK for sale to general consumers. You can only buy it in a professional capacity.
As such, in the EU and UK, “Borax Substitute” is the only borax equivalent you can buy in the shops for your cleaning and laundry needs. It may be labelled as borax in your local shop, but it will be borax substitute.
I get lots of messages from men telling me that this is ‘fake news’. But here’s a selection of the messages you get from chemical suppliers that supply borax. As you can see, its sale is very heavily restricted in the UK:
What’s The Difference Between Borax & Borax Substitute
With that information, you’re probably now wondering about the difference between borax and borax substitute. Understanding this difference is key, because these two products are often treated as interchangeable when they’re not quite the same thing. Here’s what you need to know:
What Is Borax?
The chemical name of borax is Sodium Tetraborate (sometimes known as sodium tetraborate decahydrate, disodium tetraborate, or sodium borate).
Despite its scientific name, it’s essentially a naturally derived substance, produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes. It belongs to a group of compounds known as borates, which are related to boric acid.
What Is Borax Substitute?
Borax substitute, on the other hand, is a different chemical altogether. Its name is sodium sesquicarbonate, and it’s made from a combination of washing soda and bicarbonate of soda.
As you can see, it doesn’t end in borate, so it’s not part of the same family as regular borax. However, it performs similarly to regular borax, just without the boric acid.
Is Borax Substitute Safe?
The good news is that borax substitute is not considered to be harmful to health or to the environment.
It has a long history of use across different industries. You’ll find it in cleaning products, water treatment processes, and in swimming pools. It is also included on the INCI list of approved cosmetic ingredients and is often found in bath bombs, bath salts, hair care products, and deodorants.
In the US, it’s also approved in small amounts as a food additive, although that approval doesn’t extend to the UK or EU. Here, regulations tend to require stronger proof of safety before allowing additives.
So what does that mean in everyday terms?
Overall, current evidence suggests that borax substitute poses a low risk when used to clean your home. The Environmental Working Group has, despite gaps in their data, classified borax substitute as low risk. This means no serious issues have been identified.
It’s also considered relatively low impact compared to harsher conventional cleaning chemicals.
However, as with anything, there are a few sensible precautions you should take when using borax. Like many cleaning products, it can irritate sensitive skin or eyes. But beyond that, there are no major red flags.
As such, I’m perfectly happy to use borax substitute in my house for all my green cleaning needs. I do, of course, adhere to the general principles of storing cleaning products – homemade or shop-bought. This means I store it away from children and pets, in a labelled container at all times.
What About Borax – Is That Safe?
We’ve now established that borax substitute is safe. This is all well and good for my fellow UK and EU readers. But what about readers from other countries, who only have access to borax.
If you only have access to borax, then it’s a bit of a grey area. Here’s what I’ve found, so you can decide for yourself.
What The Research Says
The studies I’ve found aren’t the most robust. They tend to say that they have tested either sodium tetraborate or boric acid. However, if you remember from the science part at the top of this article, sodium tetraborate is not boric acid; it’s a derivative of boric acid.
There’s quite a bit of a difference between the two chemicals, so the findings aren’t the most reliable.
Some studies link borax and related compounds to reproductive effects, however these are typically based on animal studies using very high doses.
Interestingly, there has also been research looking at workers exposed to boron compounds in industrial settings in Turkey. This 2011 study found that even with regular exposure, levels were still below those associated with harm in animal testing.
It concluded that “These human exposures represent worst-case exposure conditions to boric acid/borates in Turkey. These exposure levels are considerably lower than exposures, which have previously led to reproductive effects in experimental animals. In conclusion, this means that dose levels of boron associated with developmental and reproductive toxic effects in animals are by far not reachable for humans under conditions of normal handling and use.”
In other words, it would be hard to be exposed to the amount of boron needed to cause any impacts on fertility. A further study, published in the Current Opinion in Toxicology journal in 2023, also reported similar findings.
However, the EU has taken a stance and banned it because of that potential for risk.
Other Things To Consider
Borax is not a known carcinogen. However, like borax substitute, it can irritate sensitive skin and irritate your airways.
Some people have also reported concern about the effects of clothes washed in borax. However, borax is poorly absorbed through undamaged skin. If you use borax in your laundry, the rinse cycle on your washing machine should remove any excess borax.
I think it’s also important to bear in mind that many benign things we have in our homes are harmful in high concentrations – like salt. The key difference is how much exposure actually occurs in normal use.
So, Is Borax Safe For Cleaning With?
If you’re in the UK or EU, the decision is made for you – you can only opt for borax substitute, and current evidence suggests it’s safe to use, sensibly, of course.
If you’re elsewhere, it’s less clear-cut. The research doesn’t point to significant risk under normal household use. However, regulatory bodies have taken a cautious approach due to potential concerns about higher exposure levels.
For some people, you might find that the uncertainty is enough to opt for other products to clean your home with. For others, you might feel comfortable continuing to use borax in moderation.
I appreciate that there isn’t a single, definitive answer, and that can be frustrating. However, I always think it’s always best to be informed. Consider this a starting point for you to do more research to work out if borax is right for you or not.
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