• Home
  • Soap
    • Liquid Soap
      • Natural Liquid Hand Soap
      • Liquid Castile Soap
    • Rebatch Soap
    • Hot Process Soap
      • 1st Time Soapers Recipe
      • Oatmeal Honey Soap
      • Olive Oil Crock Pot Soap
      • Castile Soap with Milk
      • Olive Oil & Coconut Oil Soap
      • Banana Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar
    • Cold Process Soap
      • DIY Shampoo Bar
      • Activated Charcoal Soap
      • Oatmeal Honey Salt Soap
      • Lavender Sea Salt Soap
    • Shampoo Bar
      • DIY Shampoo Bar
      • Banana Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar
    • Salt Bar
      • Hot Process Sea Salt Bar
      • Cold Process Lavender Sea Salt Bar
      • Activated Charcoal Sea Salt Bar
      • Oatmeal Honey Salt Bar
    • Soaping Tips
      • Felted Soap
      • Hot Process Milk Soap Tips
  • Body
    • Bath
      • Colloidal Oatmeal Bath
      • DIY Bath Melts
      • Rose Petal Milk Bath
      • Oatmeal Bath Bombs
      • DIY Bath Bombs
      • Bath Bombs No Citric Acid
      • Sugar Scrub
    • Face
      • Activated Charcoal Face Mask
      • Charcoal Blackhead Mask
      • Easy Lip Gloss
      • All Natural Lip Balm
      • Powder Foundation
    • Hair Care
      • Hair Growth Mask
    • Moisturizer
      • Body Butter
        • Whipped Shea Butter
        • Moisturizing Body Butter
        • Mint Chocolate Body Butter
        • Coconut Oil-Free Body Butter
      • Body Oil
        • Lavender Body Oil
        • Calendula Oil
      • Lotion
        • Shea Butter Lotion
        • Lotion Bar
    • Perfume
      • Natural Vanilla Perfume
    • Sugaring/Waxing
  • Wellness
    • Homemade Mosquito Repellent
    • Essential Oil for Headaches
    • Homemade Laundry Detergent
    • Borax Safety
    • No More Palm Oil
    • Fluoride Free Toothpaste
    • Muscle Rub
    • Natural Deodorant
  • About Me
    • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • About Affiliate Links
    • Privacy Policy
Naturally Handcrafted

Wellness

Is Borax Safe or Not for Cleaning? Skin Care?

Is Borax Safe?

A few weeks ago, I was looking for a new recipe for dish washing detergent and had to know: is Borax Safe? If you want to make your own cleaning products, or even your own lotion, sooner or later you will see Borax as an ingredient.

According to 20 Mule Team Borax, the most well-known Borax producer and distributor in the U.S., Borax is all natural. They say Borax is great as a detergent booster or multi-purpose household cleaner. Homemade detergent recipes include Borax because of its cleaning abilities. Homemade lotion recipes include Borax because it’s a emulsifier. It can combine oil and water to form lotion. Many believe that Borax is one of the most effective “green” cleaning products. But is Borax safe? Is Borax safe to use to clean your home and clothes? Is Borax safe to use to make lotion that will be applied on and absorbed by your skin? The answers to these questions are not straightforward. I have reviewed a ton of the available and credible sources on Borax to figure out: is Borax safe? The following is what I’ve found.

To Answer the Question: Is Borax Safe, We Begin with the Question: What is Borax?

When you open a box of Borax, you will find an odorless, white powdery substance. Borax is a mineral made up of “sodium, boron, oxygen, and water.” 20 Mule Team Borax says its Borax product is 99.5% Borax, also known as “sodium tetraborate” or “sodium tetraborate decahydrate,” and 0.5% “naturally occurring trace minerals.”

Borax is “produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes.” In the U.S., Borax comes from Death Valley, California. Death Valley houses one of the largest Borax deposits in the world.  The deposit was first discovered in 1881, by Aaron Winters. After his discovery, he sold the land where the deposit sits to William T. Coleman.  Coleman built Harmony Borax Works, a plant that refined ore deposits into Borax.

During the five years that Harmony Borax Works operated (1883-1888), the plant used 20 mule team wagons to transport Borax out of Death Valley and onto trains that carried Borax to consumers. The largest Borax producer in the U.S. honors that tradition and its can-do spirit by naming itself 20 Mule Team Borax.

The 20 Mule Team Borax box says Borax can be used to clean your clothes, your dishes, your carpets, your garbage disposals, your kitchen, your bathrooms, and your toilet bowls. The best thing about Borax is that it’s all nature. This characteristic seems to answer my question: is Borax safe? If it’s all natural, it must be safe, right? Well, unfortunately, to answer the question “Is Borax Safe?” you need to go beyond the fact that Borax is all natural. Most of us know that cyanide is all natural, because it’s released from natural substances. I doubt any of us think cyanide is safe. I know, I know. Cyanide is a very extreme example.

Borax has Many Uses, But Is Borax Safe?

Why the Controversy Surrounding the Question “Is Borax Safe?”

In February 2011, The Environmental Working Group (EWG) published an article “Borax: Not The Green Alternative It’s Cracked Up To Be.” The article urged us not to use Borax in any homemade or DIY cleaning recipes. EWG said Borax may post health risks, including harmful effects on male reproductive system. EWG has “high concern” regarding Borax’s “Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity.”

The Executive Summary of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) January 2006 Memo on boric acid and Sodium Borate Salts (which includes Borax), noted that Borax targets “testes [male reproductive organs], with testicular atrophy and reduction in sperm production observed in multiple species.” EPA said that Borax affected all animals tested (rat, mouse and rabbit). The observed negative effects on animals included reduced fertility and body weight. Even more alarming is that animal studies have shown a mother’s Borax exposure can cause harm to her unborn fetus. Maternal exposure in animals can cause fetal skeletal abnormalities, decreased fetal weight, and enlarged lateral ventricles (chambers) of the fetal brain. Well, is Borax safe? It’s definitely not safe for animals.

Then, is Borax safe for humans? No, Borax is harmful to humans. According to page 42 of the EPA Memo, there have been 2 reported cases of Borax poisoning of human infants. The first baby accidentally swallowed a Borax-honey mixture and had seizures. The second baby had diaper rash cream containing Borax and had “systemic poisoning.” “Systemic poisoning” means that Borax poisoned the baby’s multiple organs and systems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listed Borax in its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. It said that Borax exposure can lead to “irritation [in] eyes, skin, upper respiratory system; dermatitis [skin rash]; epistaxis (nosebleed); cough, dyspnea (breathing difficulty).” Oh, in case you don’t know, Borax can be used as a pesticide and herbicide that kill insects, fungus and weeds. This usage doesn’t quite fit Borax’s “green” cleaning ingredient image. Does it??

Is Borax Safe? My Conclusion

EPA has concluded when used in a small dosage, including when used as household cleaning products or laundry detergents, Borax inhalation exposures are “below the level of concern.” So, EPA is saying that we only need to worry about: is Borax safe, when we have a high level of Borax exposure. EPA says that breathing in Borax at a low dosage, such as when using it to clean or do laundry, is “below the level of concern.”

Does that answer the question: is Borax safe? Well, it depends on you. It comes down to a judgement call, a personal preference. The answer to “Is Borax Safe” is at its heart a cost and benefit analysis, which is valued differently from person to person. Do the benefits of using Borax, with its great cleaning properties and emulsifying abilities, outweigh the possibility (maybe a slim possibility at “low” exposure) of harm it might cause you and your loved ones? Only you can answer that question.

I, for one, am getting rid of my Borax. To me, the possibility that my loved ones and I could be seriously harmed by a “green” cleaning ingredient is enough for me to cross it off my list. I am perfectly happy using other natural cleaners (Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Lemon Juice) for my home and clothes, and beeswax as emulsifier for my lotion.

I know there are more blog posts supporting the use of Borax than those calling for us to stop using Borax. You can read these blogs here, here and here. Again, the answer to the question “is Borax safe?” is not straightforward. I can’t answer the question for anyone but myself. I think of it as similar to the question, “should I eat only organic food?” It all comes down to a personal preference and a judgment call. Sorry. Like all tough questions in life, the answer to: is Borax safe?, is well . . . it depends.

So there you have it! You now know a ton about Borax and why I refuse to use it. Will you be joining me and throwing away your Borax (because you just don’t want to take that chance)? Or will you continue to use Borax (because you live dangerously or are not worried about your level of exposure)? Let me know your thoughts! If you enjoyed this article, please share it and pin it!

Share

Share
Tweet
Email
Pin
Comment

You might also like...

Previous
Next

Comments Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Terry Robinson says

    July 20, 2017 at 11:28 pm

    The reason why Borax has been demonized is because it is a cheap Arthritis Cure buried by the drug companies. The pharmaceutical industry could lose billions if this secret ever got out to the masses. PLEASE DON’T BE AFRAID OF BORAX. IT IS LESS HARMFUL THAN ORDINARY TABLE SALT.

    Reply
    • Silvia says

      July 22, 2017 at 7:28 am

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Interesting ideas.

      Reply
  2. is borax safe says

    October 31, 2016 at 7:13 am

    You made a great site. It’s an impressive site and it also gives such good posts. They’re very useful, I am impressed with your site. Thanks for sharing this post.

    Reply
    • Silvia says

      November 1, 2016 at 5:19 am

      Thank you for your kind words! I hope you’ll come back regularly to check out new posts on how to handcraft bath, body, and personal products naturally.

      Reply
  3. Traci Powers says

    March 7, 2016 at 9:26 am

    Very well explained article! I think you gave a very further information about the pros and cons of using Borax. The people can take their own decision whether to use it or not. Fortunately, there are many substitutes of Borax, which can perfectly replace it. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • silvia@naturallyhandcrafted.com says

      March 7, 2016 at 9:22 pm

      Thank you for visiting the site and for your kind words! You’re right, there are definitely other options out there that do what Borax does, without the possible health concerns.

      Reply

Let’s Connect

Subscribe

Categories

Search Contents

About Me

silvia@NaturallyHandcrafted.com

I am a wife and mom, who is passionate about naturally handcrafted beauty and personal care products. This blog, NaturallyHandcrafted.com, documents my creative journey. I'm also an attorney, but I dream of one day becoming a beekeeper and raising cows, pigs, goats, rabbits and chickens in the appalachian mountains. Read More About Me.

Connect with Me

Subscribe & Stay Informed

NaturallyHandcrafted.com respects your privacy, and will not share your email without your permission. Read more about our Privacy Policy.

Recent Posts

  • DIY Donut Bath Bombs Made with Oatmeal, Video Tutorial
  • DIY Cupcake Bath Bombs, Super Easy Recipe
  • Nerd Out on Lava Lamp Lip Gloss, Easy DIY Recipe
  • Homemade Mosquito Repellent Made with Natural Ingredients
  • All Natural Charcoal Blackhead Mask Made with 2 Ingredients

NaturallyHandcrafted.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for this blog to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Learn More.

Copyright 2023 Naturally Handcrafted