[email protected]

In a message dated 1/22/01 1:45:45 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:


Simple Washing Powder:
Combine baking soda, borax, and soap flakes. Add essential oil and mix with
a
wire whisk. Use 1/8 cup of powder per load. This recipe makes enough powder
to last a family of four for one year.


I am so behind on e mail---this topic was days ago, but i have a question.  
What exactly is borax? Is it really considered environmentally friendly? I
have a recepie using it to make silly putty, but i have been hesitant to by
it.

cath

Cory and Amy Nelson

Cath-

I've used borax a few times as a laundry booster or as a deodorizer. I
hesitate to use it more, though, because I've heard it can be harmful. In
fact, I thought someone had told me it was banned as a cleaning tool in some
European countries because of its harmful effects.

Amy
Mama to Accalia (6/14/99)
"The hardest to learn was the least complicated" -Indigo Girls


> I am so behind on e mail---this topic was days ago, but i have a question.
> What exactly is borax? Is it really considered environmentally friendly? I
> have a recepie using it to make silly putty, but i have been hesitant to by
> it.
>
> cath
>

Tami Labig-Duquette

This is all I could find,(short search, not much patince this a.m. with the
puter), others stated it is toxic if ingested. Does anyone have any more
info?
Tami


borax or sodium tetraborate decahydrate (s�dm t��trb�r�t dk��h�drt) (KEY),
chemical compound, Na2B4O7�10H2O; sp. gr. 1.73; slightly soluble in cold
water; very soluble in hot water; insoluble in acids. Borax is a colorless,
monoclinic crystalline salt; it also occurs as a white powder. It readily
effloresces, especially on heating. It loses all water of hydration when
heated above 320�C and fuses when heated above 740�C; a �borax bead� so
formed is used in chemical analysis (see bead test). Borax is widely and
diversely used, e.g., as a mild antiseptic, a cleansing agent, a water
softener, a corrosion inhibitor for antifreeze, a flux for silver soldering,
and in the manufacture of enamels, shellacs, heat-resistant glass (e.g.,
Pyrex), fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals. It is sometimes
used as a preservative but is toxic if consumed in large doses. Naturally
occurring borax (sometimes called tincal) is found in large deposits in the
W United States (Borax Lake in Death Valley, Calif.; Nevada; and Oregon) and
in the Tibet region of China. Borax can also be obtained from borate
minerals such as kernite, colemanite, or ulexite. California is the chief
source of borate minerals in the United States.




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