Yes, Borax!!! So inexpensive, no odor, and clean soft clothes!

Good to know! I missed that recommendation. I always add vinegar to the final rinse which seems to keep the towels soft, but will try the borax, too.

Cyn, vinegar iis my oft times rinse agent, but the results for softness are minimal. Nothing like with Borax

Borax has function as a water softener, which reduces mineral residue that can cause fabric harshness. However, borax is precipitating (like washing soda) so binds to minerals in the water but may not completely flush away as would STPP which is non-precipitating.

You put the borax in with the detergent?

Yes.

So in my front load, where I use liquid detergent in a dispenser cup, I could add borax in the machine, like I do with Oxy?

‘

“However, borax is precipitating (like washing soda) so binds to minerals in the water but may not completely flush away as would STPP which is non-precipitating.”

dadoes, translate, please…is that a bad thing? and STPP is what?

I have very hard water. This is a great tip that I hadn't read before. Thank you both Lars and Martinca!

STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) can cause depletion of oxygen in water which is quite harmful to aquatic life. Since it is not filtered out through wastewater plants, I would avoid it as much as possible; it is present in a wide variety of products including food we eat.

A BIG THANK YOU! I didn't know. My gorgeous thick, soft, white Egyptian cotton towels are not soft any more...but the smaller, rarely used ones are. I've got Borax in my "A" cart. And it goes in with the detergent...got it! .....I found it's cheaper @ Walmart.

From my brief perusals, Borax is as safe to humans ( not ingesting!) and the environment as tablet salt.

Correction on my dryer…its gas, which i believe should be softer than electric. Its the Borax causing the softness.

Precipitates are solids formed by a chemical reaction ... basically a cloud of dust in the wash water when it binds with minerals (hardness) in the water.

Borax makes the wash water more alkaline (higher pH) which boosts detergent performance, and it helps eliminate odors. I use it occasionally for yardwork clothes, whites and bath towels. I add STPP (for more than 10 years) to every load, which averages not much more than one per week. Sheets weekly but other loads not until I'm nearly out of a given class of items. Whites for example is typically triggered by a dearth of clean socks. I have 37 pairs of white cotton socks. :-)

I'm on an (aerobic) septic system which sprays the treated water onto my back yard. The installation company that inspects the system 3x yearly (as required by state law) has told me repeatedly it's one of the cleanest systems they see. It's 19 years old, hasn't yet needed sludge pump-out.

Regards to gas dryers, combustion of natural gas (or propane) generates carbon dioxide and water vapor ... thus the heat in gas dryers is a "moist" heat vs. electric dryers being more "drying."

Ty, dadoes . I found this from The Spruce, which helped me understand how to use Borax in my new ft. load washer.

:

Using Natural Products in HE Washers

While high-efficiency (HE) washers do require the use of low-sudsing HE detergent formulas due to lower water levels used in each cycle, the "old-fashioned" detergent boosters like baking soda and borax can still be used in the machines. Detergent boosters add more cleaning power to less expensive laundry detergents to help whiten whites, remove stains, and act as a water softener.

Here's how and when to add each one whether your HE machine is a front loader or top loader:

Baking Soda

Since baking soda is dry, it should not be placed in the automatic detergent dispenser with your regular detergent. The baking soda can cause clumping and clog the dispenser. Instead, sprinkle 1/2 cup baking soda into the empty washer tub before you load the clothes. Baking soda acts as a natural brightener and deodorizer.

If you have particularly smelly clothes, using a full cup of baking soda will not harm your washer. You'll get better results if you allow the clothes to soak in the baking soda and water for at least 30 minutes before completing the wash cycle.

Borax

Treat powdered borax the same way as dry baking soda. Sprinkle 1/2 cup borax into the empty washer tub before adding the dirty laundry. Be sure there are no lumps in the borax powder if you are using cold water because they may not dissolve properly. Borax works as a water softener and deodorizer.

Do not, of course, combine liquid and powder products into a frontloader's (or toploader's) dispenser cups. They'll clump together, be difficult to dissolve and flush out of the dispenser, and potentially accumulate in and clog the hose through which the dispenser flushes into the tub.

I strongly disagree with The Spuce's frontloader dosage recommendations of only 1 tablespoon of detergent down to 2 or 1 teaspoons. Sure, there's considerably less water than an old-style toploader but the soil level is the same, if not more for a larger load in those uber-size machines. Does anyone here believe 1, 2, or 3 (a tablespoon) teaspoons of detergent is sufficient to handle stains, sweat, body odor and such on a full load? Yard or farm work? Gym clothes?

I washed yesterday a tiny load of 12 pairs of ankle socks in an HE toploader. A new package so they were clean other than production/handling. I've measured that the machine takes a bit more than 7 gallons of water to reach the minimum fill level with no clothes. It's 14yo, newer HE designs perhaps take less water for a fill although there seems to have been a recent surge of touting "deep-water" washing. I have unsoftened well water. I started the load with 2 tablespoons of STPP and 40ml (1.35 oz which is a smidgen less than 2.75 tablespoons) of Wisk liquid. The Wisk bottle directions states 1.5 oz (3 tablespoons or 9 teaspoons) for a "normal"-size load. The wash water didn't feel sufficiently slippery to indicate proper conditioning until I added a dash more, so there's prit'much 9 teaspoons of detergent plus the STPP.

Try running a large load of absorbent cottons/towels in a frontloader and drain the wash period into a 5-gallon bucket, then cancel and run a spin-only to extract what the fabric absorbs (to the extent the spin can do so). It may be more water than you expect, so be ready to stop the machine if the bucket is headed to overflow. Or do the test with a rinse-and-spin.

”. . Hate my HE washer with the fierceness of a thousand suns”

I’m sorry for this, ShadyWillow, but I did grin at the above …. great expression..

dadoes, I did‘nt know this before the Spruce article. That was my main reason for posting it. Glad you mentioned it as well.

‘Do not, of course, combine liquid and powder products into a frontloader's (or toploader's) dispenser cups. They'll clump together, be difficult to dissolve and flush out of the dispenser” .😳

You were very helpful when I was making my new washer choice. a month or so ago, Guess if things go south, you’d better watch your back. Ha Ha! 😁 So far so good, tho ….I guess. Im still learning.

Some HE toploaders are anemic in washing action. Clothes washing involves (1) physical action/time, (2) chemicals/detergent, and (3) temperature. A decrease in one (or two) requires an increase in the other(s).

My whites are white (a moderate dose of chlorine bleach, not necessarily every time but more often than not).

Does borax cause fading? Is there any softening benefit when the water is already soft? (on a well, + water softener system, very soft water).

I just shake a bit in on top of the clothes, straight out of the box. (HE FL) . I have not had any issues with fading.

Water that is fully mechanically softened has no hardness/mineral content, so there's nothing remaining to be softened ... but borax can have some effect on boosting detergent performance. A lesser dose is needed than if the water wasn't softened.

Borax is not bleach so shouldn't cause fading.

Just tried the Borax....💕

Thanks, dadoes!

I just tried the borax with my towels. They seem marginally better, and if not softer they seem to have revived loft which should make them more absorbent, which is fine. I’ll try it again next time and see if there is further improvement.

I like the fragrance of Borax, which is one of the reasons I use it, but it does also seem to help the towels. I don't remember mentioning this before, but it does sound like something I would say!

I advise avoiding direct inhalation of borax dust. It's reportedly a lung irritant.

Safe Use of Borax

Use as a laundry booster (rinse thoroughly) is less of an exposure concern than some other uses such as as a pesticide.

I added some Borax to my towels since they have been kind of less soft lately, it did seem to make them feel softer. I think I will continue to use it in the towel load.

Does the Borax improve the towel softness the more you use it? I tried it once so far with my white towels and did not notice any difference.

Maybe its the amount. i use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup. into my fl before loading. Me, too, Lars…pleasant scent.

What is the suggested ratio of borax-to-detergent in moderately hard water? 1:1? 2:1?