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20 Mule Team Borax Natural Laundry Booster & Multi-Purpose Household Cleaner


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CATEGORY

Laundry Additive

BRAND

20 Mule Team

DATA LAST UPDATED

September 10, 2012

Ingredient concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

Health Concerns

  • SOME
    Asthma / Respiratory
  • SOME
    Skin Allergies & Irritation
  • HIGH
    Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity
  • No Data
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Environment

Ingredient scores

Ingredient Disclosure: good

Ingredients are scored based on their formulation and concentration in this product. Click on an ingredient for more information.

F
SODIUM BORATE
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CONCERNS High Concern: developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects; Some Concern: skin irritation/allergies/damage, respiratory effects
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A
LACTOSE
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CONCERNS Some Concern: developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects
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A
SUCROSE
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CONCERNS Some Concern: developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects
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Ingredients from the label

Borax, Sucrose, Lactose, sodium tetraborate decahydrate


Directions from Packaging

20 Mule Team Borax Tips: Porcelain: Porcelain enamel surfaces will sparkle when washed with a solution of 20 Mule Team Borax and warm water. Just sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax on a damp sponge or clothe and wipe. Your surfaces will shine. Hard Water: Got hard water? 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster works great as a water conditioner, helping your detergent to work more effectively. Add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax along with your regular laundry detergent. You'll get cleaner, fresher smelling clothes. Delicates: Delicate hand washables also benefit from the water conditioning and deodorizing of 20 Mule Team Borax. Dissolve1/4 cup of detergent in a basin of warm water. Soak delicates for 10 minutes, then rinse in clear, cool water. Blot items with a towel and lay flat to dry. Garbage Pails: Deodorize your garbage pails with 20 Mule Team Borax. Just sprinkle a little 20 Mule Team Borax in the bottom of a clean, dry pail (you can use 20 Mule Team Borax to wash the pail too). Refrigerators: 20 Mule Team Borax is excellent for cleaning and deodorizing your refrigerator. Lingering odors and spilled food can be washed away with a sponge using a solution of 1 quart warm water and 1 tablespoon 20 Mule Team Borax. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Fiberglass: Fiberglas surfaces will sparkle when washed with a solution of 20 Mule Team Borax and warm water. Just sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax on a damp sponge or clothe and wipe. Your surfaces will shine! Baby Clothes: Baby clothes and cloth diapers can smell just as fresh as your baby when you use 20 Mule Team Borax in the wash. Soak items in 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax and warm water along with the recommended amount of your regular detergent. Fine China: Ever wonder how you can make your fine china safely sparkle? Rinse it in a solution of 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax and warm water in the kitchen sink. Designs on hand painted china will not fade. Give china a thorough rinse with clear water before drying. Humidifiers: To help keep your humidifier free of odor, dissolve one tablespoon of 20 Mule Team Borax per gallon of water and add it to the unit. Be sure to rinse out this solution before refilling your humidifier with pure water prior to use. Toilet Bowls: 20 Mule Team Borax is great at deodorizing the toilet bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax into the bowl, then swish with your toilet brush. Let it stand for 30 minutes or overnight, for the freshest bowl you've ever had. For Laundry: 20 Mule Team Borax helps remove soils and stains, brightens clothes and freshens your laundry. In Regular Wash: Add 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax to each wash load along with the recommended amount of detergent. For large capacity machines add 3/4 cup. For front-loading machines use 1/2 cup. Pre-Soaking Stains: Add one tablespoon of 20 Mule Team Borax per gallon water or 1/2 cup in washer. Pre-soak for at least 30 minutes before washing. For Cleaning: 20 Mule Team Borax is often used as a laundry booster, but can also be used as a household cleaner. Cleaning Cookware: 20 Mule Team Borax is a mild and gentle cleaner for porcelain and aluminum cookware. Sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax on pots and pans as you would a dry cleanser and rub with a damp dishcloth. No need to worry about scratching, borax is not abrasive. Rinse thoroughly. Carpet Spills and Stains: For problem wet areas, blot up spill, sprinkle on 20 Mule Team Borax. For problem stains try the wine and alcohol stains directions below. Wine and Alcohol Stains: Dissolve 1/2 cup of For Laundry: 20 Mule Team Borax helps remove soils and stains, brightens clothes and freshens your laundry. In Regular Wash: Add 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax to each wash load along with the recommended amount of detergent. For large capacity machines add 3/4 cup. For front-loading machines use 1/2 cup. Pre-Soaking Stains: Add one tablespoon of 20 Mule Team Borax per gallon water or 1/2 cup in washer. Pre-soak for at least 30 minutes before washing. For Cleaning: 20 Mule Team Borax is often used as a laundry booster, but can also be used as a household cleaner. Cleaning Cookware: 20 Mule Team Borax is a mild and gentle cleaner for porcelain and aluminum cookware. Sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax on pots and pans as you would a dry cleanser and rub with a damp dishcloth. No need to worry about scratching, borax is not abrasive. Rinse thoroughly. Carpet Spills and Stains: For problem wet areas, blot up spill, sprinkle on 20 Mule Team Borax. For problem stains try the wine and alcohol stains directions below. Wine and Alcohol Stains: For Laundry: 20 Mule Team Borax helps remove soils and stains, brightens clothes and freshens your laundry. In Regular Wash: Add 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax to each wash load along with the recommended amount of detergent. For large capacity machines add 3/4 cup. For front-loading machines use 1/2 cup. Pre-Soaking Stains: Add one tablespoon of 20 Mule Team Borax per gallon water or 1/2 cup in washer. Pre-soak for at least 30 minutes before washing. For Cleaning: 20 Mule Team Borax is often used as a laundry booster, but can also be used as a household cleaner. Cleaning Cookware: 20 Mule Team Borax is a mild and gentle cleaner for porcelain and aluminum cookware. Sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax on pots and pans as you would a dry cleanser and rub with a damp dishcloth. No need to worry about scratching, borax is not abrasive. Rinse thoroughly. Carpet Spills and Stains: For problem wet areas, blot up spill, sprinkle on 20 Mule Team Borax. For problem stains try the wine and alcohol stains directions below. Wine and Alcohol Stains: Dissolve 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax in a pint of water. Sponge in the solution, wait 1/2 hour, then shampoo the spotted area. Let dry and vacuum. These stains are tough ones and your chances of success are better the sooner you treat them. For Deodorizing: In addition to laundry boosting and household cleaning, 20 Mule Team Borax can be used in many different situations to reduce and control odors. Garbage Disposals: 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster helps deodorize food waste disposals by neutralizing acidic odors. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons in the drain, let it stand for at least 15 minutes, then flush with warm water for a few seconds with the disposal on. This treatment can also be used in your regular sink drains. Mattress Odors: Urine odors from mattresses and mattress covers may be neutralized by dampening the spot and sprinkling 20 Mule Team Borax over it. Rub the 20 Mule Team Borax into the areas and let dry. Brush or vacuum to remove the dry borax. Pet Urine and Sour Spilled Milk Odors: Use same procedure as listed for mattress odors. First Aid: In Eyes: Rinse with water for 15 minutes. If irritation persists, contact a physician. Ingestion: Rinse mouth, give a large glassful of water or milk. Do not induce vomiting. All a physician immediately.


Warnings

Eye irritant. May harmful if swallowed. Contains sodium tetraborate decahydrate. Avoid contact with eyes. Do not take internally. First Aid: In Eyes: Rinse with water for 15 minutes. If irritation persists, contact a physician. Ingestion: Rinse mouth, give a large glassful of milk or water. Do not induce vomiting. Call a physician immediately. Keep out of reach of children. Not for drug use.

This product is not certified as a green cleaner.

Leaping Bunny

Products bearing the Leaping Bunny mark are certified cruelty-free under the Humane Household Products Standard, managed in the U.S. and Canada by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, a coalition of eight national animal protection groups. Participating companies must open their processes to independent audits throughout the supply chain.

LEARN MORE ON LEAPINGBUNNY.ORG


Understanding scores

EWG provides information on cleaning product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Healthy Cleaning ingredient hazard score, from A to F, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

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