Before we begin it’s good to know that oxygen cleaners like OxiClean work well on organic stains, like grass, red wine or blood, but not so good on things like grease or petroleum based products like Vaseline. I just keep the box of washing soda and the peroxide in the laundry room on the shelf and put it into the wash right when I’m doing a load unless I’m pre-treating a stain. I’d rather just buy the generic oxyclean and/or washing soda and dump it in my washer. I also use Borax powder. Instead of purchasing harsh commercial cleaners, make your own version of “OxyClean” to handle the job. I don’t recomend storing this mixture as it loses effectiveness. Not all laundry boosters are washing soda, so make sure the box says "washing soda" on it. It’s a naturally occurring mineral. If you have a grease stain on your clothing try rubbing a little Dawn Dish Soap on it as a laundry pretreatment and check out 20 secret uses for Dawn Dish Soap here. Pour the water, hydrogen peroxide, and washing soda into a spray bottle. Inhalation can cause throat irritation and coughing. is it commonly found, where would one find it, and are there other terms or brand names that might be more familiar? If you can't find any washing soda, you can try using baking soda instead. Step 2. Done. If you have a number of clothes that are soiled, you make up a batch of this and soak them in it overnight. I’m pretty sure I didn’t…Let us begin: Sodium carbonate is a salt made from sodium and carbonic acid. However, exposure to the pure chemical can cause burns, skin irritation, eye irritations and even blindness. Hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate are not carcinogenic, nor a neurotoxin. the “you must use within 24 hours” is going to be a problem for me. You can buy the In fact you can actually make washing soda by heating baking In general, yes it will be cheaper but not if you are buying really expensive washing soda. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

For large surfaces, work with small areas, so solution does not dry on the surface. OxiClean also contains low-sudsing surfactants (soap) to complete the cleaning process. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. You must store it in a dark bottle and use within 24 hours otherwise the solution will break down and become less effective. Sodium carbonate boosts the water’s pH, making it more alkaline, which neutralizes acids that may be produced during the cleaning process so the stain molecules can be rinsed away easily. ", http://wellnessmama.com/3505/homemade-oxyclean/, http://livesimply.me/2015/08/13/homemade-oxi-clean-like-laundry-booster/, http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/move-over-oxicleantheres-much-cheaper.html, http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2013/06/homemade-oxi-clean-for-armpit-stains/, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. This DIY laundry detergent recipe only costs … soda, but that’s a different blog post for a different day.

It is sold as a laundry booster under brands like Arm & Hammer and can be found in the laundry aisle.

Because there are no harsh or caustic chemical ingredients in OxiClean, and because it breaks down into oxygen and water, it is considered a very environmentally friendly product. The sodium carbonate raises the PH of the water to help the hydrogen peroxide lift the stains and clean better. Since the pH of the water is raised significantly there is the potential to damage the fibers in the clothing and other items you are washing, so even though it’s not as damaging as chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach will still wear your clothes down faster than just regular laundry soap. It depends. If you are worried about the homemade OxyClean staining or causing discoloration, test it in an inconspicuous area first. The amount of sodium percarbonate in household products usually does not cause problems. Making and Using Pre-Wash Treatment OxyClean, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/22\/Make-Homemade-Oxyclean-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-Homemade-Oxyclean-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/22\/Make-Homemade-Oxyclean-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid3197533-v4-728px-Make-Homemade-Oxyclean-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":306,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"484","licensing":"