Where to Buy Borax

| Modified on Feb 24, 2024

Borax is a useful natural remedy for a variety of conditions in people and pets. Once you discover that borax may help your health condition, you are faced with the challenge of where to buy it.

Around the world, borax can be found in a variety of places. Grocery stores, drug stores, chemist shops and compounding pharmacies are all possible places to look for borax. Because borax has many uses other than laundry. Borax is used in ceramic making, glass making and metal joining.

There are many sources online that also carry borax. You may need to search for borax under some of its alternate names. They are all the same borax.

Alternate Names for Borax

  • Sodium Borate
  • Sodium Tetraborate
  • Disodium Tetraborate

Perhaps the most popular source of borax is "20 Mule Team Borax." This is found in the laundry aisle of larger grocery stores. It contains only borax and is commonly used as a laundry booster. Sometimes borax found in the laundry aisle will smell as if it has fragrance added to it. This is because the chemical fragrances in laundry products nearby have been absorbed by the borax. If your borax has an odor, place it in a cool dry place to "air out" and usually the smell will dissipate over time.

Our readers have shared with us many sources of borax and  their own creativity in figuring out where to buy it locally or online.

Please read on to find a source of borax that is convenient for you.

If you have found a source for borax that is not yet listed, we would love for you to share it with us!




Austria

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Frank (Graz, Austria) on 08/18/2021 7 posts
★★★★★

Many of my sources from ebay are gone but one source in Vienna is always here. There I order at ones 4kg.

https://gutesderwelt.at/Borax-Pulver-Granulat-Bor-Natriumtetraborat-Bor-Na2B4O710H2O-Decahydrat-Kalifornien

The shop will ship to the following countries: AT, DE, BE, LU, NL, DK, PL, SK, CZ, HU, SI, RO, FR, GB, HR, IT, EE, FI, IE, LV, LT, PT, SE, ES, BG, CH, LI, NO, MC
If you would like to have a delivery to a country that is not listed here, please contact us.

In such cases, please send us an e-mail to [email protected].


Borax Book

Posted by Narinder (United kingdom ) on 08/18/2021

I have recently discovered your invaluable site and I'm so grateful to have found it. I'm looking for a hard copy (preferably a book) on how to use borax for cleaning/laundry/washing hair/healing the body etc. Does a book exist and where can I get it from. I'm preferring a physical copy to keep and use.

Thank you.
Narinder

EC: HI Narinder, 

We don't know of any books on borax. However, you can certainly find .pdfs on the internet with information that you can print, such as Walter Last's article on borax. You can also print pages and posts from Earth Clinic!

Replied by Frank
(Graz, Austria)
08/21/2021
7 posts

Hi when you search onto amazon.de or .com you will find a lot of books to pay. On the side https://die-insel.online/video/play/1431/tausendsassa-borax-mehr-als-nur-ein-wundermittel-bei-knochen-und-gelenkschm/ from the user hiehf03rj039quq90rqj you will find in german language some infos about borax and that magnesium is very important too. You may translate it via https://www.deepl.com/Translator.

I have also read the pdf's from walter last, you find it at

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=walter+last+borax&t=opera&ia=web Walter.Last.How.the.Arthritis.Cure.has.been.Stopped.pdf

and

The.Art.Of.geeting.well.with.Boron-and-Arthritis.pdf

You will also find some infos on

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=borax

kind regards frank


Food Grade Borax

Posted by Down2earth (NS, Canada) on 07/16/2023

Been trying to find food grade borax. Some people in the borax discussion say that they have been purchasing laundry borax at grocery stores. I think that it is not safe to ingest.

In my area, the brand 20 Mule Team is the only one available in grocery stores. I was unable to find the ingredients list on their web site. According to wikipedia though, ingredients are:
Borateem is 98.7 percent borax with tribromsalan, a microbiocide, and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, an insecticide[2] (but more importantly, a common laundry detergent).

It is certainly not pure with 1.3 per cent as a microbiocide and and insecticide. A small amount, but these things could still be harmful. I do not think that I would ingest laundry borax.

A local industrial chemical supplier has technical grade borax, but would this be fit for ingestion? what impurities would be in technical grade?

Does anyone know if technical grade can be easily purified? Boric acid chrystals can be easily grown. But would the crystals be pure, or would contaminates redeposit in the crystals?

what are common uses of food or lab grade borax? The answers might provide clues as to where to purchase.

Thanks if anyone can offer some answers.

Replied by Art
(California)
07/16/2023
2119 posts

Down2earth,

It is more helpful to go to the 20 Mule Team Borax website and look at what is in borax :

https://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/about/ingredients/

Here is a relevant quote from their website :

' Borax is a naturally occurring compound that is found in arid regions similar to salt plains in Utah or Nevada. The mineral itself is made up of Sodium, Oxygen and Boron to create Sodium Tetraborate (Na2B4O7 • 10H2O) and is mined in Central and Southern California. The compound is considered a salt and actually shares many chemical properties with average table salt.
20 Mule TeamTM simply refines the raw Borax that is mined from the ground and converts it to a powder for your easy use. '

I have been using it daily for well over a decade and it has kept my psoriatic arthritis in remission since. I also have used it as an ant insecticide among other uses.

You might look at ECs Borax page for more info on it :

https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/borax.html

And also look at ECs safety information on Borax :

https://www.earthclinic.com/green/borax-safety.html

Art

Diane
(Florida)
07/24/2023

Hi Art - thank you so much for clearing this up. Even the 20MuleTeamlaundry.com website says to NOT take internally. But if you read the other links from earthclinic.com it explains why. Of course "the dose makes the poison", as with ALL things! I'm glad to know this has helped your arthritis. I am going to the store right now to start taking it for my arthritis too! Thank you!!

Art
(California)
07/24/2023
2119 posts

Diane,

Please update us on your test of borax as you go. I found improvement begin within the first month and improve further from there. Dr. Newnham felt that maximum benefit was achieved within 4 months or so.

Art


France

Posted by Bubble2 (La Rochelle, France) on 09/11/2023

Borax doesn't seem to be available in France. I've been looking for quite a while online and in Pharmacies. They sell eye drops with some in it or a homeopathic version. They are shocked when I tell them I want to drink it. A version is available online for jewelry soldering but it's not exactly the same. I obviously want to be 100% sure what it is before ingesting it. Anyone else out there living in France, or elsewhere in Europe? I can order 20 Mule online but it costs 10 times the price and takes weeks to arrive. Surely there is a local option…

Replied by Art
(California)
09/11/2023
2119 posts

Bubble2,

Please let us know if you find a local option for 20 Mule Team Borax in France.

Art

Replied by mmsg
(somewhere, europe)
09/11/2023

Bubble2, I get it in a chemistry shop that sells all kinds of chemicals, paints, tinctures, raw material for making cosmetics. I'm sure there are such stores in France. Ask for the chemical name (I think it's sodium tetraborate) and do NOT mention what you are getting it for.


Mauritius

Posted by Isabelle (Mauritius ) on 09/19/2022

Hello...how to order borax? I live in Mauritius where it is not available. Thks for replying
Isabelle


New Zealand

Posted by Dayna (New Zealand ) on 08/18/2023

Borax (disodium tetraborate decahydrate):

I have a container of this Borax it does say it has 999g/kg of Disodium tetraborate decahydrate in it, would this still be safe to take internally and use on the body etc?


Spain

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by EddiE (Alicante) on 02/07/2021

Would love to try Borax, but unable to get it here in Spain. If it ships from the USA, the P&P is so more than the price of the Borax. Any suggestions?

Replied by Art
(California)
02/07/2021
2119 posts

Hi EddiE,

The US and Turkey are the largest producers of borax in the world. Perhaps it will be cheaper to have it shipped from Turkey since it is much closer to Spain. Here is one possible link to give you an idea:

https://www.ubuy.com.tr/en/brand/borax?q=borax&brand=borax

Art

Replied by Jos
(Portugal)
02/08/2021

You can buy here:

https://plena-natura.pt/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=245

It's from Portugal but sends to Spain.


Spain
Posted by Ritario (Torrevieja, Spain) on 10/16/2016

Hi, having read the use of Borax re: Lupus, I went along to my local farmacia, explained that I wanted 'pure', the pharmacist checked out the availability and informed me that yes he could order it. I collected it and checked out the information on the label. Though bought in Spain, it was supplied by France and the information is as follows:-

Sodium Borato

  • pH solution 9.4
  • Sulfatos <= 50 ppm
  • Arsenico < 5 ppm
  • Calcio <=100 ppm
  • Metales pesados <= 25 ppm
  • Amonio <= 10 ppm
  • Valoracion (Acido Base) 100.3%

I am rather nervous of the above information and have spent hours researching if what I have bought is 'normal'.

I would be very grateful if 'Ted' or any other knowledgeable person could offer me some guidence as to the safety or normality of my purchase.

I only found Earth Clinic recently but am very impressed. Thanks at least for spending the time to read my post.

Replied by Katie
(Boston)
10/20/2016

As long as its only ingredient is Sodium Tetraborate, you should be fine. I use 20 Mule Team and it does not have a chemical breakdown printed on the box like your does, but I assume it's the same product.

Replied by NaturalHuman
(Portugal)
05/15/2022
★★★★★

I think if you are in Spain or Portugal you can order from Https://www.saudeherbal.shop/ They deliver rapidely


Sweden

Posted by Ylva (Sweden) on 09/20/2018

Hi, do you know wher I can get borax, I live in sweden and it is not avaible on uk.amazon. or can you show me a brand on uk.amazon that is right sort? Lots of love from ylva

Replied by Mmsg
(Somewhere, Europe)
09/21/2018

Ylva, in Europe most countries have "chemical stores" that sell mainly paints etc. But some include very many basic chemicals. I ask for "sodium tetraborate".