Chemical name: Borax

IUPAC name: Sodium tetraborate decahydrate

Formula: Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O or Na₂[B₄O₅(OH)₄]·8H₂O

Appearance: white solid

Uses:

• Borax is used in various household laundry and cleaning products, including the “20 Mule Team Borax” laundry booster, “Boraxo” powdered hand soap, and some tooth bleaching formulas.
• Borax alone does not have a high affinity for the hardness cations, although it has been used for water-softening.
• Anti-fungal foot soak
• Treatment for thrush in horses’ hoofs