Chemical name: Borax

IUPAC name: Sodium tetraborate decahydrate

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

Appearance: white solid

Uses:

1. 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.
2. Borax alone does not have a high affinity for the hardness cations, although it has been used for water-softening.
3. Anti-fungal foot soak
4. Treatment for thrush in horses’ hoofs