Two products for two different jobs. Technical-grade borax for soldering flux, glazes and lab work. A boron-free substitute that does the household jobs people used to reach for borax to do.
Free delivery on every order. 3 to 7 working days.
Real borax is restricted in the UK to professional and workshop use. For anything in the laundry basket or under the sink, the substitute is the one to buy. Here is how to tell them apart.
Fine white sodium tetraborate in 900g and 3kg packs.
Washing soda and baking soda. No boron, no fragrance.
Pick a job to see what to use and how. Where real borax is the wrong choice, we say so.
Limescale in hard water locks up detergent, so towels go stiff and whites turn grey. An alkaline booster softens the water so your usual detergent can do its job.
Baked-on grease responds well to a mildly abrasive alkaline paste, and a sprinkle of soda takes the edge off bin and drain smells.
Not for aluminium, wool or silk. Patch test delicate surfaces first, and keep it away from eyes.
Borax was once the usual slime activator, but it is now classified as toxic for reproduction, and homemade borax slime has caused skin burns. We do not sell borax for slime or for any activity involving children.
If your family wants to make slime, buy a ready-made kit with a tested activator and follow its instructions with an adult supervising.
Borax melts into a glassy layer that keeps oxygen off hot metal, so solder flows cleanly on silver, gold, brass and copper.
Work with ventilation, wear eye protection and gloves, and keep it away from food areas.
Borax is a low-temperature flux. A small amount helps a glaze melt and flow at lower kiln temperatures, and it is used in enamelling for the same reason.
Weigh it as part of your glaze recipe, mix wearing a dust mask, and keep glaze materials sealed and labelled.
A typical problem we hear about: towels that come out of the machine stiff, greyish and slightly musty, in a hard-water postcode.
Here is how the borax substitute is used to sort it, start to finish.
Answer three quick questions and we will tell you which product fits your job, how much to use, and what to watch out for. Free, and it takes under a minute.
Yes, but not as a household product. Borax is classified as toxic for reproduction (Repr. 1B), so it can only be supplied for professional, industrial and laboratory use. For household cleaning and laundry, buy a borax substitute.
Borax is sodium tetraborate, a boron mineral. Our borax substitute is a blend of washing soda and baking soda with no boron in it. The substitute is the right choice for laundry and cleaning; borax powder is for flux, glazes and lab work.
High street shops and supermarkets in the UK stock borax substitute, not borax itself. We deliver both borax powder and borax substitute free to any UK postcode, so you do not need to find a local stockist.
Delivery is free on every order. Orders are sent from our EU warehouse and usually arrive within 3 to 7 working days.
Yes. You can return unopened packs within 14 days of delivery. The buyer pays the return postage. If something arrives damaged or wrong, contact us and we will put it right.
Checkout is handled by Stripe, so you pay by card on a secure payment form. Your card details are processed by Stripe and are never stored on this website.
No. We do not sell borax for slime or for any use by or around children. Use a ready-made slime kit with its own tested activator, with an adult supervising.
Pick the product for your job, pay securely by card, and it is on its way. No minimum order.
Technical-grade borax for the workbench, kiln room and lab, and a boron-free borax substitute for the laundry and kitchen. Sent free to any UK address.
Safety note: borax (sodium tetraborate) is classified in Great Britain as toxic for reproduction (Repr. 1B, H360FD). It is supplied for professional and workshop use only. Do not swallow, keep away from children and pets, and do not use it to make slime. Read the label and Safety Data Sheet before use.
Returns within 14 days for unopened packs. Return postage is paid by the buyer.