When I started to make my own cleaning products and make my own laundry products a few years back, most of the ingredients I needed were pretty familiar to me. All that is except for a couple that kept popping up in a whole lot of recipes – borax and washing soda.
I remember the first time I went to the store in search of borax and washing soda. I didn’t know if I’d be able to find them, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were right there on the laundry aisle of my local Meijer grocery store. I just hadn’t ever noticed them!
One time I even came across this display in my local Walmart that had the borax and washing soda conveniently shelved right on the end of an aisle (an Endcap as my hubby in the grocery biz would say).
{ read the article here = = > Homemade Laundry Soap – Walmart Knows What We’re Doing! }
So yeah, I’ve gotten more comfortable finding and buying my borax and washing soda as time has gone by. I’m enough of an expert on those two white powdery substances now that I’m also familiar with something else that nobody prepared me for.
They clump up. They turn rock hard. Especially borax. Man oh man, borax can turn into one giant rock !!
If I’m using a complete box of borax or washing soda (like I do in my Big Batch Homemade Laundry Soap), then it’s not a problem. But I often use other recipes (like my No Grate Laundry Soap) where I only use a small amount at a time, and that leaves me with opened boxes to store for several months.
Dealing with clumpy or hard Borax and Washing Soda
So what’s the deal with those opened boxes of borax and washing soda turning all hard and clumpy??
A little research helped me confirm what I was already thinking. Humidity is the bad guy. Heat can be part of the problem too, but heat and humidity often go hand in hand so I think it almost always tracks back to humidity and moisture. There’s a few strategies people use to keep their powdery substances from getting clumpy (and this includes things like sugar or onion powder too), and they are:
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Keep in a cool dry place where moisture is low
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Put something in with the powder like rice or a dry crust of bread that absorbs moisture
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Store in a tightly sealed container to keep moisture out
So let’s take a look at those options.
The first change I made a while back was to stop storing my borax and washing soda in the basement. This was the “keep in a cool dry place” strategy. Even though our basement is cool, it can be damp. I was hopeful that move would do the trick but when I got my borax out yesterday, even though it’s now stored on the main floor, it was pretty darn hard again. I haven’t come up with any place cooler or drier to put it, short of the freezer. I suppose that’s an option but I’m a little worried about it in with my food stuffs.
And on the flip side of that, I wasn’t crazy for the next option either of “putting something in with the powder” because I didn’t want remnants of any foods ending up in my laundry soaps or cleaners.
I made a small attempt at the “tightly sealed container” option by taping my boxes shut one time after opening them, but that wasn’t really tightly sealing them. I decided I had to take this option more seriously as this seemed like the best bet at a solution.
Ditch the Boxes and Find New Containers
I’ve suspected for a while that the cardboard boxes that borax and washing soda are sold in probably make sense from the manufacturers’ point of view as good containers for packaging and shipping, however those cardboard boxes don’t make as much sense for us as the consumer of the product to use for storage.
Twice now, I’ve ended up ripping apart the cardboard box of borax to get at the hard clump inside (cuz you know it ain’t gonna pour out!!) and then putting that clump in something like a large Rubbermaid container and hacking away at it to try to get it back to being kind of powdery again. Once that was done, I would put it into some other storage container because, well, the box was a total goner at that point.
{ On a side note, you can see below that I cracked my wooden spoon in half while chopping away at a clump, but guess what? My half-spoon makes a super good paddle for clump annihilation and it’s my new tool of choice! }
So ~ finally and at long last ~ it’s dawned on me that maybe instead of waiting until I’m to the point of smashing up a rock-hard clump of borax and putting it in a better container, I should be transferring my borax and washing soda to a better type of sealed container right from the get-go! That’s my new strategy and I’m hopeful it’s going to be the one that really works.
Currently I’m using these medium sized ziploc containers that hold a little over half a box. I’ve yet to transfer a complete box to a different container, so I’m keeping my eyes peeled for containers that might be a good size. Otherwise I guess I can always just use two of the smaller containers.
I was also smart one time and cut the name of the product off the boxes before I ripped them apart, and then taped them to the lids of the new containers. That’s turned out to be a nice way to identify what’s inside. As you can see in the picture, I have this kind of quirky habit of marking my boxes of stuff with the date I bought it and the price I paid. It makes me feel in control of my life or something I guess.
So that’s the plan. To immediately upon opening, transfer my borax and my washing soda into a container with a tight fitting lid and to stop using the cardboard boxes they’re sold in for long term storage. Even if they do start to harden up, at least now I’ve got them in a type of container that makes it easy to stir it and keep breaking the clumps up as time goes along.
How about you? If you’re a person who keeps borax and washing soda in the house, have you had this hardening and clumping problem too?
Feel free to leave me a comment and I would love to hear how others deal with this situation.
I have found borax to be pretty easy to un-clump. I put it in the microwave and run it for about a minute at a time and break sections off as it softens a bit. (This works very well with sugar too.) However, the washing soda doesn’t respond to this treatment so I have gotten in the habit, as a couple of others mentioned, of immediately upon bringing it home putting in another container. I have quite a few of those large cans that dehydrated or freeze dried foods come in and put the whole box in there. I am careful to open it, use what I need, then immediately put the plastic lid back on. So far, no problem with clumping!
I also think that the most important thing is to immediately transfer the borax (or washing soda) to another type of container with a tight fitting lid. This has worked great for me (but I will remember your tip of using the microwave if I still run into some clumps!)
Here’s the solution! (I think! It seems to work for me!) Re-use those little packets of silica that you get in pill bottles, new shoes and such. I transfer my borax into large recycled plastic juice containers when I get it, (I think glass might be even better, but wet slippery laundry hands and glass bottles don’t mix!), and as I am pouring it in, I add any of those little packets I have saved up. If you don’t want to wait to get any of those little packets, you can buy containers of silica (used for drying flowers among other uses), pour some into a coffee filter, fold and tape with a piece of duct tape and throw it in the container of Borax. I use the same kind of thing in my fridge and freezer. I buy the largest coffee filters I can find and buy non food-grade baking soda at a Co-op or Tractor Supply company (used in stalls to absorb odour). I ‘think’ it is about $20 for a 50 lb bag.I usually set them on a small lid or dish in the fridge and freezer so no powder sifts through. I also give them a shake every now and then. After a few weeks (or whatever you prefer), Dump the baking soda down the drain while running hot water and put the coffee filter in recycling. (or you can give it a quick rinse and put it in the bottom of your potted plants to stop dirt from running out the holes! Patti
Thanks for sharing that strategy Patti! Silica works to absorb moisture so it makes sense it would be helpful for borax too.
I look for products that come in cardboard as it’s better for the environment. There’s so much plastic waste out there that our kids, grandchildren & generations to come will be drowning in it!
I transfer borax and washing soda from their original cartons to glass jars. I then take a section of plastic wrap and fold it a few times to make a square that will fit the jar opening with overhang. I place the plastic square on the jar opening and place the jar lid snuggly. I have both these products in my laundry closet that houses my washer and dryer so there is a good bit of humidity there and have had no clumping issues whatsoever. The current washing soda I have has been in a jar probably 5 years with no clumps. Years ago I tried making laundry soap, but wasn’t happy with the results, thus the 5-year-old washing soda. I now use the soda to soak labels off jars and containers and it works well for that.
Excellent strategy Faye – The extra layer of plastic wrap is a good idea!
I found a way to easily unclump powdered detergents!!! Drill, bucket, mask and a ROTTO stripper drill attachment. Put a clear plastic bag over the area loosely so i could see as well as keep the dust down. Less than a minute later it was almost perfect. I sifted out what little chunks we’re left and rottoed them too. Works like a charm. They make a grinder that’s really rough for drills that also may work. I had the ROTTO so I just used that. I thinks it’s about $5 part. In the long run if you have caking problems with detergents it’s well worth it.
did you know you can make your own washing soda by buying a big container of baking soda at the “big box’ store and heating it over low heat in the oven.. saves money
I tried making my own washing soda with that method once but didn’t seem to get very good results!
how about dividing the product into the amounts you will need before it gets a chance to clump on you?? and if you are already stuck with a clump that you need to use, how about using an old grater to loosen the clump as best you can then pound the daylights out of the smaller bits… hope this helps
Both of those are good suggestions Linda! I often keep some of my borax and washing soda in smaller containers in another closet and those almost never clump up.
You can take the hard clumps, and put them in a ziplock bag, get most of the air out of the bag. Then, using a WOODEN mallet (which can be bought where wooden spoons are located in most housewares stores)…. you can place the bag on a worktable and take your frustrations out on that bag. Beating the clumps into submissive little powder particles. To further add to the fun… pour the powder through a sieve into a storage container, and any remaining little clumps can be placed back in the bag & be beat to death, until they too are powdery enough to go into the container.
Oh yes! Clumpy borax can be a good way to get out all your angry frustrations with all the beating and bashing 🙂
I made a paste of borax, sugar and water to get rid of cockroaches; it has now hardened and I can’t get it out of the cup. Boiling water loosened it a bit but not enough. Any suggestions for saving this cup and removing the hardened paste?
About the only idea I had was boiling water too. Maybe it will take several treatments of boiling water. Other than that I don’t have any bright solutions other than just chopping away at it. 🙁
Try a tiny drill. Mark the approximate height of the clump on the drill so you don’t go deep enough to drill into the cup. Then start making holes until it cracks off. Keep drilling and scraping and then see if it will disengage from the sides and bottom.
I am trying to make body powder but have trouble with it caking. I used corn starch, rice flour and even ground up jasmine rice. The rice makes it a little grainy. Any thoughts?
Moisture is usually the problem when there’s clumping. Some people have success adding dried beans, dried split peas, or unpopped popcorn kernels. They’re larger than rice so you might get better results. Also make sure you are using a container with a tight lid and for one more level of protection you could try putting a small piece of saran wrap over the jar opening and then screwing on the lid. And finally, you could try keeping the mixture in the freezer, but of course that’s not very convenient.
My washing soda box was very hard today. I eased it out of the box, Just used a knife to scrape it, and it easily became powder again. It took a little time, but not hard (pun) to do. The left over washing soda I put in a ziploc and returned it to the original box for next time’s laundry making. The borax box was not hard. I’m hoping the ziploc will prevent it to harden again.
Yes Ann, I think a ziploc bag would work the same way as a container with a tight fitting lid and should certainly help toward keeping your washing soda from getting clumpy.
See my comment above about using a Ziplock freezer bag to beat your clumps to death.
I have had this problem with Epsom salts. I have some in a pretty glass apothecary jar next to my tub and now they are rock hard. I can’t go pounding away at a glass jar to soften up the salts. What if I break the jar? I was hoping to find a hint like maybe putting a mesh bag of rice in there for a few weeks or something. Any ideas? I will say that brown sugar keeps great in a tupperwaee type container with a piece of water soaked terra cotta or a piece of apple. But whereas epsom salts get moist and harden up; brown sugar gets dry and hardens up…..just the opposite.
Jennifer – I think if you want to keep your epsom salts in some kind of decorative jar, it should have a very tight sealing lid. Like you said, the problem is moisture getting in and the type of sealed container it is in can go a long way in keeping the moisture out.
Use it in the bath for a fantastic soak before it hardens. It’s a magnesium treat for heart and muscles and a great reward for a full day of washing and cleaning.
I use the silicone packs that come in new items. I throw them into the container and although it doesn’t prevent all clumps, it does not become one big hard rock.
Hi! I found this thread to be helpful when I was researching what to do with my hardened Super Washing Soda. There are a lot of good suggestions here about storage and such, but my question is if any of you have discovered that the washing soda loses it’s strength/effectiveness after taking on moisture and becoming hard or clumpy? I’d rather not go to the trouble of breaking it down if it won’t work very well. I’m thinking I might put the box inside a plastic bag and use a rubber mallet…at least to get it started.
Thanks for any suggestions!
I soaked by large clump of baking soda in hot water and let it set until it started breaking apart.
I am new to DIY, and I have been experimenting with some recipes that include washing soda. A laundry booster “powder” recipe made from washing soda and,hydrogen peroxide turns hard as a rock no matter what it’s stored in. And when I put washing soda in a dish soap recipe, it turned all foamy and not liquid. I store the washing soda in a reused jar, and it’s fine. The laundry booster is also stored in a jar, and the dish soap is in a plastic squeeze bottle. Any suggestions?
Any moisture in the washing soda is what makes it turn clumpy. For the most part, I only use washing soda in mixtures with other dry ingredients. If I ever use washing soda in a recipe with liquids, it is a very small amount intended to be dissolved (like 1 teaspoon in 2 cups of a liquid for instance), and the recipe is intended to be in liquid form. I would guess what might be going wrong in the other recipes you are trying, is that the ratio of dry to wet ingredients is off. Washing soda either has to be used in a dry/powder type mixture, or it has to be dissolved as completely as possible.
I just broke up some the big clumps with a fork.
I grated some of them with a cheese grater.
Then I put a plastic spaghetti strainer over a mixing bowl and worked the little clumps thru with a large metal serving spoon. A ladle would work well too.
Only took 15 minutes to do a box of Borax (while I was trying different ideas).
Next time it will tale 5-10 minutes.
I’ve been storing my Borax in the basement, too, and it has clumped despite the constantly running dehumidifier. You’ve confirmed my suspicions why. As I searched for a solution, I was thinking about the same idea you’ve suggested: storing the borax in another container. Living in the humid and often warm mid-Atlantic, I’ve started using plastic storage canisters with gasketed lids, like OXO Good Grips. They have saved my kitchen dry goods and epsom salts (kept in the bathroom). I think that may be my go-to. I tried smashing the clumps out with a spoon today, but that didn’t work well. I may run the Borax through my flour sifter before transferring it to the storage containers.
Thanks for helping me refine my ideas!
What about putting the powered soaps right away into a large zip lock bag? I think with my next purchase I will try it.
Ziploc bags would probably work too – I think they would be airtight enough to keep moisture out.
I am a little far beyond February, as it’s July, but I just went to 3 stores looking for 2 boxes of 20 MTB, and the were ALL hard as a brick! I finally bought them at WalMart, as they were the least hard, but had lots of hard lumps. As I use this for flea control, sprinkling lumps on the carpet just don’t cut it. And it was too late for transferring to a ‘sealed container’ since this was what the stores are selling. I live in central Florida, so humidity is a problem, but my house is A/C all the time, and the box I used yesterday, which I had in my cabinet above my washer in the laundry room, had been there for at least 3-4 years, and it had NO clumps…so this leads me to believe that the company is at fault in some way. I did have 2 boxes in the garage, which had ‘burst open on the sides and the powder was hard, understandable, with humidity. I threw it out, as I wasn’t sure if it loses it’s usability if it reacts to moisture in the box.
I am going to register a complaint with the company, just for peace of mind to calm my frustration down. I’ve used this product for probably more than 25 years, and NEVER, repeat, NEVER had this to happen in all those years. Does that tell us anything??? All those years, except the past 15 were in South Florida. And the boxes lived in the utility room, outside the house. Again, doesn’t make sense…
Wish there was something else I could/would use for fleas, but 20 MTB has always worked, after a commercial flea treatment company employee/friend told me this was basically what they used!
That’s strange that you haven’t had that problem in 25 years, but now it is happening. That does make you wonder if something in their current product is different.
So glad this point as mentioned. It made me realize that I had not previously had this problem either (over about 20 years of using these products). Does make you wonder why.
I find with the borax I can break it up by hand pretty easily, but not so with the washing soda–it’s hard as a rock! Have started doing as someone mentioned by immediately putting it in a #10 can that freeze dried food comes in. Seems to be keeping it lump free.
I had the same problem with washing soda turning into one big rock hard clump. After tearing the box away to get it out, I tried all the methods above: potato masher, grater, pounding. After a few minutes of each, I thought about putting it in my Cuisinart food processor. Worked like a charm? Just a few pulses and “VOILA”…perfect powdery washing soda to store in an airtight container!
I used to sell Tupperware, the ROUND lids are the only waterproof lids!! Not oval, square or rectangular. Use ONLY THE ROUND containers & seals!
Also, you can usually find some used Tupperware at a thrift shop.
Canning jars would also work great (and be adorable).
Yes I’ve been using a round container for years but it’s not big enough for the whole box. Need a bigger one.
Yes for the potato masher and I believe Tupperware is the only plastic container that truly keeps out moisture and pests in food. That said I have been moving to glass containers with screw on lids, these are earth friendly, never retain odors or residue. Anchor Hocking has great glass containers and often found at WalMart or can be ordered online.
Has anyone ever used Borax to make cleaners and have it clog the sprayer? Now I have cement in my sprayer….help? :/
Yes, I have had borax clog my sprayers too! I don’t use borax in homemade spray cleaners anymore and use washing soda instead.
When I was growing up we had old summer home that had been a farm house. We had no running water or electric gas lights. We always had a box of borax that was hard as a rock, I remember my parents grating it. This article made me think back on those summer days doing everything the old fashion way. My friends we never believe me when I told them about washing clothes by hand,pumping water and having a out house. No tv only radio. ect. good times good times lol.
Maybe you didn’t have all the modern conveniences but it sounds like you still had good times and made good memories. Loved your story 🙂
This is a great idea. But what I started doing is using up then entire box and making a LOT of laundry detergent at once. This way, there is no chance of clumping in the first place. And it saves me from having to make detergent so often. It doesn’t work out evenly because I always have a bit of borax left over, but it’s not a big deal to break up a few clumps in such a small amount of powder.
Hey Beverly, I have been putting Borax, A&H Washing Soda and other powder products, in those large plastic containers which the dishwasher gel packs come – I get the big Cascade brand from Sams Club. It works really well, and I’ve not had any issues since!
Another great idea for re-purposing a used container!
When mine clumps, I get out my wooden meat tenderizer, lay the package flat on the floor, and start banging. Flip it over, bang some more, then open and pour! There will still be a few clumps, but it will be pourable 🙂
Oh gosh, I can just see you banging, and flipping, and banging! But I bet it’s pourable by the time you’re done with it !!
Making your own cleaning products are great for frugal living. Thanks for the tips on Borax! Thank you for linking to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you next week.
Ah yes, the clumping. How well I know this problem, living in central Florida. I’ve given up the fight and have to break it up each and every time. Also, I noticed you jotted down the prices. I assume we’re buying same oz sizes. Here at Walmart I recently paid 3.38 for Borax and 3.24 for the washing soda.
My walmart is jacking the price up on both. There’s more of a demand for it.
Oh my I read this at work and was laughing, because I’ve had to rip open the box to get to it. I’ve put it in my meat grinder and ground it up, it’s pretty good then. I’m betting that one of the plastic containers for keeping a 4-5 lb bag of flour in would fit a whole box, it would be slimmer as well for possibly easier storage. Plus I would hope that t hat would repel moisture as it’s for flour.
I reuse large coffee cans for various things. They are perfect for holding a box of Borax or washing soda. I write name, etc. on lid. And they stack!
Thanks for sharing that idea! Coffee containers sound like they would indeed be a good size for storage of borax and washing soda.
I know all about this clumping situation too. I haven’t tried this but I wonder if putting in one of those discs like you put in with your brown sugar to keep it from clumping would work. You wouldn’t have to worry about food particles then. Maybe between that and the plastic containers the problem would be solved. Just a thought. Would like to know if anyone tries this.
Yes I’ve had clumping; I think it’s to be expected with these products. I believe the only real containers to seal tight are Tupperware. You will have a good opportunity to test the Ziploc version but I think they probably won’t work as well as Tupperware. I also think the 20 Mule Team Borax just fell out of poplar demand for enough yrs that alot of retailers stopped providing shelf space which only goes to the top sellers. Washing soda is in the same boat. But as more customers specifically ask for those products they will appear on more shelves. Try a potato masher to break up hard clumps and consider it an upper arm workout 🙂
Never thought to use my potato masher! I bet that would work better than my broken half-spoon. 🙂
After trying to bang and stab the hard washing soda, I finally thought of using a potato masher to handle the problem! But since I didn’t have a potato masher (I use a “ricer”), I substituted an avocado masher (smaller) and this worked perfectly! I then transferred the wash to a glass container with a tight lid and it has stayed soft.
I just used the ice crusher on my blender.
I use a blender too. Dump a clump in the blender and add hot water, then dump the blender contents into your wash load. Even the blender doesn’t break up washing soda completely so maybe strain the mix before adding to the wash. The entire box was hard as concrete so next time I”ll try the storage with silicon packets – save those packets! I use the packets for my gym clothes drawer at work.