Is Borax safe for cloth diapers?

Is Borax Safe for Cloth Diapers?

I have a free recipe cloth diaper detergent in my Etsy shop. I sometimes get the question whether or not Borax is safe for cloth diapers. I wanted to shine some light on the subject:

Borax is hydrated sodium borate, a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. It does not contain phosphates or chlorine.

My extensive research of reading numerous forums, blogs, articles & cloth diapering information has left me with the conclusion, that it is NOT proven that Borax breaks down fibers. I have spoken with cloth diapering veterans & they say they have not known this to be a problem either. I too have read that it causes breakdown but when looking for the cited articles or source of information, only leads to other people saying the same thing & citing back to the same people. I have not come across any specific scientific studies that prove it.

Borax is SAFE for cloth diapers!

My conclusion is, that excessive heat of the dryer plays a large factor in the elastic breakdown. I have not experienced any breakdown of elastic fibers in my cloth diapers by using this recipe nor have any of my customers.

If you are concerned about elastic breakdown, I would suggest that you hang dry any elastic you may be concerned about. Never try to stretch any elastic after it comes directly out of the dryer, as this can cause breakage. Only dry your cloth diapers, just until they are dry, on low-med heat per most cloth diaper instructions.

You can find other uses for borax at http://www.dialcorp.com/documents/borax.pdf

Warts on Children's hands

Well, I wanted to share a neat story that I remembered today...

How to get rid of warts?

A couple of years ago, a cousin of mine was 7 years old & lived on a ranch. She often worked with all of the livestock & was very active. As many children do, she developed warts all over her hands.
Of course, these warts were caused by a virus but they became embarrassing for her. Her full palms were covered & she was made fun of at school. The medicine over the counter for warts was not effective, so her mother took her to a dermatologist. The dermatologist stated that the 7 year old would need surgery in the hospital, to remove the top layer of skin to remove the warts. Her mother was mortified!

Not only was the child going to have to have general anesthesia, she would have a long recovery, not be able to play on the ranch & risk infection. The surgery would also cost anywhere from $1500 to $2000.

In desperate searching for alternatives, & waiting to raise the money to have the surgery, they decided to buy some Dial Complete hand wash. There was no reason her mother bought it specifically, except that it was on sale. She needed something for the kids bathroom.

The little girl started washing her hands three times daily. They noticed that the warts started to disappear. Within 6 weeks, the warts were gone.

They contacted Dial to let them know what a money saving, surgery alternative the hand wash had become. My cousin figured they had spent around $12, at most, on the wash & would gladly have bought $100 worth. Dial would not comment on the results but said they would certainly pass it to the people in the company who needed to know.

Hope you never have children that experience this problem but if you do, try the Dial Complete hand wash to rid of the warts on your children's hands or feet. It can't hurt & only keeps them cleaner.