Dear Home Ec 101:
Where can I get sodium percarbonate?
Thanks,
Short and Sweet
Heather says:
For those not in the know, sodium percarbonate is the generic name for the active ingredient oxygen bleach products like Oxo-Brite
, OxiClean,
or Clorox Multi-Purpose Stain Remover
. The short answer is you can find sodium percarbonate on the laundry aisle in almost every grocery discount and big box store.
When dissolved in water, sodium percarbonate creates hydrogen peroxide and soda ash. The color-safe bleaching action is accomplished by the hydrogen peroxide, and the soda ash is an environmentally safe byproduct.
To ensure you get the best value check the ingredient list. Ingredients at the top of the list make up the bulk of the product and those at the bottom are present in the least quantities.
When comparing products, keep in mind that if you only need a small scoop of one and a large scoop of another, it might be due to cheaper ingredients. In these cases, you can’t do an ounce-for-ounce cost comparison. In these cases, you’ll want to do a load-for-load cost comparison.
Some of the cheaper ingredients, like sodium chloride (table salt), actually play an important role. Salt, as an example, can help if your water is hard by increasing solubility. It is okay for the ingredient list to contain sodium chloride, but you don’t want it to be at the top of the list. Oxyboost lists their distributors on its website and the products are available online.
Sodium percarbonate is replacing sodium perborate in many laundry products due to its more environmentally friendly characteristics.
You might want to check out the Home-Ec 101 Guide to Using Oxygen Bleach.
Good luck and happy cleaning.
