These three white powders cause more confusion than almost anything else in DIY cleaning. They look alike, they are all alkaline, and they all show up in similar recipes — but they are not interchangeable!

The simplest way to think about them is by strength:

Washing soda is the strongest of the three. It is not gentle. It is the ingredient you reach for when there is actual grease, hard water build-up or heavy grime to deal with. In recipes, it provides the alkaline backbone that makes other ingredients perform better.

Borax sits in the middle. Broader cleaning ability than bicarb, some antimicrobial properties, good for laundry and general cleaning. When bicarb is not enough but washing soda feels like overkill, borax is usually the right call.

Bicarb is the gentlest, mild enough to use on skin, in a bath, in baking, or sprinkle in the fridge. Excellent at deodorising. Not designed to cut grease or replace stronger cleaners.

✔️ Often a mix of the three is a perfect solution along with soap as your surfactant

🌱 Our Washing Soda, Borax and Bicarb Soda are all naturally derived versions.