Washing Soda

[mixguy]

Does anyone ever use baking soda or washing soda as a laundry additive? I have read somewhere that is is considered a precipitating water softener. Does that mean that the soda forms insoluble substances that might not rinse out of the washer? Is it useful in deodorizing? I don't recall reading a thread about sodium bicarbonate's use in washing clothes. I know there are other products like calgon water conditioner, borax, etc. Just wondered about experiences and thoughts of others in this forum.

 

[launderess]

Ok, I'll Bite

Hate to see a man left twisting in the wind! *LOL*

Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is a "precipitating" water softener, in that if form insoluble particles and can bind to laundry and wash tub surfaces especially if pure soaps are being used.To counter this detergent makers can and do add other chemicals such as sodium silicate (water glass).

Washing soda not only is highly alkaline, but breaks down into sodium bicarbonate in textiles if they are not rinsed well. When this happens and the laundry is ironed the heat causes fabrics to turn yellow.

This is the rationale behind using "sours" in the final rinse.That is to remove final traces of alkaline residue and adjust the pH. Sour rinses as commonly thought do *NOT* remove detergent and or soap residue from fabrics. Indeed the acids use in sours will react with soap to form fatty acids that will turn turn rancid and cause textiles to smell "off".

Washing soda to some extent is used in all powdered laundry detergents because if it's ability to remove grease and soils. Personally have never seen a need to add more as the stuff is very harsh on textiles in excess. Sodium carbonate does not have any great odor removing properties like borax.

 

[mattl]

How does washing soda differ from baking soda? I've been buying the big bags of baking soda from Sam's for $5 and using it in some of my wash. The jury is still out if it does any good. I use it with Tide if that is of any importance.

 

[tolivac]

We have a dummy load-"phantom antenna" that uses sodium carbonate in a solution that is pumped thru a chamber that has electrodes in it that are connected to the transmitter.the pumpted sodium carbonate solution acts as a liquid resistor.It is pumpted thru a heat exchanger that transfers the heat to a glycol filled heat exchanger that goes to the outside heat exchanger.since this load can handle up to 750Kwthe heat is dumpted outside the building.A few times a year the solution has to be replaced.you fill the solution resevior with distilled water-start the pumps-connect a network anylyzer to the load input terminals and add the "soda" powder to the solution until you get a resistence reading on the meter of 300Ohms.Then the load is ready to use.The sodium carbonate solution is corrosive to the pumps-they have to be rebuilt frequently.Sometimes we call this load the "Lobster Pot"becuase it boils over sometimes when the transmitter has been running into it for awhile during prolonged tests.Say during frequency response and distortion testing which is done to each transmitter once a year.when a 500Kw transmitter is modulated 1005 with tone modulation-you get 750kw continous output power.Or for 250Kw transmitters-375Kw.

 

[mixguy]

Thank you!

Laundress:

Thank you for your reply, you told me what I wanted to know. I appreciate the quick response as well.