6 Alternatives That Work Just as Well as OxiClean
When you need a laundry boost but don’t want to use traditional chlorine bleach, you might reach for OxiClean, a color-safe chlorine-bleach alternative that removes pesky stains and brightens dull clothes.
But what happens if you don’t have it on hand? No worries — you’ve got options. According to laundry expert Patric Richardson, founder of the Minneapolis-based boutique Mona Williams, there are a number of alternatives for OxiClean. And the good news is, you may already have a few of them on hand.
Hydrogen Peroxide
One of the simplest, most cost-effective alternatives to oxygen bleach, Richardson says, is hydrogen peroxide. Why? Time for a little science lesson. OxiClean contains several ingredients, but the important one for boosting and brightening laundry is sodium percarbonate — basically, dry hydrogen peroxide plus washing soda (also called sodium carbonate, which is very similar to but not exactly baking soda).
Best to Use Hydrogen Peroxide for Stains and Laundry Booster
Like OxiClean, hydrogen peroxide is a miracle cure for many stains — especially organic ones, like blood, sweat, bodily fluids, and wine.
You can also use hydrogen peroxide as a boost in a regular load of laundry, but to get the most out of it, you’ll need it in a less-diluted form, as running the washing machine will add even more water to your mix. “Store-bought hydrogen peroxide is diluted to 3%, so it’s basically water,” Richardson says. “The best way to use it for laundry is in its concentrated form.”
The highest concentration you can buy in the U.S. is 30 to 35%, which you may be able to find in industry-supply stores (for science laboratories, restaurants, or hair salons) locally or online.
How to Use Hydrogen Peroxide
You can use any hydrogen peroxide, even the common 3% dilution you’d buy from a drug store, directly on a fresh stain; Richardson recommends pouring just enough to cover the affected area. “You’ll know immediately whether it’s going to work because you’ll see the stain fade,” he says. To use as a laundry booster, add 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide along with your regular laundry detergent into your washer.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Washing Soda
Sodium percarbonate includes a hydrogen peroxide component, but that’s not all it is. If you want to be precise and make something the most chemically similar to OxiClean, you would mix hydrogen peroxide with washing soda.
Best to Use Hydrogen Peroxide and Washing Soda for Stains and Brightening
You can throw it in the laundry to remove stains or brighten a load, the same way you would OxiClean.
How to Use Hydrogen Peroxide and Washing Soda
Use it as a soak and mix in warm, “bath temperature” water (Richardson says this temperature helps the mixture dissolve faster). But there’s one important caveat: You need to add the laundry to the soak right away because once the homemade mix touches water, Richardson says, it off-gases oxygen and loses its effectiveness.
Store-Bought Oxygen Bleach
If you don’t have OxiClean on hand and you don’t feel like DIYing your sodium percarbonate solution, you can easily find alternatives online and in stores. You can use Nellie’s Oxygen Brightener Powder or Branch Basics’ Oxygen Boost, which you can find in the brand’s laundry starter kit.
Best to Use Store-Bought Oxygen Bleach for Stains and Brightening
Store-bought oxygen bleach is a great alternative to OxiClean and ideal for those who don’t like to use DIY recipes. Each alternative offers something different, so read the labels and make sure you choose the right one for you.
How to Use Store-Bought Oxygen Bleach
Follow the directions on your store-bought oxygen bleach for the best results.
Pure Sodium Percarbonate
Your best bet, though, is to buy pure sodium percarbonate (which you can easily find on Amazon for less than $20). Not only does sodium percarbonate not contain any unnecessary additives as do some store-bought products, but Richardson says it’s also much stronger than true OxiClean (which means you need less of it). “OxiClean is sodium percarbonate with other ingredients,” he says. “So a pure sodium percarbonate is going to achieve the same results.”
Best to Use Pure Sodium Percarbonate for Stains and Brightening
Sodium Percarbonate is basically dry hydrogen peroxide plus washing soda and offers the same laundry benefits: It removes stains or brightens laundry.
How to Use Pure Sodium Percarbonate
You can add one tablespoon of sodium percarbonate to the washing machine, then run the wash cycle and add your laundry detergent. To whiten clothes, add two tablespoons per gallon of warm water and let clothes soak in this mixture for six hours before washing.
Borax
Also known as sodium tetraborate, borax is a naturally occurring mineral that can fight tough stains and remove layers of residue that dull your clothes — and it’s color-safe (especially for synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon).
Best to Use Borax for Tough Stains and Residue
Borax is great at removing tough stains and residue on your clothes. It also neutralizes odors.
How to Use Borax
When borax mixes with water, it creates a chemical reaction resulting in hydrogen peroxide, so it’s a good alternative to oxygen bleach or even chlorine bleach. Try adding half a cup of powdered borax to a gallon of warm water, then soak your clothes as a pre-treatment for 30 minutes. Wash normally. Be cautious with natural fibers like cotton and wool, which may fade if left in the borax solution for too long.
Baking Soda
OxiClean contains washing soda, not baking soda, but baking soda can still help give your colored or white clothes a boost in a pinch.
Best to Use Baking Soda for Stains, Odors, and Brightening
Baking soda is great for removing stains and odors from laundry. It can also brighten your clothes and is color-safe.
How to Use Baking Soda
Whip up your own brightening pre-treatment by stirring a cup of baking soda into a gallon of boiling water. Once the water cools, soak your clothes in them for a few hours. If any of the clothes are stained, you can also use a DIY baking soda and water paste to scrub them out with a laundry brush. Then you can wash the items as usual.