Sodium carbonate is the sodium salt of carbonic acid. It is a strong alkali base used in green cleaning products. Often found in powder form, it's used in a wide range of industries, such as cleaning and personal care products, as a fungicide, microbicide, herbicide, and pH adjuster.

Properties

Sodium carbonate is alkali with a high pH when in concentrated solutions. When it is added to water it breaks down into carbonic acid and sodium hydroxide (lye).

Cleaning Uses

Sodium carbonate is used in several cleaning products, including green cleaning ones, due to its disinfectant properties and ability to cut through grease and soften water. You can find it in laundry detergents, automatic dishwashing detergents, all-purpose cleaners, glass cleaners, stain removers, countertop cleaners, sanitizing sprays, and bleach.

Health and Safety

The EPA considers sodium carbonate a safe pesticide and the FDA designates it as generally regarded as safe (GRAS). In the 2006 "Reregistration Eligibility Decision (R.E.D) for Sodium Carbonate; Weak Mineral Bases," the EPA notes that there are no known human health hazards when sodium carbonate is used according to EPA and FDA GRAS guidelines and that "no additional information is needed" to assess its safety.

After seeking immediate medical attention, here are some home care, first-aid guidelines:

Ingestion: Have the person drink a glass of water or milk unless otherwise advised by a health care provider. However, do not have them drink if they are having any of the serious symptoms such as vomiting, convulsions, or drowsiness and have difficulty swallowing. Do not have the person vomit unless to told to do so by a doctor or poison control center.

Eye or skin contact: Flush with plenty of water for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Inhalation: Move the person to fresh air.

Environmental Effects

According to the 2006 R.E.D document, the EPA considers sodium carbonate to be a naturally occurring chemical found in soil and water and doesn't expect any adverse effects on wildlife or water if low amounts are released into the environment. Therefore, it could be considered green.