Cleaning pro shares how to make your own whitening laundry pods

Cleaning expert’s simple trick for making clothes and linen crisp and white again: ‘They look brand new’

  • An Australian mum has shared how she keep her whites white in a wash cycle
  • Carolina McCauley showed how to make her ‘miracle laundry whitening blocks’
  • The Perth cleaning pro makes a mix of water, baking soda, borax and oxy bleach
  • She packs them into a silicone ice cube tray and, when dry, adds them to a cycle
  • The home ‘hacker’ said the blocks can replace detergent and stains removers 

An Australian cleaning queen has shared her ultimate laundry hack for keeping whites white in the wash. 

Carolina McCauley, from Perth, showed how to make her homemade ‘laundry whitening blocks’ she said keeps her white clothing and bed linen looking like new. 

The organised mum uses a mix of baking soda, borax, oxy-bleach and water to make the blocks which she puts in the machine with her whites instead of detergent and stain remover.

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Cleaning queen Carolina McCauley (pictured) has shared how she keeps her whites white during a wash cycle by using her homemade laundry blocks

The mum-of-two uses a mix of baking soda, borax, oxy-bleach and water to make the blocks she then puts in the machine with her whites instead of detergent and stain remover

In a bowl, Carolina adds a cup of baking soda with a cup of borax which is a type of salt used for cleaning and removing stains, as well as half a cup of oxy or oxygenated bleach, an effective whitener used in many laundry powders. 

She then slowly adds water to the powder and mixes until it has a wet sand-like consistency. 

Carolina packs the laundry solution into a silicone mould or ice cube tray and allows them to dry. 


In a bowl, Carolina mixes a cup of baking soda, a cup of borax and half a cup of oxy bleach then slowly adds water until the solution has a wet sand-like consistency

Carolina packs the laundry solution into a silicone mould or ice cube tray and allows them to dry

She makes sure to store the blocks in a dry place and puts them in the machine’s drum each time she does a laundry load of whites. 

‘This miracle block will replace your detergent and stain remover,’ she wrote in the clip posted to her popular social media pages. 

Hundreds of Carolina’s 2.6million followers were amazed by the simple recipe one said they ‘can’t wait to try’. 


She makes sure to store the blocks in a dry place and puts them in the machine’s drum each time she does a laundry load of whites

Is borax safe to use at home?

What is borax? 

Borax (also known as boron, sodium borate, or sodium tetraborate) is a mineral found in nature. 

The compound has several uses, although it is most commonly found in multi-purpose cleaning products, cosmetics, and homemade slime. Borax has powerful antifungal properties.

Is borax safe?

Although it is a naturally-occurring substance, borax isn’t 100 per cent safe. If you are accidentally exposed to it, it can cause skin irritation, respiratory issues, and eye problems. 

It’s especially harmful/poisonous if it’s ingested or inhaled. If you have children or pets at home, make sure to keep borax in a place they cannot reach it. Also make sure to wear rubber gloves when handling borax, especially if you have open wounds or broken skin.

Borax is banned in the UK due to it being a ‘potentially harmful’ substance, but it is legal to sell in Australia. However, it is only legal to sell borax in the form of household cleaners or pesticides; borax as a food additive is banned in the AU.

What is borax used for?  

The number one use for borax is in household cleaning. There are plenty of companies that manufacture borax-based cleaning products such as surface sprays, dish soap, and laundry detergents. 

Use borax as an ant killer or for general pest control, or as a water softening agent. Its antifungal properties also make it a great choice for treating mildew or fungal infections in humans.

Other uses for borax include enamel glazes, as a ceramics component, coating for dry-cured meats, and even as an emulsifier or preservative in cosmetic products like moisturisers, scrubs, and shampoos.

Source: bhg.com.au 

Another asked what temperature water is best to use for white clothes and sheets and Carolina recommended a cold wash. 

Previously, another cleaning pro shared their whitening laundry tips and tricks for keeping whites bright and stain-free. 

Dina Santos, from Brisbane, revealed her little-known hack of adding salt and baking soda to each load of white sheets or clothes in a video posted to her popular Instagram page.

The home stylist also recommended not overloading the drum and putting whites on a warm wash so they come out as fresh and clean as ever. 

Brisbane mum Dina Santos has spilled her secrets for keeping white sheets and clothes looking fresh using two little-know ingredients you probably have in the cupboard now


In a video posted to Instagram, the home stylist recommended not overloading the drum and make sure to put washing liquids or powder in the right compartments

‘Add two full teaspoons of baking soda and two of salt flakes (I swear ladies, this work miracles and your whites come out beautifully),’ the mum-of-two suggested.

‘Put all your whites in the washing compartment making sure you never overload,’ she wrote in the clip. 

Dina said to make sure to put washing liquids or powder in the right compartment in the detergent drawer as per the machine’s instructions. 

She used a laundry pod and scent boosters that go straight into the drum with her bed linen. 

‘Add two full teaspoons of baking soda and two of salt flakes (I swear ladies, this work miracles and your whites come out beautifully),’ the mum-of-two suggested. 


She then adds her ‘magic’ ingredients, two tablespoons each of salt and baking soda which she said ‘works miracles and makes your whites come out beautifully’

The clever mum-of-two then suggested selecting a warm water temperature and putting on a cycle like normal so your white come out looking fresh

Dina said the addition of the ‘magic’ salt and baking soda to the detergent drawer ‘works miracles’ on her whites. 

‘Then choose a warm temperature setting and wash it as normal.’ 

Dina’s clip racked up thousands of views and hundreds of comments from many of her followers thankful for the sharing the clever hacks. 

‘This is such a fabulous tip. Can’t wait to try it,’ cleaning queen Mama Mila wrote. 

‘Baking soda is so good,’ one fan replied while another said: ‘I’m going to have to try this one! I’ve never used salt before’. 

‘Ohhh I’m so bad about overloading,’ a third admitted. 

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