301 lines
14 KiB
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301 lines
14 KiB
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The Truth Behind OxiClean
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by The Keeper
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September 20, 1999
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After sitting through about 15 minutes of the OxiClean infomercial the
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other night, I sensed that they weren't telling me the whole truth. For
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one thing, they kept insisting on the "naturalness" of the product and
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how safe it was for everything, because it was non-toxic. I started
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thinking "What kind of product exists that is natural, yet unheard of,
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for cleaning - and contains oxygen?". What immediately came to my mind,
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was, of course, nothing more than hydrogen peroxide...
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Hydrogen peroxide? Could it be that simple? I figured I would do a bit
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of research on the web the following morning (I watched the commercial
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very late at night or early in the morning, depending on how you look
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at it). I also knew that baking soda/peroxide was a dental favorite, so
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the concept looked promising.
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First off, I bypassed the OxiClean site (http://www.oxiclean.com/, in
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case you are interested) immediately, and went straight to my favorite
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search engine. Once there, I did searches on the words "oxiclean",
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"hydrogen peroxide", and "stains". Most hits were from pages apparently
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selling OxiClean. One interesting page came up about a product called
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Oxi-Boost (http://www.execpc.com/~naturalc/links.htm). From what I could
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gather, this product is the same as OxiClean - however, these pages also
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contained a FAQ about Oxy-Boost, what it is, and how it compares to
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OxiClean. The following is from that FAQ (my comments will be contained
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in brackets []. Also, the FAQ has been formatted by myself to better
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conform to a text file layout):
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The Oxy-Boost FAQ
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1.Does Oxy-Boost contain any fillers?
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Oxy-Boost has 100% active ingredients (sodium percarbonate) with ab-
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solutely no fillers, fragrances or other additives. It is the same as
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other top performing oxygen bleaching products as advertised nationally
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on Infomercials or the internet. Oxy-Boost is made from the natural
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mineral, sodium carbonate, and will give exactly the same performance
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as any other advertised sodium percarbonate oxygen bleachng product,
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guaranteed!!
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[Hmm! Sodium Percarbonate? What is that? Then, sodium carbonate (baking
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powder). More hmm...]
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2.Why does Oxy-Boost cost so much less than Infomercial Advertised Oxygen
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Bleach?
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The simple answer is that we charge a fair price and receive a fair
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profit for a great product. The price that people are paying for Info-
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mercial Advertised Oxygen Bleach is extremely overpriced considering
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what it is!! Also, Natural Choices doesn't have to pay for the infomer-
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cials!!
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Compare:
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Oxygen Bleach #1
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1 pound - $15.00
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2.5 pounds - $22.00
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9 pounds - $59.00
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Oxygen Bleach #2
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1 pound - $19.95
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2 pounds - $38.95
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4 pounds - $49.95
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Natural Choices Oxy-Boost
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1 pound - $6.00
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6 pounds - $25.00
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20 pounds - $69.00
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[Ok, from this price breakdown, we can deduce that Oxygen Bleach #1 is
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OxiClean, based on its price, and comparing to the prices on the
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OxiClean homepage. Oxygen Bleach #2 is unknown (anybody know it?), but
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damn! - it's expensive! Then there is Oxy-Boost - which, from what I
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can see, seems more resonable - or is it?]
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3.Why should I buy Oxy-Boost instead of Infomercial Advertised Oxygen
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Bleach?
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Natural Choices has been marketing oxygen bleach technology for four
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years. We have over 20 years of formulating experience with consumer
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and industrial products. We provide complete customer and technical
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service. We encourage you to contact us with a question or a problem.
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Our money back guarantee is good at any time after you purchase the
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product, not just 30 days as Infomercial Advertised Oxygen Bleach has.
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[Heck, why should I buy any product from sombody trying to make a
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profit off of me? Especially one that is seeming more and more likely
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to be something I can either get even cheaper, or MAKE at home!]
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4.Who is Natural Choices?
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Natural Choices was started in 1995 by Catherine Myers. She is the
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mother of four young children and was concerned about the cleaning
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products used in and around the home. After researching available
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cleaning product technologies she knew that she could offer consumers
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safer to use cleaning products at a reasonable price. Natural Choices
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is operated by Catherine and her husband, Marion (Mack).
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Natural Choices also markets Orange Power, a concentrated linonene
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(orange oil) cleaner and (soon) Oxy-Prime and Oxy-Prime Plus Laundry
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detergents.
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[Ok, these people seem like they are trying to do the "right thing",
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while making a little money for themselves. However, I am going to
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do them one better - what you are reading is my attempt to provide
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the knowledge behind these products, so that you can do the same as
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Mrs. Myers did - that is, the research and finding of how these
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products can be done by anyone. I mean, if this housewife can do it,
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anybody can - for free.]
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5.What is Oxy-Boost?
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Oxy-Boost is sodium percarbonate; a solid form of hydrogen peroxide
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bonded with natural soda ash. It is a white, odorless, free flowing
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powder. It is activated by water where it releases oxygen which prov-
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ides cleaning and stain removal. Unlike chlorine based bleaches, sod-
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ium percarbonate is non-toxic and biodegradable.
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[Alright, if OxiClean is Oxy-Boost is sodium percarbonate, we can de-
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duce that OxiClean is sodium percarbonate. We can also tell by this
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statement that sodium percarbonate is a "solid form of hydrogen per-
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oxide bonded with natural soda ash" - in other words, it is hydrogen
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peroxide and baking powder (soda ash), bonded together in some way.]
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6.Why should you use Oxy-Boost to clean carpets and upholstery?
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It improves the performance of conventional detergents and shampoos
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on stubborn stains. It is a gentle stain remover for synthetic carpet-
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ing and upholstery fabrics. It saves time by allowing cleaning in one
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pass that would perhaps have taken two or three passes with a carpet
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cleaner that uses shampoo only. It improves personal safety by elimin-
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ating the need to use harsher cleaning or stain removal products. Oxy-
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Boost is environmentally safer to use. It is also non-toxic as it de-
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composes into water, oxygen and soda ash. Oxy-Boost is a very effective
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deodorizer. It also eliminates the need for expensive prespotters and
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stain removers. It prolongs carpet cleaner machine life by reducing the
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use of harsh and corrosive products.
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[No argument here - anyone who has seen the OxiClean commercials knows
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the "WOW" factor of this product...]
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7.What Are Oxygen Based Cleaning Products?
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Home Safe Oxy-Boost is based on a safe oxygen bleaching ingredient
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called peroxyhydrated carbonate of soda, or better known in the in-
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dustry as sodium percarbonate. Chemically it could be considered a
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solid form of hydrogen peroxide which releases oxygen when added to
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water. In fact, sodium percarbonate is made by treating the natural
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mineral sodium carbonate with hydrogen peroxide.
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[Ah, a little more scientific type info. Here, it talks about what the
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chemical that makes up the products OxiClean and Oxy-Boost is known
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by in the industry, and how it is made - "by treating the natural
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mineral sodium carbonate with hydrogen peroxide" - we can read this as
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"by treating baking powder (sodium carbonate) with hydrogen peroxide".
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In chemistry, the word "treating" can generally mean "mixing", but it
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is sometimes more than this. However, for this product, I would be
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willing to bet that it is made by creating a saturated solution of
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sodium carbonate in hydrogen peroxide, then either letting the hydro-
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gen peroxide evaporate and collecting the crystals left behind, or
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filtering the solution, letting the filter dry, then collecting the
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resulting precipitate. Of course, I could be wrong on both of these
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methods, as I am not a chemist by any means. This speculation is just
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based on what I think is happening, and how to get to it via simple
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high school chemistry.]
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8.How Do Oxygen Based Cleaning Products Work?
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Traditional household cleaning bleaching products are based on chlor-
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ine. While effective in bleaching, destaining, deodorizing, etc., they
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are very toxic and are harmful to people, pets, plants, and the envir-
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onment, as well as detrimental to fabrics over time. Oxygen based
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bleaching products are just as effective as chlorine based products,
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but will not hurt people, animals, plants, or the environment. Also,
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they will not harm the fabric or surface they are used on. Upon add-
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ition to water they release oxygen which does the destaining and deod-
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orizing. In fact, unlike chlorine bleach which can merely cover up a
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stain, Oxy-Boost attacks and breaks down organic stains to totally re-
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move them from the garment.
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[No arguments here.]
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9.Where Can I Use Oxygen Based Cleaning Products?
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Oxygen bleach is excellent for cleaning and removing organic stains
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(such as coffee, tea, wine, fruit juices, foods, sauces, grass and
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blood) from fabrics, plastics, fiberglass, porcelain, ceramics, wood,
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carpets, asphalt, concrete, etc. Oxygen bleach containing products can
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be used in any place in or around the house that need to be destained
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and deodorized; they are efficient, safe and economical.
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Home Safe cleaners are versatile products for the environmentally con-
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scious consumer. They are non-toxic, environmentally safe, biodegrad-
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able, and leave no harmful by-products or residues which can harm the
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environment.
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[Ok, so these product (OxiClean and Oxy-Boost) can't remove grease a
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grease stain. This is good info to know - I think that is why this
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same company also sells Orange Power, and the company that sells
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OxiClean has Orange Clean. Maybe in the future I will write a text
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file on how to find or make these products, as well.]
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So what have we learned? We have learned that these products consist of
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nothing more that hydrogen peroxide and baking powder, in a solid form,
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that when activated with water, release oxygen, which can clean just
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about any organic (non-greasy) stain. I continued with my searching on
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the web, this time with the intent of finding out more about the chem-
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icals "Sodium Percarbonate", "Sodium Carbonate", and "Hydrogen Peroxide",
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and how they are used in the cleaning industry.
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I found that Sodium Percarbonate is actually considered a "staple" in the
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janitorial business. It was noted to be an "extremely soluble color safe
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bleach base" and "excellent for liquid injection systems" - otherwise
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known as a steam vacuum cleaner - aka, the Rug Doctor.
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So, you should be able to go down to a local janitorial supply house (one
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that sells to the public - call before you go, unless you have a business
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license), and either buy right there or order the stuff in whatever size
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you need - probably for a lot less than Natural Choices can get it at.
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You might also be able to get it from a chemical supply house - for even
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cheaper if you buy in bulk (most of these places do not sell to the pub-
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lic. However, they will sell if you buy enough of the stuff. Remember,
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they are a business, in the business to make money. They will sell to
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anyone who wants to buy in bulk, who also has the right amount of cash).
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A little more searching turned up the following stain removal tip:
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Mix:
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1 cup of Hydrogen Peroxide
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1 teaspoon of ammonia
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Use within 1/2 hour of mixing. Solution is no good after that.
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Dab the mixture onto the stain. Take white paper towel (do not use a paper
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towel with a colored design) and place the paper towel over the stain.
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Weigh it down with something.
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Leave for 2 to 3 hours. Lift, and the stain will be gone.
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Through all of this - the theme of Hydrogen Peroxide shines through - my
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original suspicions are confirmed. What we are left with is what exactly
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is OxiClean. So, as a final breakdown, here it is:
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1. It is a dry chemical, that is activated by water.
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2. It has oxygen, that cleans the stain.
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3. The oxygen is released on contact with an organic stain.
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4. When you are done, all that is left is water, soda ash, and oxygen.
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With this and what we know of the chemical makeup behind these products,
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we can probably safely say that OxiClean and Oxy-Boost, in liquid form
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(that is, after mixed with water), are probably the same as a solution of
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Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with sodium carbonate. Adding water dilutes the
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mixture to whatever "strength" that is desired. In fact, I would wager
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that just using straight Hydrogen Peroxide from the bottle on a stain
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would be just as effective, since the oxygen in it will activate on con-
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tact with the stain anyway (pour some Hydrogen Peroxide on a cut and
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watch it bubble! Those bubble are the oxygen "cleaning" the wound!). In
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fact, if the oxygen was released on addition to the water (as the info-
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mercial claims), the solution in the bottle would fizz like a shaken up
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soda (think of adding baking powder to vinegar)!
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So, is any of this right? I don't know - I don't have a stain to try it
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on yet (my girlfriend just recently steam cleaned the carpets - they all
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look great now). But I am sure you do. Give it a shot - try some of these
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suggestions on an inconspicous area first and see what happens. The worst
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case is that the stain will only change or not go away. Or, the stain may
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disappear. Go out and try to buy some regular Sodium Percarbonate from a
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janitorial supply house or Chemical Supply House - they might sell it to
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you are tell you to go away, but you won't know until you ask.
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Above all - be informed. All of the information I have given you I found
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on the internet, using a very casual search method. I am sure if I really
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dug around I could have found the exact process for making the chemical
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Sodium Percarbonate.
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Now, on to Orange Clean...
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