Washing soda cuts grease, cleans petroleum oil, removes wax or lipstick, and neutralizes odors in the same way that baking soda does. Don’t use it on fiberglass, aluminum or waxed floors—unless you intend to remove the wax. Though it does not give off harmful fumes one should use gloves when making a paste for let's say for removing petroleum oil from a floor. It should not be used to wash wool or silk since it may damage your garment. For regular wash or dishwashing soap add ½ cup of Washing Soda along with ½ cup of borax at the beginning of the wash cycle. (Always follow machine instructions when adding laundry products.) Add 15 drops each of lavender, lemongrass, and eucalyptus(kills dust mites) and lemon essential oils to your rinse cycle for antiseptic, anti-bacterial properties. Also known as sodium carbonate it is a mixture of "common salt, ammonia, carbon dioxide (CO2) and lime".