Перкарбонат натрия — натуральный отбеливатель для белья и уборки

Percarbonate — the natural alternative to bleach

Sodium percarbonate (2Na₂CO₃·3H₂O₂) is the product that lets you whiten laundry without chlorine and treat the most stubborn organic stains without resorting to bleach. When it contacts water, it releases hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) — a powerful natural whitener that bleaches by oxidation and decomposes into water and oxygen, leaving sodium carbonate as the only residue (harmless). For the average Swiss household, where laundry stays at 30–40 °C in most cycles, percarbonate is the difference between towels that grey out in three months and towels that stay white for years.

What percarbonate is

Percarbonate is a white crystalline compound found in many "gentle whitener" detergents (Vanish Oxi, Bref Whitener, Eco-Bleach), but the pure form costs much less. When you dissolve it in water it decomposes like this:

2Na2CO3·3H2O2 → 2Na2CO3 + 3H2O2

The hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) bleaches organic stains — coffee, wine, blood, sweat — by oxidising them; then it decomposes in turn:

2H2O2 → 2H2O + O2

The final result is water and oxygen, plus sodium carbonate as a harmless mineral residue. Zero chlorine, zero problematic chemical residue, zero fumes you can breathe.

Where to buy it

In supermarkets (Coop, Migros) pure percarbonate is in the bio or eco lines in 500 g boxes at CHF 7–12: high price per kilo, handy if you need it right away. Drugstores and bio shops sell 1–3 kg packs at CHF 5–9/kg, and online (Galaxus, Brack) the larger packs drop to CHF 4–7/kg, the best price if you use it regularly. Storage: in an airtight jar, in a dry place — percarbonate decomposes spontaneously over time if it picks up moisture.

The main uses with doses

Whitening white laundry is the use that most justifies buying it: 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 g) in the drum per cycle at 60 °C give peak effectiveness. For particularly stubborn stains (wine on tablecloth, blood on sheets) a preliminary soak with 30 g of percarbonate in 5 L of warm water for 1–2 hours before the normal wash is worth it. On delicate coloureds the dose drops to one tablespoon (15 g) added to the detergent, cycle at 30–40 °C; always test in a hidden area first, because on intense reds and blues and antique fabrics there's no guarantee it won't fade.

For washing machine cleaning, 100 g in the empty drum on a 60 °C cotton cycle works: degreases, whitens, eliminates bacteria and biofilm. Useful frequency is every 2–3 months, alternating with citric acid in the off months — the two products do different things (one dissolves limescale, the other whitens and disinfects), so alternating covers both problems.

For darkened tile grout in the bathroom, a thick paste of 50 g of percarbonate and 30 ml of warm water applied with an old toothbrush, left for 30–60 minutes, scrubbed and rinsed, whitens without resorting to bleach. For the recycling bin that's picked up odours, 100 g in 5 L of boiling water, 30 minutes of dwell, rinse: disinfects and neutralises accumulated organic odours. And for yellow or grey towels after many cycles that have greyed them out, a soak of 50 g in a basin of warm water for an hour followed by a normal 60 °C wash brings them back to original white.

What NOT to do

Comparison with bleach (chlorine)

Professional service

Dose summary