20 Mule Team Borax

<h2 id="related-products">Related products</h2>
<p>Borateem Bleach, Borateem Plus bleach substitute and 20 Mule Team Borax were all once manufactured by United States Borax & Chemical Corporation (n.k.a. US Borax, Inc.). Borateem products originally contained over 98% borax. Borateem, now manufactured by Dial Corporation, is a chlorine-free, color safe bleach powder but it has no borax content.
</p><p>Boraxo, also originally a 20 Mule Team product, was a borax-based powdered hand soap manufactured in the past by Pacific Coast Borax Company, then by US Borax via merger, and finally acquired by Dial.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> The Boraxo line expanded to include powdered and liquid hand cleaners but was discontinued by Dial in 2021 or 2022.
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<h2 id="history">History</h2>
<p>20-mule teams were first used by <a href="/facts/Francis_Marion_Smith/fT3veVeU">Francis Marion Smith</a> to move borax out of the desert.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> Smith subsequently acquired Coleman's holdings in 1890 and consolidated them with his own to form the <a href="/facts/Pacific_Coast_Borax_Company/oGH8UCxn">Pacific Coast Borax Company</a>. After the 20-mule teams were replaced by a new rail spur, the name <i>20 Mule Team Borax</i> was established and aggressively promoted by Pacific Coast Borax to increase sales.
</p><p><a href="/facts/Stephen_Mather/ukCMoEHo">Stephen Mather</a>, son of J. W. Mather, the administrator of the company's New York office, persuaded Smith to add the name <i>20 Mule Team Borax</i> to accompany the sketch of the mule team already on the box. The 20-mule team symbol was first used in 1891 and <a href="/facts/Registered_trademark/lLGeMyUG">registered</a> in 1894. In 1988, just over 20 years after the acquisition of <a href="/facts/U.S._Borax/oGH8UCxn">U.S. Borax</a> by <a href="/facts/Rio_Tinto_Group/CCYJBbUL">Rio Tinto Group</a>, the Boraxo, Borateem and 20-Mule Team <a href="/facts/Product_line/CXJV5fV9">product lines</a> were sold to <a href="/facts/Dial_Corporation/6h4zlsXr">Dial Corporation</a> by U.S. Borax.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a>
</p><p>Dial is now an American consumer products unit of <a href="/facts/Henkel/tunEcSLK">Henkel</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a>
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<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/">Dial's product information page</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.borax.com">Rio Tinto's 20 Mule Team Borax official site</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.desertusa.com/mag05/jul/borax.html">20-mule Team Borax History - DesertUSA</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Hildebrand, G. H. (1982) "Borax Pioneer: Francis Marion Smith." San Diego: Howell-North Books. ISBN 0-8310-7148-6 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>"General Consumer Questions". U.S. Borax. Retrieved 3 January 2023. <a href="https://www.borax.com/about/community/community-faq/general-consumer-questions" target="_blank">https://www.borax.com/about/community/community-faq/general-consumer-questions</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>Hildebrand, G. H. (1982) "Borax Pioneer: Francis Marion Smith." San Diego: Howell-North Books. ISBN 0-8310-7148-6 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>"American Borax Production". Scientific American. Vol. 37, no. 12. September 22, 1877. pp. 184–185. JSTOR 26062263..  The article states that the distance between Columbus, Nevada and Wadsworth, Nevada is "about 360 miles" whereas today the distance on modern roads is about 160 miles. <a href="/wiki/Scientific_American" target="_blank">/wiki/Scientific_American</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>Rio Tinto Borax: About Borax : History Archived March 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine <a href="http://www.borax.com/borax5.html" target="_blank">http://www.borax.com/borax5.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:6"><p>"General Consumer Questions". U.S. Borax. Retrieved 3 January 2023. <a href="https://www.borax.com/about/community/community-faq/general-consumer-questions" target="_blank">https://www.borax.com/about/community/community-faq/general-consumer-questions</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

20 Mule Team Borax open-in-new

20 Mule Team Borax