Borax detergent advert. 19th-century advert of a woman using a borax cleaning product. Borax is a white, monoclinic crystalline mineral composed of hydrated sodium tetraborate. Borax dissolves readily in water, forming an alkaline antiseptic solution. It is commonly used in cleaning products as a disinfectant, detergent and water softener. The efficacy of borax products depends on the purity of the borax, produced by refining salt pan deposits and mined ores. This advert is for a product called Bi-Borax Oriental. The words across bottom are French (Nettoie [Cleans], Purifie [Purifies], Assainite [Sanitizes]). This 1890s advert is by artist Jules Chadel (1870-1941).