What Is Sodium Bisulfate and How Is It Used?

Sodium bisulfate is one of the many synonyms for sodium acid sulfate. It is a dry acid in crystal, granular, or powder form that is used as a pH adjuster, fungicide, herbicide, or microbiocide (a product that kills microbes) in a variety of industries, such as household cleaning and swimming pool maintenance.

Sodium bisulfate may also be called sodium hydrogen sulfate, sulfuric acid, monosodium salts, sodium acid sulfate, sodium hydrosulfate, or sodium hydrogen sulfate. Also, a quick search on ChemIDPlusAdvanced, a database operated by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, will show a host of other not-so-obvious names for it as well, such as nitre cake or niter cake. It has the chemical formula HNaO4S.

Uses for Sodium Bisulfate

Sodium bisulfate is often used in toilet bowl cleaners and dishwasher cleaning products. It can also be found in a multitude of other items. Commonly used to control pH, it is found in aquarium and swimming pool products. It can even be found in dietary supplements and antifungal foot creams. It is also used in metal finishing.

Product Brands Containing Sodium Bisulfate

To see if certain products contain sodium bisulfate, try searching these databases using the chemical name, CAS number, or one of its synonyms (noted in the section above):

• The EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database
• National Institute of Health's Daily Med
• National Institute of Health's Dietary Supplement Label Database
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Household Products Database

Regulation, Health, and Safety

When a chemical is used in pharmaceutical preparations, personal care products, or as a food additive, it is monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. When it is used for cleaning and industrial uses, it is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Green Cleaning Alternatives

When it comes to shopping for green cleaning products, look for manufacturers who do not use this chemical or try your hand at some do-it-yourself recipes. For example, sodium bisulfate is used in Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner but is not present in Lemi Shine Washing Machine Cleaner.