1. sodium sulphate is a very cheap material. The largest use is as filler in powdered home laundry detergents, consuming approximately 50% of world production.
2. Papermaking- Another formerly major use for sodium sulphate is in the Kraft process for the manufacture of wood pulp.
3. Glassmaking- The glass industry provides another significant application for sodium sulphate. Sodium sulphate is used as a fining agent, to help remove small air bubbles from molten glass. It fluxes the glass, and prevents scum formation of the glass melt during refining. The glass industry in Europe has been consuming from 1970 to 2006 a stable 110,000 tonnes annually.
4. Textiles- Sodium sulphate is important in the manufacture of textiles. Sodium sulphate is added to increase the ionic strength of the solution and so helps in “levelling”, i.e reducing negative electrical charges on textile fibres, so that dyes can penetrate evenly. Unlike the alternative sodium chloride, it does not corrode the stainless steel vessels used in dyeing.
5. Food industry- Sodium sulphate is used as a diluent for food colours. It is known as E number additive E51.
6. Small-scale applications- In the laboratory, anhydrous sodium sulphate is widely used as an inert drying agent, for removing traces of water from organic solutions. Glauber’s salt, the decahydrate, is used as a laxative. It is effective for the removal of certain drugs, such as paracetamol (acetaminophen) from the body thus it can be used after an overdose. Other uses for sodium sulphate include de-frosting windows, starch manufacture, as an additive in carpet fresheners, and as an additive to cattle.

Safety

Although sodium sulfate is generally regarded as non-toxic,[22] it should be handled with care. The dust can cause temporary asthma or eye irritation; this risk can be prevented by using eye protection and a paper mask.