Have you ever used Borax? Found in the laundry aisle, it is a great addition to your laundry room. But did you know it has quite a few other uses? It does, and not all of them are in your laundry room!
In fact, there are ways to use borax in almost every area of your home. It really can be a one stop cleaner in a lot of ways.
Borax, whose official name is sodium borate, disodium tetraborate or sodium tetraborate, may seem like it’s a toxic ingredient just like the cleaners under your sink, but it is actually naturally occuring.
This makes it a bit less dangerous than synthetically created cleaners. However, you should still use all precautions when handling and storing it. In addition to it’s cleaning power, it is also used to help extract gold in mining operations and in making glass.
Borax is most commonly sold in the laundry detergent aisle and marketed under the name 20 Mule Team Borax, however, these boxes are rather small and expensive for their size. To save money on the Borax you’ll use around your home, you can buy it in bulk from places such as Amazon.
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11 Ways To Use Borax All Around Your Home
1. Make Homemade Laundry Detergent – One of the most common ways to use Borax is to make homemade laundry detergent. To do so, combine Borax with Washing Soda and a bar of grated Zote soap. Use 1-2 tbsp. per load and wash like normal.
2. Whiten and Brighten Laundry – Aside from making homemade laundry soap, you can use Borax with your regular detergent to white and brighten your clothes. It can also help remove stains on your laundry as well. Simply add ¼ cup Borax to your wash at the start of the cycle and watch the magic happen.
3. Repel Bugs – Borax is also fantastic for helping to remove bugs because of the compound Boron. Bugs such as ants, roaches and any other creepy that crawls. To use, add a thick line of Borax any place that you feel the bugs may be coming into your home.
4. Remove Stains on Carpets – If you’re shampooing your carpets, be sure to add ½ cup Borax to your carpet shampoo mixture. It will not only help clean and remove stains from the carpet but will also help remove odours and freshen it at the same time.
5. Clean Hard Water Stains – If you have hard water stains in the bathroom or kitchen, use Borax to help clean them. Make a paste mixture of Borax and white vinegar and allow it to dry on the hard water stain. Rinse it off really well and the hard water marks should be gone!
6. Clean Your Toilet and Tub – Hard water isn’t the only bathroom area you can clean with Borax. It makes a fantastic tub and toilet cleaner as well! Mix white vinegar, Borax and your favourite essential oil together. Allow them to sit on the area for a few minutes, rinse and marvel at the sparkle.
7. Help Fruit Trees Grow – If you have fruit trees planted, Borax can help them grow even if they’re newly planted. For established trees, add 1 cup borax every 2-3 years and sprinkle it around the soil. For new trees, add 2-4 tbsp in the same way. It will add much needed Boron to the soil helping them grow.
8. Treat Weeds – Another gardening use is that Borax can be used to treat weeds with. However, you should not get it near any plants since it can actually harm regular garden plants. This is best for weeds that pop up on sidewalks or near your driveways where it won’t be a risk to your other plants.
9. Clean Gunky Cookware – If you have stainless cookware, you know how quickly the outsides and bottoms can get gunky. Cleaning them with Borax makes them shine much easier. To do so, simply sprinkle Borax on the outsides and scrub. Rinse very well after they’re clean.
10. Clean and Deodorize Your Fridge and Freezer – Cleaning out the fridge should be a weekly chore for your home and Borax can make it easier. Simply make a solution of Borax and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Not only will it help you clean the fridge or freezer but it will also help deodorize it so it smells great!
11. Freshen Up a Stinky Mattress – No matter what you do to protect them, your mattress picks up odour over time. Sweat and other body odours and even regular smells from your home can all permeate the fabric of your mattress.
Borax can help both clean your mattress and remove any funky smells. To clean it, wet your mattress down just enough that it is damp, then sprinkle Borax on the mattress. Scrub it into any stained areas or places you’ve noticed a smell from.. Allow it to sit for a few hours until the mattress is fully dry and use your vacuum to clean up the Borax.
We often run out to buy expensive cleaners to do specific jobs and are usually disappointed with the results. Next time, try to use Borax for your job. You will save money and get the job done right!