Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve in water.
Borax is a mineral that has been used for several decades mostly as a laundry booster and for cleaning.
This is no longer just a mystery ingredient our grandparents use to boost laundry, borax is enjoying new popularity as a wonder ingredient for natural cleaning
Now you will be exposed to a whole lot more uses of borax than just laundry.
Borax is used in many household cleaning products, including air fresheners, cleaning sprays, laundry detergents, and even insecticides.
Although Borax is not toxic, it is not to be ingested as it has no good benefit to the human body.
It is an alkaline substance which means it can cause skin irritation so be cautious when using it.
Note: Do not use this product as a skin wash!
Here are more than 30 ways to use borax in your home!
1. Kills Mold And Mildew
To remove mold or mildew from walls or any other household area.
Heat one liter of water and add one cup of borax to it. Place it into a spray bottle.
Put on your gloves and a face mask so you do not breathe in or touch the moldy area- mold is toxic!
Saturate the mold and mildew area and leave for two or hours. Then rinse properly with water.
2. Clean The Toilet bowl
Before going to bed, pour one cup of borax into the toilet bowl and use the toilet brush to mix it around till it dissolves.
Stir and swirl it all over the inside of the bowl.
Cover the bowl and let it stay overnight. It will be sparkling clean, fresh, and odorless in the morning.
3. Floor Cleaning Solution
In your mop bucket, place half a cup of borax, one gallon of hot water, and one teaspoon of dish soap.
Mix it around and use it to mop your floor. This will get rid of food stains and scents, hence preventing insects and rodents from walking all over your floor. It is also good to use on the bathroom floor to deodorize and disinfect the area.
4. Make An All-Purpose Cleaner
Pour two cups of warm water into a bowl and dissolve two tablespoons of borax into the water, add one tiny squirt of dish soap, fifteen drops of lemon essential oil, and ten drops of tea tree essential oil.
That’s the best all-purpose cleaner you will ever make at home.
It gets rid of odors, disinfects the areas it is applied to, and adds fresh fragrances.
It is an anti-fungal and antibacterial solution. Even without the essential oils, it is still a very effective cleaner.
5. Clean Countertops
Use the same solution as mentioned above to clean countertops with a sponge or cloth. It will remove stains and odors.
6. Cleans Bathroom Tiles
Use two cups of warm water with a quarter cup of borax and one teaspoon of dish soap. Mix all together and place in a spray bottle. Use a scouring pad to scrub your bathroom tiles. Use a scrub brush or toothbrush to get the grout in between those tiles. Borax has whitening properties so it is perfect for cleaning the grout.
7. Remove rust
Make a solution of one-quart warm water, one tablespoon of borax, and one tablespoon of lemon juice.
Combine the solution and submerge the rusted area of your tool for about four hours.
Or Make a paste using a little warm water and lime juice with some borax and paste it onto the rusty area or equipment.
8. Cleaning The Linens
First, remove all the linens from the mattress and pillowcases from the pillows.
Place them into the washer, add warm water, and pour in one and a half cups of borax into the water and dissolve it.
Let the linens soak for one to two hours in the borax solution before washing.
This will remove any mildew and mustiness.
9. Cleaning The Mattress
Make a solution with two cups of warm water and half a cup of borax.
Add ten drops of peppermint essential oil, ten drops of lemon essential oil, and ten drops of lavender essential oil.
Place in a spray bottle and mist all over your mattress. The borax deodorizes and disinfects the area.
The essential oils kill dust mites and bedbugs, and leave the mattress with an awesome fragrance.
Peppermint oil is a natural bug repellent and the lavender will help to induce sleep.
10. Clean Grout
Mix one gallon of hot water and a half cup of borax and apply it to the grout using a scouring pad.
Scrub if needed, rinse the area, and dry properly.
To prevent the build-up of mold or mildew in the future, leave some of the borax solutions on the area to just air dry.
11. Carpet Cleaner
Combine one cup of borax, one cup of cornstarch, and half a cup of baking soda with one tablespoon of clove powder.
Add peppermint essential oil if you so desire but that is optional.
Spread all over your carpet and leave for two hours and then vacuum it up.
This will remove odors, and destroy germs, dust mites, and all sorts of insects and microbes.
The peppermint oil and the clove powder scent are among some of the most hated scents by many household insects, so they will stay away from the area.
12. Unclog A Sink Drain
Mix a half cup of borax with two cups of boiling water and pour it down the drain.
Let it stay for fifteen minutes and then run the water for a minute to flush the drain.
13. Clean Your Sinks
Remove any stains or greasy mess that may be lingering on your sink after use.
Both stainless steel and porcelain sinks can be cleaned with this solution.
Make a paste with one cup of borax and a quarter cup of lime juice. Use a cloth or sponge to apply to the stained area and rub in a circular motion. Then rinse and buff with a dry microfiber cloth.
14. Shine Your China
If you have coffee stains, curry stains, or any food stains lingering on your chinaware.
Here is a good way to get them off using borax. Fill your sink halfway up with warm water.
Pour in half a cup of borax and dissolve it. Place your china wares in the solution to soak for ten minutes.
Then wash as normal and rinse thoroughly.
15. Clean And Deodorize Your Refrigerator
First, just make a solution, of one liter of warm water and one tablespoon of borax.
Remove items from the fridge shelves. Soak a cloth or sponge in the solution and wipe down the inside of your refrigerator.
Then wipe fresh with just water.
16. Clean your Garbage Disposal
Pour a quarter cup of borax down the drain of your garbage disposal and let it sit for one hour. Flush it with hot water.
17. Loosen Adhesives
Mix two tablespoons to one tablespoon of warm water. Use it to remove adhesives from plates, jars, and any other sticky situation in that category.
18. Kill Weed
Control weed in the concrete cracks and walkways with just a sprinkle of borax.
Sprinkle some borax powder on the weed, slightly wet it, and leave it. It will definitely kill the weed if that area.
Do not use borax in your garden. It will be way too harsh for the garden!
19. Keep Fleas Away
If your pet has fleas, sprinkle borax in the pet’s bed and in and around the areas where they sleep. Sprinkle also on the carpets in the pets traverse that area as well.
20. Keep mice away
Sprinkle some borax in the way that the mice will walk. Places such as near the baseboards, house cracks, and possible entry and exit ways for them.
Once they step in it, it will make them get out of there because they hate the feeling of it on their feet.
21. Kill Ants
Mix equal parts of borax and powdered sugar and place them in strategic areas where pets cannot reach.
The ants will eat both it and the sugar and it will destroy the pack even as they take it back to the nest.
22. Kill Cockroaches
Mix borax with sugar just as above or mix with some butter by placing equal parts of borax into the butter.
Place in the walkway of the cockroach and you will have a good result.
Keep away from areas where children move about and keep out of the reach of pets.
23. Clean Garbage Can
Wash your garbage can with a mixture of a quarter cup of borax, one liter of water, and three teaspoons of dish soap.
Rinse the garbage can and sprinkle some borax all over it while it is wet.
Let it dry with the borax in it to keep the odors down and prevent insects from coming in.
24. Clean Hair Brushes And Combs
Mix a quarter cup of borax in a liter of warm water in a bowl and add three teaspoons of grease-cutting dish soap.
Place the hairbrush and comb in it and let them sit for five minutes. Then scrub them, rinse, and dry them.
25. Clean furniture
Use one quart of warm water with three tablespoons of borax and one teaspoon of dish soap.
Combine in a spray bottle and use to wipe down leather sofas, chairs, counters, stainless steel equipment, and so on.
26. Remove crayon And Pencil Marks from the walls
Got that wall filled with some beautiful mess again from the kids who never chose the right place to color or draw.
Well, fear not. Mix three teaspoons of borax in a cup of warm water and dip a sponge or rag in it and rub off that crayon or pencil mark from the wall.
27. Clean windows
Mix together a solution of one cup of warm water and three teaspoons of borax in a spray bottle and add two drops of dish soap. Spray it onto the window and rub it in a circular motion with a sponge or microfiber cloth.
This will strip off any goo, fingerprint, or grease that smears it.
Then spritz some rubbing alcohol or vinegar and buff with newspaper or dry microfiber cloth to get it really sparkle.
28. Clean the Bathtub And Shower
Borax is great for stripping away the greasy mess that may build up on the bathtub and shower over time.
Mix two cups of warm water and one tablespoon of borax in a spray bottle.
Add a teaspoon of dish soap and shake well. Spray all over the tub and shower and scrub with a scouring pad and then rinse off.
29. Clean Shower Doors
Make a solution just like the one for the window above and spray it onto the shower doors to strip away the grime build-up and soap scum. Scrub with a cloth or sponge and rinse a wipe dry with a microfiber cloth.
30. Make Your Own Dish Soap
Make a great dishwashing soap with the following easy recipe; In a bowl place one cup of borax, a cup of grated soap, and twelve cups of hot water.
Add twenty drops of lemon essential oil if you want to make it even more potent.
However, the essential is not needed its just an option. It will be really rich and powerful as is. In fact, you can add up to five more cups of hot water if you want to stretch it. Let it cool before using.
31. Clean Faucets
Mix a quarter cup of borax with half a cup of warm water and make a semi-paste.
Apply it to the faucets with a toothbrush or sponge. Scrub away soap scum and hard water stains.
Rinse and dry properly with a microfiber cloth.
32. Boost Your Laundry Detergent
Boost your laundry detergent and make your clothes much fresher. Add half a cup of borax to your laundry and it will make your clothes twice as clean.
Striping away all the greasy stains, eliminating all odors, and making your clothes smell so naturally clean, feel soft and look really bright.
33. Use as a Pretreatment For Stains
The borax powder can also be used as a pre-treatment for stains on your clothes; mix a borax solution of a quarter cup borax to four quarts of warm water, then soak your stained clothes for up to 30 minutes.
34. Clean Dirty, Greasy Dish Cloth
A lot of us throw away dishcloths very often because we do not want to have greasy or smelly clothes to wipe out counters or our dishes.
Here is a solution to strip away grease from your dishcloth with borax.
Place one gallon of water to boil.
Remove one quart when it starts boiling and place that in a bowl. Add two tablespoons of borax to the quart of hot water.
Place the dishcloth or cloths in the pot on the fire, yes boil them for one minute or so.
Remove them to the bowl with borax and add a tablespoon of grease-stripping dish soap to the mix.
Let it soak for twenty minutes. Hand wash the dishcloth and rinse it well.
Put it to dry and where! That’s now a really rejuvenated dishcloth.
35. Clean Your Stove Top
Mix one tablespoon of borax with one cup of warm water and add two squirts of dish soap. Mix it together and use it to spread all over the stovetop. If you have burnt food particles, leave them to soak and loosen up for twenty minutes. Then scrub with a scouring pad and wipe off.
36. Clean Stainless Steel
Make a solution of one cup of warm water and one teaspoon of borax and a tiny bit of dish soap.
Mix it all together and dip a sponge or cloth in the solution and wipe off scuff marks, grease stains, and any food stains or fingerprints. Then buff with a dry cloth.
37. Clean, Deodorizes And Degrease Plastic Containers
Sometimes we carry food in those plastics and forget to empty it on time (guilty here) and the scent gets really bad.
To get rid of this scent and even the grease inside the container, place one teaspoon of borax, one drop of dish soap, and a quarter cup of warm water in the container.
Cover and shake it up. Then let it sit for one hour. Return and wash it out. The odor will be gone!
Here is a list of things that borax can clean with great results.
- Tile/grout.
- Sinks, both porcelain and stainless steel.
- Pots & pans (aluminum & porcelain).
- Plastic Plates and bowls
- Cleaning refrigerators.
- Cleaning ovens.
- Cleaning microwaves.
- Stainless steel.
- Fine china.
- Garbage/diaper pails.
- Mattress odors.
- Outdoor furniture (plastic & metal).
- Crafts.
32+ Cleaning And Household Uses Of Borax
Borax is a wonder product for cleaning the home without using harsh chemicals. These tips will help you to get the best household uses out of a box of 20MULE TEAM BORAX!
Instructions
- Kill Mold And Mildew
- Clean The Toilet bowl
- Floor Cleaning Solution
- Make An All-Purpose Cleaner
- Clean Countertops
- Cleans Bathroom Tiles
- Remove Rust
- Cleaning The Linens
- Cleaning Your Mattress
- Clean Grout
- Carpet Cleaner
- Unclog A Sink Drain
- Clean Your Sinks
- Shine Your China
- Clean And Deodorize Your Refrigerator
- Glean your Garbage Disposal
- Loosen Adhesives
- Kill Weed
- Keep Fleas Away
- Keep mice away
- Kill Ants
- Kill Cockroaches
- Clean Garbage Can
- Clean Hair Brushes And Combs
- Clean furniture- inside and outside
- Remove crayon And Pencil Marks from walls
- Clean windows
- Clean Bathtub And Shower
- Clean Shower Doors
- Make Your Own Dish Soap
- Clean Faucets
- Boost Your Laundry Detergent
- Use as a Pretreatment For Stains
- Clean Dirty, Greasy Dish Cloth
- Clean Your Stove Top
- Clean Stainless Steel
- Cleans, Degrease and Deodorizes Plastic Containers
