The Many Uses of Borax
Posted: Tuesday, December 04, 2007
by Lisa Tritten
http://www.laundrygoddess.com
As a young budget-conscious mom, Borax was a lifesaver when it came to laundry and cleaning chores. While being environmentally friendly, borax handled most all of the cleaning and sanitizing jobs around the house. Depending on the type cleaning to be done, borax could be used along with other natural products that were already on hand, such as vinegar, baking soda or lemon juice. There was no need to have a cabinet filled with the latest expensive cleaning products just a box of borax.
Even though Borax is natural, you should not automatically assume that it is safer for you than other man-made products. Remember the old adage, too much of a good thing can be bad. Knowing that Borax is commonly used to kill ants, fleas and roaches would be another clue. In quantity, it is also toxic to people. Generally, Borax is safe as it has no toxic fumes and is environmentally-friendly, however it should be used properly and with common sense. Do not use borax around food and keep it out of reach from children or pets.
Even though it best known as a laundry booster, borax does much more, and once you discover how many things it is good for, you will want to keep a box handy. Here are just some of the everyday tasks it can handle:
Laundry A cup of Borax in every load of wash along with detergent will boost the cleaning power of your detergent. Mixing cup of Borax with 2 cups of warm water and you have a stain remover that works on blood, chocolate, coffee, mildew and urine stains.
Baby Diapers and Clothes Presoak flushed-out, soiled diapers in a diaper pail filled with hot water and cup of Borax for 30 minutes before washing. It helps to reduce odors and stains and makes diapers more absorbent.
Flea Control Sprinkle Borax on carpet and let it sit for a few hours, or overnight, before vacuuming. Just keep the kids and pets out of the room until vacuumed.
Deodorizing Garbage Disposals Just sprinkle a few tablespoons down the drain and after 15 minutes or so, flush the drain with warm water.
Clean and Deodorize Refrigerator Dissolve one tablespoon of borax per quart of warm water and use it to wipe down the insides of the refrigerator.
Deodorizing Garbage Pails Soak garbage pail with a mixture of hot water and a cup borax to eliminate odors. After it has dried, sprinkle in more borax inside to help absorb future odors.
Sinks, Bathtubs and Toilets Borax alone is a great non abrasive cleanser, and when mixed with lemon juice into a paste, it can help to get rid of rust stains.
If you would like to learn more about the uses for borax, visit LaundryGoddess.com where the author, who has been using borax for over 25 years, shares cleaning tips and laundry advice .
Feel free to use this article, as long as nothing is changed and the authors paragraph and link remains intact.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Wow! It really is all-purpose. I never heard of Borax til I read this, but now the possibilities seem endless.
Borax is bam! level amazing. A note on flea killing: we had a bad infestation, and left the borax on the carpets and furniture for over a week.
Wow, that's a long time! Hopefully there's not a next time, but if so, you may want to try working the borax into the carpet by using a plastic rake, soft broom or brush (depending on type of carpet). That really speeds up the process!
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