Many of my favorite homemade and DIY cleaning solutions use a lot of the same basic ingredients, such as baking soda, vinegar, and more. Many of these ingredients are familiar to most people, but there’s one in particular that remains mysterious to many: borax. And since it is one of my go-to cleaning ingredients, I feel that it is my duty to show people just how useful borax can be! :-)
Today’s post will serve that purpose in two different ways. First, I’ll cover the basics by answering a few of the most common questions people have about borax. After we cover those, I’ll share over two dozen great uses for borax, from clearing a drain to preserving flowers and beyond!
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By the end of this post, you’re sure to have a whole new appreciation for this formerly mysterious substance.
4 Frequently Asked Questions About Borax
What Is Borax?
Borax, also known as sodium borate or sodium tetraborate, is a naturally occurring mineral used as an ingredient in household cleaning products, as a buffer in chemical laboratories, to help extract gold in mining operations, and as a component of glass and ceramics.
Borax is primarily mined from evaporated lakes in California and Turkey and is incredibly popular due to its versatility in commercial and household applications.
How Does Borax Work?
With a pH of around 9.5 (putting it somewhere between baking soda and toothpaste on the pH scale), borax is slightly alkaline and forms a basic solution when added to water. This is one of the reasons why borax is often advertised as a “laundry booster” – adding borax to laundry wash water raises its pH (similar to washing soda, which has an even higher pH,) helping to break up stains and making it easier for your laundry detergent to do its job too!
Related: Baking Soda vs. Washing Soda vs. Borax, Explained
Basic solutions can be really useful for both cleaning and laundry purposes because of the way they break down acidic, fatty, and oily substances—like the ones that lead to food stains and greasy messes!
Is Borax Safe?
Borax should not be ingested and can cause inflammation and irritation if it comes in contact with your eyes, nostrils, or mouth.
But for using around the house, borax is perfectly safe as long as you handle it with the same care you would use with any other household cleaning product. That includes keeping it away from children, avoiding contact or ingestion, and using it in a well-ventilated space.
Where Can I Buy Borax?
You can find borax in the laundry aisle of many grocery stores and most big box retailers. (Make sure to check the top and bottom shelves when you’re looking for it, as it often gets stocked in these less prominent positions!)
The most common brand of borax you’ll see in stores is 20 Mule Team Borax, which gets its name from the method used to transport it away from surface mines in Death Valley in the late 1800s. 20 Mule Team Borax is also available to purchase online from Amazon, Walmart, and other online retailers.
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27 Brilliant Household Uses For Borax
1. Clean Your Carpets
Boost the cleaning power of your carpet cleaner machine by adding a 1/2 cup of borax per gallon of water to the reservoir.
2. Feed Fruit Trees
Sprinkle a cup of borax around a full-sized apple tree (or a couple of tablespoons around a young tree) every 3-4 years. This adds the trace mineral boron to the soil, which fruit trees need for good cell wall growth and for fruit and seed development.
3. Make Laundry Detergent
Borax is one of the main ingredients in the recipe for my favorite homemade laundry detergent. Because it produces a basic solution in water, borax helps to boost the effectiveness of the other cleaning ingredients in the detergent.
4. Deter Pests
Keep roaches, water bugs, and ants away by sprinkling equal parts borax and sugar anywhere you suspect they may be entering your home.
5. Preserve Flowers
You can use borax to preserve many varieties of fresh-cut flowers. Using borax helps removes moisture from the blossoms and leaves to help prevent wilting while they dry.
To use it, just mix one part borax with two parts cornmeal, and sprinkle the mixture into the bottom of a box. Place your flower(s) in the box, then sprinkle more of the borax and cornmeal mixture over the top. Cover the box and let it sit for about two weeks until the flowers are dry.
6. Kill Weeds
Use a sprinkle of borax to kill weeds that come up through the cracks in your walkways. (That’s why borax should be kept away from most plants, because it makes a rather effective herbicide!)
7. Dissolve Sticky Messes
Get rid of sticky, gooey, and gummy adhesive residue with a mixture of two parts borax and 1 part water. Rub the mixture onto the mess until the adhesive dissolves, then rinse clean.
8. Clean Cookware
The gentle cleaning effect of borax is perfect for use on porcelain and aluminum cookware. Sprinkle onto pots and pans and rub with a damp dishcloth to clean, then rinse thoroughly.
9. Clean Car Upholstery
Another homemade cleaning solution that benefits from borax is my homemade car upholstery cleaner. It’s the most affordable way I’ve found to remove dirt and grime from your car’s floor mats and upholstery!
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Related: This Is The Cheapest Way To Make Your Car Look Brand New
10. Freshen Up Your Fridge
Mix up a cleaning solution of 1 quart warm water and 1 tablespoon borax, and use it to clean spills and grime inside your refrigerator. Not only will it clean your fridge, but it will deodorize it and leave it smelling much fresher!
11. Scrub Showers, Tubs & Tile
Sprinkle borax on a damp sponge or soft cloth and use as you would a powdered cleanser. You can even use this method to clean fiberglass surfaces without scratching up the finish. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
12. Remove Rust
Remove rust by mixing up a simple cleaning solution of 1-2 tablespoons of borax, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and enough water to make a paste. Apply the paste with a sponge or scrubber to your rusted items, and scrub until the rust is gone. (Be sure to rinse and dry the item thoroughly afterward.)
13. Clean Your Toilet Bowl
You can use borax, white vinegar, and essential oils to make an all-natural toilet bowl cleaner that works just as well as the store-bought stuff. Grab the full recipe for my homemade toilet bowl cleaner at the link below.
Related: How To Make A Simple, All-Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner
14. Prevent Humidifier Odors
To help keep your humidifier free of odor and bacteria, dissolve 1/2 cup of borax in 1 gallon of water and add it to the tank. Run your humidifier for 10-15 minutes, then dump out the tank and rinse well with clean water.
15. Erase Sink Stains
Remove stains from stainless steel or porcelain sinks with a paste of 1 cup borax and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Use a sponge or cloth to rub the paste into the stains, then rinse with warm water.
16. Clean Outdoor Furniture
Use borax to get your outdoor furniture cleaned up for patio season. Mix 1 teaspoon of dish soap, 1 teaspoon of borax and 1 quart of warm water in a spray bottle and spray it generously over outdoor furniture. Wipe the furniture clean with a damp rag, or rinse well with your garden hose.
17. Sanitize Your Garbage Disposal
Clean and sanitize your garbage disposal by sprinkling 3 tablespoons of borax into the drain. Let it sit for about an hour, then rinse the drain well with plenty of warm water.
18. Deodorize A Mattress
You can use borax to remove odors caused by sweat or urine from a mattress. Dampen the surface of the mattress where the odor is most concentrated, then rub in borax with a damp cloth. Let the mattress surface dry completely, then use your vacuum to clean up the dried powder. And while deodorizing gets the smell out you should clean your mattress periodically to keep the dirt, grime, and smells away.
19. Deodorize Your Trash Can
To deodorize a smelly garbage can, fill it with water and add a big scoop of borax. Let it soak for an hour or so, then rinse clean. Dry it completely, then sprinkle a bit more borax into the bottom of the can to help deter bugs and absorb odor-causing moisture.
20. Refresh Linens
Remove mildew and musty odors from linens by soaking them in a solution of 2 quarts of water and 2 cups of borax. Allow the linens to soak for a few hours, then rinse clean.
21. Make Slime
You can use borax to make homemade “slime” that your kids or grandkids will love! You’ll need a couple of bowls, some water, a bottle of school glue, food coloring, and a bit of borax.
In one bowl, combine 4 ounces of school glue, 1/2 cup water, and a couple drops of your food coloring of choice. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix 1 tsp borax and 1 cup warm water together until dissolved.
Pour the glue mixture into the borax water and stir. Once the “slime” comes together, discard any excess water and knead the slime a bit more to finish.
22. Kill Fleas
Sprinkle borax on dog beds, carpets, and other areas where you suspect that fleas are hatching. Let it sit for an hour or so, then vacuum thoroughly before use.
23. Make An All-Purpose Cleaner
You can use borax, washing soda, and castile soap to make a great all-purpose cleaning spray. It’s perfect for wiping down surfaces and cleaning up everyday spills and messes.
Related: How To Make An Easy All-Purpose Cleaner For Everyday Messes
24. Unclog A Drain
Unclog drains with 1/2 cup of borax followed by 2 cups of boiling water. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then run warm water through the drain for a few minutes to flush out the borax and any loosened clogs.
25. Make A Scouring Powder
You can use borax to make a homemade scouring powder that’s great for scrubbing sinks, tubs, and other grimy surfaces. Get all the details and instructions in the post at the link below.
Related: How To Make A 4-Ingredient Herbal Scouring Powder
26. Make A Carpet Powder
Why buy carpet cleaning or carpet freshening powder from a store when you can make your own at home for pennies? Just sprinkle it over your carpets, let it sit to absorb dirt and odors, then vacuum your way to fresher, cleaner carpets. Get the full details below.
Related: How To Make A Cheap & Natural Deodorizing Carpet Powder
27. Whiten Yellowed Pillows
It’s nearly impossible to prevent your body’s natural oils from seeping into your pillow, which is why pillows tend to take on a yellow hue over time. But there’s a simple method you can use to whiten and brighten your pillow, thanks in part to the cleaning power of borax! You’ll find the step-by-step instructions for whitening yellowed pillows below.
Related: How To Rescue Your Old Yellowed Pillows
Do you have a personal favorite use for borax?
