With a wide variety of uses around the house, borax is something that can make your life easy and is a must-have in the house.
From unclogging a drain to cleaning the toilets, borax has found its use as a versatile cleaner. And it is actively used in many cleaning products and homemade recipes.
Now, you might have some questions regarding borax. So, we’ll start by answering some common questions regarding borax and then move on to its amazing uses around the home.
What is Borax?
Also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, Borax is a naturally occurring powdery white mineral. It is primarily mined from evaporite deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes.
A point to note here is people often get confused between boric acid and borax- which is salt of boric acid. Chemically, they are both different things as boric acid is hydrogen borate. In simple words, you just need to get Borax powder or 20 Mule Team Borax and nothing else.
What is it used for?
Over the decades, borax has found its use in many commercial applications, including as an active ingredient in household laundry and cleaning products, as a fire retardant, as a pH buffer in chemical laboratories, as a water softening agent, to prevent wood rot in classic wood boats, and much more.
Let’s have a look at the various amazing borax uses and start implementing them from today itself!
1. Unclog the drain
A clogged drain is a big headache. But, here is a simple method to unclog it using borax fast and easy.
Just empty ½ a cup of borax in the drain and then pour one tablespoon lemon juice over it. After 2 minutes, pour around 1 quart of boiling water. Leave it that way for around 15 minutes and then run tap water to clean it up.
The borax reacts with the gunk and dirt which clogs up the drain to loosen it. Hot water further loosens it and carries it away. Lemon adds up to the disinfecting process of borax. On top of that, these two will also make the sink smell much better after the cleaning is finished.
So this is very cheap and one of the easiest options to help you in dealing with a clogged drain.
2. Clean the dirty mold or mildew
A mold infestation can ruin the home so it’s important to get rid of them as soon as possible. And borax is perfect to get rid of that dirty mold as it is a natural mold inhibitor.
Firstly, brush off as much excess mold as possible with a soft-bristled brush or a microfiber cloth. Now, make a solution of ½ cup borax, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1 cup of warm water. Fill it in an empty spray bottle and spray it on the mold and mildew until the area gets sufficiently wet. Leave the surface to dry completely.
3. Get Your Old China Dish Set to Shine
Make your china dishes look new using borax. Borax removes the dullness and dirt to make the dishes shiny again. To do a renovation of your dishes, just soak them in the sink or some vessel filled with warm water and a ½ cup of borax. Leave them for at least 30 minutes. Remove and then wash as usual. Your dishes will regain their former glory.
Note: Don’t scrub the dishes as it may cause scratches. Just leave and allow them to soak in water as borax knows its work very well.
4. Grout Cleaner
You can easily clean grout using borax. All you need to do is make a thick paste by using 1 part borax, 2 part baking soda, and then adding enough vinegar. Apply this to grout using a soft brush and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Once done, just rinse it off and if possible, scrub lightly using a microfiber cloth for a better clean.
5. Make an All-purpose Cleaner
Thanks to its cleaning properties, Borax makes a great all-purpose cleaner. All you need to do is to mix 3 Tbsp of borax and 1 cup of vinegar with 3 cups of warm water to make an all-purpose cleaner.
Both borax and vinegar are amazing cleaners and the mixture will ease cleaning the kitchens, stove, countertops, tables, and many other surfaces of the house.
6. Effective Against Rust (on pans, appliances, tiles, or almost anything)
Rust and borax do not share a good bond. Borax is reactive against rust and removes it. So you can use borax to remove rust from your pans, metals, appliances, tiles, or almost any other thing which has caught rust.
Mix 1 cup of warm water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with 1 cup of borax. A thick paste will be formed. Apply it to the rusted area and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Rinse and then scrub away the rust with a dish sponge or in case of a stubborn rust use a steel sponge. It will get off very easily.
7. Clean Brushes and Combs Easily
Do you clean your brushes and combs the hard way? i.e Scrubbing it away using some detergent. Why go the hard way when it is very easy to clean your brushes and combs filled with dirt, and massive tangles of hair.
Just fill a mug or some container with warm water and add 2 Tbsp of borax and some dish soap to it. Put in the brushes and combs to be cleaned and wet them properly by shaking them and stirring them. Leave it to soak for at least 30-45 minutes. Then rinse. Your combs and brushes are shiny clean without scrubbing.
8. Cleaning the Fridge
Borax is a multi-purpose cleaner and works well in cleaning your refrigerator.
Take 4-5 cups of warm water and add ½ Tbsp borax to it. Stir the solution so that borax gets dissolved in the water properly. Dip a clean cloth or sponge in this solution and wipe the shelves of the fridge. It removes any dried-up food stain or any leftovers easily.
So whether you want to clean the spilled food in the refrigerator or just give it a good clean, this solution is worth trying. Another benefit of using borax is that it is a natural disinfectant. After cleaning the fridge, you probably want to organize your fridge as well.
9. Remove Pencil and Crayon Marks from the Wall
So, your kid got creative on the wall again? Don’t worry, you can easily get back the old shine of your wall. All you need to do is just mix 1 Tbsp borax with a cup of warm water and apply it on the wall to remove pencil and crayon marks.
Note: Before using it on the stain, make sure that the paint doesn’t come off by testing it on some region of the wall.
10. Make Your Sink Sparkle
After reading so many hacks, you might have got a good idea about the efficiency of borax in cleaning. So wouldn’t it be very efficient in cleaning the sink as well? Try it out yourself.
Make a borax paste by mixing 2 Tbsp of lemon juice in ½ a cup of borax. Scrub the stains on the sink using a cloth or sponge dipped in this paste. Rinse with warm water and get a clean and shining sink in no time.
11. Use Borax to Clean the Windows
Borax is so amazing. Along with other household stuff, it is also a successful window cleaner.
Mix 1 Tbsp borax in a cup full of warm water. Transfer the mixture to a spray bottle and spray on the windows. Wipe it with a microfiber cloth on a rag. You can also clean and wipe the windows with a rag or sponge dipped in this solution. Repeat the process with a solution of equal parts of vinegar and water. Wipe it dry and you will have clean windows in no time.
12. Clean the Toilets
Cleaning the toilet is a headache. Isn’t it? But you will be surprised to see that borax makes it so easy to clean the toilet. All you need to do is to empty one cup of borax in the pot and add a ½ cup of vinegar to it. Let the solution do its work overnight. Then, scrub the toilet and flush!
Borax acts on the grime and the dirt accumulated in the toilet. It deals with all of the dirt layers and yellowish color accumulated. Vinegar assists borax in the cleaning process and improves its efficiency. The act of borax of loosening the grime becomes more vigorous and better with the action of the vinegar.
13. Clean Showers and Tubs
Take some borax in a damp cloth and scrub it on the tubs and showers. Rinse them with clean water.
To clean the interior of a shower, Make a solution by mixing 2-3 Tbsp borax in 4-5 cups of water. Fill it in a polythene bag and tie it around the shower such that it remains submerged in the solution. Leave it for around an hour and then switch on the shower to rinse it. If you need a clean bathroom, these bathroom cleaning hacks will make cleaning easy.
14. Carpet Stain Remover
If your expensive carpet is attacked by a stain, no need to worry. Use Borax- the stain remover. Mix 4 Tbsp borax with 1 cup warm water. Dip a sponge or clean cloth in the solution and dab it on the stain.
Leave the stain in that condition for 25-30 minutes. Then vacuum that area to clean the residue and allow it to dry to get a clean and stain-free carpet.
15. Make a Floor Cleaner
Most floor cleaners are loaded with chemicals that are hazardous to health. Thankfully, there are so many natural alternative cleaners available. One among them is borax which makes a great natural floor cleaner for your home.
All you need is to mix 2 Tbsp borax with 4-5 Tbsp vinegar in your mop bucket. Add a pinch of dish soap to it and fill the bucket with warm water. Your cleaner is ready! Use this to clean your house floor.
You can also make it in a good quantity and store it in a container for everyday use. Just mix 2 cups borax with 4 cups vinegar and add around 1 Tbsp of dish soap to it. Store it in a container. Add some of this solution to your mop bucket water for everyday cleaning.
16. Clean Your Outdoor Furniture
Borax can also clean furniture easily. Just mix 2 teaspoons of borax and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing soap in 1 quart of water. You can fill it in a spray bottle which is more convenient to use. Spray it on the patio furniture and wipe it to clean all the dust, dirt, or any grime. This cleaner is effective against all of them.
17. Homemade Dish Soap
You can make dish soap at home using these low-cost ingredients and save the money spent on readymade dish soap. Mix ½ cup borax, ½ cup finely grated soap, and 10 cups of boiling water. Stir to mix it properly and allow it to cool before use. It is as efficient as the market-bought dish soap, if not more.
18. Get Rid of Soap Scum
Soap scum on shower doors, glass, faucets can be easily cleaned using borax. Make a paste by mixing 2-3 Tbsp borax in 1/2 a cup of water. Scrub this paste with a cloth on the area to be cleaned. Rinse with water and wipe with a clean dry cloth. You would also love these clever bathroom cleaning hacks.
19. Clean Sticky Residue
Borax makes it easy to get rid of sticky and gooey adhesive residue. Just mix borax and water in a 2-to-1 ratio, and rub the mixture on the residue to clean it. Easy!
20. Clean and Deodorize Mattresses
Deodorize your mattresses by rubbing borax over them using a damp cloth. But make sure to wet the mattress before rubbing borax on it. It will even eliminate any foul smell like that of urine from your small baby’s mattress.
