Borax is best known for it’s laundry cleaning purposes; however, there are many other ways to use this product. From cleaning, to deodorizing to getting rid of pests, borax has many uses that you probably didn’t know about. This multi-purpose item can save you trips to the store — you’ll never have to buy some items ever again if you have borax! Continue reading for 20 helpful tips on how to use borax around the house.
1. Get Rid of Ants
Because borax is the main ingredient of many ant-killing products, you can make a simple solution to get rid of those ants yourself. All you need to do is create a mixture of borax, warm water, and sugar or honey. Soak up the solution with cotton balls, and place them where there are ant infestations.
2. Deter Mice
Mice hate getting borax on their feet, so sprinkle it along the walls where they run. Just like that, no more mice!
3. Whiten Pillows
Pillows tend to get dingy with sweat and drool over time. Wash your pillows with a mixture of borax, hot water, bleach, dish detergent, and laundry detergent to make them white like new again.
4. Brighten Whites
You can use the same solution used to whiten pillows to brighten your white clothes. The concept is the same. Just add the mixture to the washing machine with your whites and watch as they become even whiter!
5. Save Violin Strings
Use a dampened toothbrush and borax to gently scrub away any built-up gumming or rosin on the strings of your violin. This works for any string instruments, so try this out before you decide to throw away your worn strings!
6. Clean Baseball Caps
Baseball caps and hats in general might be the most difficult clothing items to clean. You can’t throw them in the wash because it might ruin the shape, but hand-washing doesn’t always ensure a clean hat. Solve this problem by putting your hats on the top drawer of your dishwasher. Fill the detergent cup with Borax then run a regular cycle.
7. Make Dishwasher Tablets
Save money and make your own dishwasher tablets. To make these, mix borax, baking soda, citric acid, salt, vinegar, and castile soap. Add the mixture in an ice cube tray and let dry.
8. Make Laundry Detergent
Grate a soap bar then combine it with water, washing soda, and borax. Put this in a container and you have cheap but effective laundry detergent!
9. Clean Cookware
Mix a paste of borax, baking soda, lemon juice, and club soda to scrub your cookware with. What’s great about this is that there’s no harsh chemicals being used on the stuff you cook with!
10. Shine Stainless Steel
Use the same mixture for cleaning cookware to shine stainless steel. Just scrub the mixture into your items, and they’ll shine bright!
11. Restore China
China is expensive, you want to do your best to keep it nice and clean. This is easy with the help of borax. Create the same mixture used to clean cookware, but add warm water to it so it becomes a soak. Soak your dishes in this solution for an easy clean.
12. Clean Car Upholstery
Cleaning car upholstery is always dreadful. Either it is too hard to clean or extremely overpriced when you get it cleaned. Try mixing borax with some warm water and grated soap for a strong cleaning solution. This will definitely make it easier on you and your wallet.
13. Make Slime
Borax isn’t just for cleaning. You can also use it to make slime! Simply mix borax with warm water and food coloring (optional) until it dissolves. Then slowly mix it into a bowl of school glue. Continue to mix as you add the borax until you get a slime consistency.
14. Clean Up After Pets
Mix 1/3 cup of borax with 1 cup of water into a spray bottle. This solution will deodorize your pets’ beds in a non-harmful way. You can also sprinkle borax on any pet messes to get rid of the odor.
15. Deodorize Trash Cans
Clean trash cans with borax and water to truly get rid of those smells that linger. You can also sprinkle some borax on the bottom of the trash to keep away unwanted bugs or scents.
16. Remove Sink Stains
To get rid of those mysterious stains on sinks, mix borax with 1/4 cup of lemon just to create a paste. Leave the paste on the stains for a while then scrub away. Your sink will always be unmarked now.
17. Deodorize the Refrigerator
Wipe up any stinky, spilled foods with borax and water.
18. Kill Weeds
Don’t bother buying weed killers if you have borax. Create a solution with 10 ounces of Borax and 2 1/2 gallons of water. Use this to kill the weeds in your garden, but make sure to aim carefully to avoid killing other plants.
19. Clean Toilets
Add borax to your toilet and leave it overnight. The next day, simply scrub and flush. There’s no need for toilet cleaners when you have borax.
20. Make Snowflakes
Use borax to make decorations for the holidays and winter! Mix borax with boiling water into a jar. Insert a pipe cleaner (molded into the shape of a snowflake or whatever you want) and leave it overnight. Crystals will form around the pipe cleaner by the morning. This scientific project is great for kids!
Whether you want decorations or cleaning products, borax is the item to turn to. Try this versatile item out for yourself! Please SHARE these great tips with your friends and family.
