Borax has been around for years and was originally discovered in Tibet in dry lake beds. It was commonly used during the 19th century for laundry and other cleaning purposes.
Also known as sodium borate, Borax today is still used for many cleaning purposes as well as many other tasks. You can use it to make homemade laundry detergent, add a cleaning boost to any other detergent and even keep ants and other pests away.
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Known most commonly as Mule Team Borax, you can find this powder at most grocery stores, Wal-Mart and many online shops. It is relatively inexpensive which makes it a great choice for many household jobs.
The great part is that it takes very little Borax to get the job done. It has awesome cleaning properties and you can use it in so many different DIY recipes.
We have a great collection of some of these cleaning purposes for you that are easy to make and will really make your life a little easier.
1 Keep Pests Away
Borax is very effective at keeping cockroaches, ants, water bugs and a few other household pests at bay. You just have to mix equal parts of borax with regular sugar. The sugar helps to draw the bugs in and the borax takes them away – permanently.
Take care that you do not leave this out where pets or small children can reach it. Mule Team Borax actually recommends that you keep it away from your pets so keep the bug treatment somewhere that pets cannot reach.
Good places are under stoves, refrigerators or sinks. These are areas that are normally infested the most anyway so they are good places to begin treating your home for pests.
Borax also works well on mice. You just have to sprinkle it in areas where you think mice may be hiding and it will work wonders to get rid of those bothersome pests. You can also sprinkle it on carpet and vacuum to remove fleas or sprinkle on your mattress to rid your bed of bed bugs.
2. Get Rid of Rust
Mixing 1 cup of Borax with 2 cups of warm water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice works wonders on rust. If you have old pots and pans that are rusted, you can add this solution, which should be like a paste, and let them sit for about 15 minutes. Rinse and then just scrub the rust away.
This works well on things other than dishes, too. You can use it to remove rust from appliances and virtually anything metal. Imagine the work that you can do to old patio furniture.
Just remove the rust and paint. If you find that the rust is a bit stubborn, leave a second coating on to sit for another 15 to 20 minutes and it should lift right off with a scrubbing sponge.
3. Make an All-Purpose Cleaner
Mixing just 2 tablespoons of Borax with 2 cups of hot water makes a wonderful all-purpose cleaner. Just mix the solution together in a spray bottle and use it to clean kitchens and bathrooms or just anywhere you need a little extra boost for your cleaning.
This is a very inexpensive cleaner, when compared to other all-purpose cleaners on the market, and the Borax is great for getting really stubborn stains off.
You can use it to remove crayon and pencil marks from your walls – test a spot first to make sure that the paint doesn’t come off. It makes a great degreaser for stoves and countertops and your bathtub will really sparkle when you clean it with Borax.
4. Make a Floor Cleaner
1 teaspoon of dish detergent mixed with 1/3 cup of Borax, 1 tablespoon of ammonia and a gallon of hot water makes a wonderful floor cleaner. The Borax will help to get stubborn stains from the floor and you can use it on tile, linoleum or hardwood flooring.
Scuff marks from the kids’ shoes will come up easily due to the scrubbing power of Borax. Note that if you are not really a fan of ammonia, you can use lemon juice instead if you want. It gives a much better aroma and still helps you to get your floors sparkling clean.
Just spray on your floors or add to your mop bucket and mop away. The mixture of cleaners along with the cleaning power of Borax will remove virtually any stain from your floors, even if they’ve been there for a while.
5. Make Your Own Liquid Plumber
Just ½ cup of Borax poured down your drain will unclog it when you follow with a couple of cups of boiling water. Add the Borax followed by the boiling water and leave for at least 15 minutes. Then just run your tap water until it is all flushed out.
The Borax helps to break down gunk and stuff that gets stuck in your drain and the boiling water helps to flush it all away. Not only will this remove that gunk and unclog your sink drain, it will also clean and disinfect it so it will smell much better when you are finished.
Who says you have to pay a fortune for drain treatments? Borax is much cheaper and works just as well as the best drain cleaners on the market. You can also add it to your garbage disposal to clean and disinfect it and to keep it from clogging.
6. Renew Your Old China
If you have an old set of china that needs a little facelift, Borax is a good choice. You just have to soak old china in a sink filled with warm water and ½ cup of Borax. Leave the dishes soaking for at least 30 minutes and then simply rinse the Borax away and wash as usual.
Even really old china can get a beautiful new look when soaked in Borax. It will remove all of the dinginess and bring the shine back to your old dishes. Even yellowing that is caused by aging can be removed with Borax, although it is not recommended that you scrub your old china. It is best to simply let the Borax do its job by soaking as opposed to risking scratches by scrubbing.
7. Preserve Fresh Flowers
Borax will naturally remove moisture from flowers and leaves which will help them to prevent wilting. You can mix one part dry white sand with two parts Borax or mix one part Borax with two parts corn meal. Either method works well.
You will need to cut your flowers and place them in a box that contains the mixture you prefer. Make sure that the entire flower is sprinkled with the mixture and then simply seal the box with tape and leave it sealed for at least seven days. Your flowers will dry out and you can then do whatever you want with them.
Remember to strain out any moisture from your mixture and keep it for later use. Note that cut flowers from florists normally have a special water solution to preserve them and this method may not work on them.
8. Make Homemade Candles Burn Better
If you love making your own candles, you can use Borax to treat the wicks to reduce ash and smoke. You just have to dissolve 1 tablespoon of regular table salt along with 3 tablespoons of Borax in a cup of lukewarm water. Soak butcher’s twine or whatever twine you prefer to use in this solution for 24 hours. Once the twine has completely dried, you can use it to make candle wicks.
Borax will help to seal the wicks so that they do not cause major smoking issues or ash. They burn cleaner and give your homemade candles a much longer burning time overall.
9. Make Your Own Floam
Kids love floam and they will love that you can make it for them. Floam is fun to play with and easy to make with Borax. You need to mix together 2 teaspoons of Borax, ¾ cup of water and ¼ cup of Elmer’s glue. Begin by mixing the Borax with ½ cup of water. In another container, mix the glue and the additional ¼ cup of water together with food coloring.
Pour the glue mixture into a Ziploc bag and add 3 tablespoons of the Borax mixture. It is important that you do not mix this solution yet. Add 1 and 2/3 cup of polystyrene beads or 2/3 cup of microbeads and 1 cup of bean bag filler.
You could also use grated packing peanuts or Styrofoam. Seal the bag and knead until it is mixed well. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then knead again.
10. Give Laundry a Boost
Just like it was intended, Borax is still a great laundry booster. Just add about ½ cup to your laundry to see clothes that are cleaner and stain-free. It leaves clothes smelling better with no fake scent.
Borax offers a natural scent, sort of like drying your clothes outside. If you have really stubborn laundry stains like coffee, grass or even something that you can’t identify, you can use Borax as a pretreatment for stains.
Just mix ½ cup of borax with a cup of warm water and allow the clothing to soak for about half an hour before laundering. Borax will help soften your hard water and is really effective at removing hard water stains from clothing and from your washing machine.
It is safe for fabrics and can even be used to wash the most fragile delicates in your dresser.
betty j browning says
I really enjoyed all of yourthings
Stephie smith says
This looks like an effective method of pest control, but I do have a dog that I wouldn’t want finding and eating the stuff. One thing that was totally safe for pets and children is food grade diatomaceous earth, it’s completely natural, and kills the bugs by coating them in the powder and suffocating them. It’s safe for humans and pets, too. Just don’t breathe it in 🙂
Paula Harrington says
Not being difficult just concerned. Your last sentence is “Just do not breath it in” What is the first thing animals, especially dogs, do when they encounter something new? They sniff it.
Laura Taff says
Where do you purchase diatomaceous earth?
tRISH b says
I agree. I have a new kitten that can get under the stove from behind. DE is much safer for me as well.
Fredosuper says
Will this get rid of stink bugs ?
Connie says
Have been invaded with stink bugs. Will Borax help get rid of these annoying bugs?
Kim STONER SHORT says
I’ve used Borax for years! It is such an impressive product, not only it’s performance but also it’s diversity! I’ve wondered for years why I see no advertisement for this fantastic product?! I’m absolutely sure that if more people were aware of how beneficial Borax is, it would fly off the shelves at the grocery stores!
Now that I think about it, forget I said anything at all about advertising! ?. ( I would be so disappointed if I couldn’t find any at the store!)
Thank you Borax for making my life a little easier, cleaner and even happier!
Christopher says
I’ve known about it since the 80s, finally bought some this week and I plan on keeping it on hand always.
Liz says
Any recipes for dishwasher detergent?
David Starling says
I would like to get some borax to use as an unscented dishwasher powder but I don’t know how much to use or whether it needs to be mixed with something else as well. Has anybody got any ideas?
Angela says
I made some tonight. Here are some links:
https://wellnessmama.com/12217/homemade-dishwasher-detergent/
https://crunchybetty.com/homemade-dishwasher-detergent/
https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-recipes/
Missy says
Can I sprinkle Borax on my furniture?
Lynn says
Yes you can. I made a mixture of borax with a little of my home made laundr detergent which has the borax in it. We have dogs so the furniture tends to smell like dogs. I sprinkled this on the furniture and under the cushions that could be removed. I let it set while I cleaned the rest of the house (couple hours) then vacuumed it up. I also use it on our mattresses and the 2 bedrooms that have carpet still. I sprinkle it on the carpet some times I even leave it over night. Really helps get the smell out and it doesn’t leave carpet felling tacky like a lot of those carpet fresh powders do.
Connie Brannen says
I have used borax and sugar for the past 20 years for bugs and I have to say that I never have any bus or ants in my home.
Charlotte Kidwell says
Hi Connie:
Would you please let me know how to make the mixture? Like how much Borax to how much sugar, etc.
Do you use it dry? What do you put it in…. Bottle caps, lids, etc.? I would appreciate any assistance you can provide me. Thank you very much.
Cindy Loveall says
I am not Connie, but you mix equal parts sugar to borax for pest control. I would put it where pets would not get to it.
Anonymous says
How many areas do you put it in? In little cups? I need to start getting ready for my yearly month long ants lol.
Rae says
My ONLY question is: is it completely safe without any ill effects on health? In other words is it completely natural in the real sense of the word. As we know, all the so called products on the market are considered ‘natural&asafe” what are the exact ingredients?
Steven says
Borax typically has one ingredient: Borax. It occurs naturally in evaporite deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes. It was first discovered in dry lake beds in Tibet in 700-800 AD. From a high school chemistry standpoint, it is called sodium tetraborate. It’s sorta like asking for the ingredients for salt; sodium chloride.
Jan says
Moth worms in the pantry! HELP!!!
doris sanders says
My sofa fabric upholstery has stains. Is there a borax mixture to remove the stains without fading the color?
charity says
please where do I get this borax
Stephen says
Mule Team 20 Borax can be purchased from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/20-Mule-Team-Laundry-Booster/dp/B01NBJZ2F8/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1524069210&sr=8-3&keywords=borax&th=1
Anonymous says
Walmart rarget
Corletta says
Dollar store!
Mark says
Home Depot sells Borax, located in the same aisle with other cleaning supplies.
Will Borax also help whiten whites in laundry? What will be the ratio?
tantamount zenith says
Borax also sold @ Target.
Nancy says
To help whiten laundry add some aspirin. it works does not have to be a name brand. Add about three in you wash right in the beginning. It works wonderful
Robert idalski says
I’ll give it a try. It appears it’s many tools in the box.
Kimiko says
Thank you for an informative post. Will definitely try most of it! ^_^
William Adams says
Use Cyper WP to kill stink bugs. I spray my entire house, it turns to a powder and lasts for a couple months. When the stink bugs walk through it, it’s all over in about 15 minutes. Pest Mall is a good resource and they will talk to you on the phone.
Jen says
What isn’t the mixture for the spray? I have wood boring beetle larvae in a wood sculpture.
Laura Paxton says
I fixed my Samsung 8 Galaxy edge cell phones with borax when it got moisture inside and wouldn’t charge. I just put my cell phone inside a baggie with about a tablespoon of borax careful not to get it in any other little cracks or plug INS and left it for about an hour. After that it charged beautifully
Ip until then I thought I was gonna have to take it to be repaired
Dikeledi Seilamashi says
Amazing advises, going to implement and will respond with outcomes
Lizzy says
Just bought a 4LB box of the “20 mule team borax” at Dollar General for $4.50. You can find it anywhere… Walmart/Target, grocery store, Lowe’s/Home Depot… Cvs/rite aid/Walgreens I think have them as well. You will usually find them in the laundry aisle. LOVE borax, especially for getting mildew smells out of towels and bath rugs. I am trying it today as a mouse deterrent while I store some items in my in-laws pool-house basement (Idk why in a multimillion dollar home they don’t just call an exterminator, but whatever) I am going to make a perimeter about half an inch thick around my storage bins… hopefully it works!!!
Anonymous says
Will it hurt cats if they eat it
Vickie says
Will it hurt my cat if he eats it
Cindy Thompson says
Yes, it will hurt pets.
Imtiaz says
Good do it yourself formulas for home
lina smith says
There’s a recipe on line using borax to kill creeping Charlie weeds.
esclater says
Can Borax be used to take cat urine smell out of furniture cushions?
Viktoria says
What type of borax? BORAX Pentahydrate? There’s is a couple of dirrent typrs of borax? Why would I use this as laundry detergent if it is able to kill ants?
Roni says
Can’t wait to try Borax. When I was little, Borax sponsored a western show that my dad always watched. I thought that was the name of the program. I loved it then and I’m sure I’ll love it now. Thanks so much for the reviews and uses that I had no idea of.
Ruth Morrisson says
I saw a recipe for carpenter ant bait using borax and cornmeal and sugar (the ants take the bait back to the nest, and the borax kills the queen). But when I called the company that makes 20 Mule Team, the person I talked to said that they couldn’t recommend it for pest control! I told that to the guy in my local hardware store, and he said “Really? They said that? It must be a liability issue that that they can’t legally say that. Because MOST of the people who are buying it here ARE using it for pest control….”
As to diatomaceous earth, there are apparently different formulas as to whether it’s food grade or not. I bought a bag of it at Home Depot but I’m a little nervous about using it in my kitchen since I can’t tell whether it’s food grade. Once I think I’ve eradicated the carpenter ants, I’m definitely considering putting it around the perimeter of the house as a deterrent. But at the moment it’s too wet.
Interesting factoid about borax. It’s the same enzyme that is used for tanning leather, apparently. I once went to a French & Indian War reenactment event where a guy was doing a demo on “brain tanning” (apparently the paste made from mashing up a critter’s brains makes just enough to tan the hide for rhat critter). But the guy said he generally cheated and used 20 Mule Team because it’s easier to make up the paste…..
Dumplin says
I use a paste of borax and tap water mixed in my hand with some skin cleanser that I get at the dollar store. to exfoliate my skin. It helps remove the old skin, which also hides wrinkles. People sometimes ask me for an ID when I ask for a senior discount. (I am 76 years old.) Apply it gently, as you don’t want to damage your skin.
Vanessa Merrills says
Use on skin..hide wrinkles ??..who else has tried it. Can’t imagine that
Brent Eamer says
Greetings from Prince Edward Island, Canada. As a single 56 year old male, cleaning is a challenge
What exactly is in Borax that makes it a good cleaner?
I loaded up on the stuff when it was on sale up here, I have literally almost 100 pounds of the stuff, and Super Washing Soda, which as a gardener, comes in handy for soiled clothes.
I’m experimenting with various homemade cleaners. Vinegar and Water (equal parts) keeps my wood stove glass clean