This Post may contain Affiliate Links. Please read my Disclosure for more info.
If you don’t know what is borax, first let me introduce it to you. The chemical or laboratory name for borax is sodium borate. Umm…the name is of no use to you but there is no harm in knowing it. You can easily get it in some grocery store even by using the common term ‘Borax’. It is not at all expensive.
A point to be noted is that borax and boric acid are two different things though they are somewhat identical. Borax is sodium borate as I have said earlier and boric acid is hydrogen borate.
Borax is being actively used as an ingredient for cleaning various stuff. It has a wide variety of uses around the house. So borax is something which is very useful for you and can make your cleaning chores very easy to accomplish. So have a look at the various amazing uses of borax and start implementing them from today itself!
1. Dealing with pests
Borax effectively deals with cockroaches, ants, bugs, mice and a few other household pests. The process is very simple. Mix equal parts of borax and sugar. Sprinkle this mixture in the corners, under the sink, behind the pieces of furniture or simply the areas where you find pests.
Are you wondering why I asked you to mix sugar with borax? This is because sugar acts as a bait to attract the bugs. When the bugs are drawn towards the sugar cubes, borax deals with them.
Make sure that this mixture does not reach the hands of small children or even your pet. So use it in areas which are away from the reach of children and pets.
To get rid of bed bugs, sprinkle it on the mattress and in the bed.
2. Gives a better laundry
Borax gives a better laundry. Add 4-5 Tbsp of Borax to your laundry to get cleaner and stain-free clothes along with making the clothes smell better. It gives a natural scent to the clothes. Borax can even be used to wash the delicate fabrics.
Borax is a successful stain remover too. Stubborn stains like that of coffee can be treated using borax. Pretreat the stain by soaking it in a borax solution made by dissolving 7-8 Tbsp of borax in warm water. Allow the cloth to soak for at least 30-40 minutes before laundering. Repeat if the stain does not vanish completely.
Even hard water stains on your clothes and washing machines can be removed successfully using borax.
Quick Tip: Need an organized laundry, these laundry organization hacks will make life easier.
3. Preserve your favorite flowers
Do you hate the withering of your favorite flowers? Here is the solution.
Borax helps in removing moisture from the flowers and leaves which in turn helps them to prevent wilting. To remove moisture from the flowers, mix one part of white sand and two parts of borax to make a mixture. Fill some of this mixture in a box and place the flower in it. Sprinkle some mixture on the flower so that it is properly covered with the mixture. Leave the box for seven days after sealing it with a tape. The flower will lose all of its moisture and dry out.
I agree that you won’t get the exact same blooming flower, but it is way better than letting the flower just wilt and fall off. You will have dried beautiful flowers with you.
You can reuse this mixture in the future by straining out all the moisture.
This method may not work on flowers bought from florists as they use a special water solution to preserve them.
4. Make your old china dish set as good as new
You can give your china dishes a new look using borax. Borax will remove the dullness and dirt and make the dishes shiny again. To do a renovation of your dishes, soak them in the sink or some vessel filled with warm water and ½ cup of borax. Leave it for at least 30 minutes. Remove it and then wash as usual. Your dishes will regain their former glory.
Don’t scrub the dishes as it may cause scratches. Just leave and allow them to soak in water. Borax knows its work well.
5. 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 on 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 steel sponge. It will get off very easily.
If the rust has not got off yet, go for one more round. It will get off. WD 40 is also great for removing rust, check out more wd 40 hacks.
6. Unclog the drain
Is your clogged drain troubling you? Tried many ways to unclog it but all efforts in vain? Here is a simple method to unclog it using borax.
Empty ½ cup of borax in the drain and then empty one tablespoon lemon juice over it. After 2 minutes, pour around 1 quartz 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 and loosens it. Hot water further loosens it and carries it away. Lemon adds up to the disinfecting process of borax. Also, these two make the sink the sink smell much better after the cleaning process has finished.
So this is a very cheap and one of the easiest option to help you in dealing with a clogged drain.
7. Make an all-purpose cleaner
Mix 3 Tbsp of borax with 3 cups of warm water to make an all-purpose cleaner. Clean the kitchens, stove, countertops, tables, and many other surfaces of the house where you need a better cleaning.
8. Clean brushes and combs easily
Do you clean your brushes and combs the difficult way, scrubbing it away using some detergent?
It is actually very easy to clean your brushes and combs filled with dirt, and massive tangles of hair.
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.
9. Cleaning the toilets
Cleaning the toilet is a headache. Isn’t it? But you will be surprised to know that borax can easily clean the toilet and act as a medicine to this headache.
Empty one cup of borax in the pot and add 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 yellowishness 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 vinegar.
10. Cleaning the fridge
Borax is a multi-purpose cleaner. It can be used for cleaning many things and one of them is the 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.
So whether you want to clean the spilled food in the refrigerator or just give it a good clean, this solution is worth trying. You would also love these fridge organization hacks.
11. Clean the dirty mold or mildew
Yes, it can clean the difficult to clean molds as well.
Make a solution of ½ cup borax, 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of warm water. Fill it in a spray bottle and spray it on the mold and mildew until the area gets wet sufficiently. Leave it for at least 2-3 hours. Rinse well.
12. Helping the fruit trees
Borax is not only useful for cleaning purpose but also beneficial for the fruit trees. Boron, a mineral contained in borax is required by the plants for a healthy growth. Sprinkle ½ cup of borax every 2-3 years around the base of a mature fruit tree( such as an apple tree) or 2-3 Tbsp for a younger one.
Boron is a good fertilizer, so adding borax in the right quantities to the soil helps in the better development of cell walls and roots. But be careful to use it optimally. Excessive use of borax is harmful to the plants as it is toxic.
13. Improve your homemade candles
If you make candles at home, treat the wicks by soaking them in a solution of borax and salt. To make this solution, mix equal parts of salt and borax in water. This solution reduces ash and the smoke.
14. Gooey adhesive residue remover
The gooey, sticky and gummy adhesive residue is very irritating and difficult to remove. To your surprise, borax can help you remove it easily. Rub the borax paste onto the residue. To make this paste, mix two parts of borax with one part of water. So easy!
Vinegar also works great in removing sticky residues. Check this out and more vinegar cleaning hacks.
15. Remove pencil and crayon marks from wall
Mix 1 Tbsp borax with a cup of warm water and apply it on the wall to remove pencil and crayon marks. Before using it on the stain, make sure that the paint doesn’t come off by testing it on some region of the wall.
16. Keep your humidifier odorless
Similar to a refrigerator, humidifier start smelling bad with time. They need to be deodorized from time to time. To keep the humidifier free of any odor, dissolve 5-6 tablespoon of borax in 3-4 quartz of water and add it to the tank. Run the humidifier for 10-15 minutes and then empty the tank. Don’t forget to rinse the tank with clean water.
17. Give your sink a stainless shine
After reading so many hacks, you must have got a good idea of the efficiency of borax in cleaning. So wouldn’t it be very efficient in cleaning 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 shining stainless sink.
18. Deodorize cat litter
Reduce the odor in your cat’s litter box by sprinkling and mixing 2-3 Tbsp borax with the litter.
19. Clean and deodorize mattresses
Deodorize your mattresses by rubbing borax over it 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.
20. Make a floor cleaner
You don’t need to spend money on getting a floor cleaner from the market. Borax can make a great floor cleaner for you.
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. Use this to clean your house floor.
You can make it in a good quantity and store in some container for everyday use. Mix 2 cup borax with 4 cup vinegar. Add around 1 Tbsp of dish soap to it. Add some of this solution to your mop bucket water for everyday cleaning.
21.Deodorize the smelly garbage can
Borax can even deodorize a garbage can successfully. Sprinkle at least 4-5 Tbsp of borax in the garbage can and add water to it. The amount of borax to be added depends on the condition of the bin. If it has not been cleaned for a long time and is smelling really bad, then empty around a cup of borax in it.
Let the borax do its work by leaving it in for at least 15-20 minutes. Rinse and leave to dry. You can sprinkle some borax in the can before using it again, so as to minimize odor when in use. Vinegar also works great in removing the odor from the trash can, you should check out these 12 vinegar hacks.
22. 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.
23. Carpet stain remover
If your expensive carpet is attacked by 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.
24. 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. 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.
25. 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.
26. Make your clothes safe
Clothes catch fire easily. To make them resistant to flames, mix 1 cup borax and ½ cup boric acid in a gallon of water and soak the rinsed clothes in it. Then, dry cycle.
If the clothes are not washable, then spray that solution on the clothes instead of soaking the clothes in it. Repeat the process everytime you wash or dry clean your clothes.
Need some laundry hacks, check out these laundry hacks to save money.
27. Cleaning your outdoor furniture
Mix 2 teaspoon 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.
28. Instruments’ string saver
The bow hairs of musical instruments get bad as they get gummed up with rosin. Clean it by rubbing the strings with a damp toothpaste dipped in borax. Then wipe the bow hairs and re-rosin them again.
29. Cleaning 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.
Need some more bathroom cleaning tips, check out these 8 clever bathroom cleaning hacks.
30. Make slime at home
Do you wish to make your own slime at home? Borax is a component used in making slime. Check out the recipe here.
BORAX IS HIGHLY ALKALINE. IT SHOULD NOT BE CONSUMED, USED ON SKIN AS A SCRUB, ETC(which you might be knowing very well). IT IS SAFE AND VERY GOOD FOR CLEANING AND CAN BE VERY USEFUL FOR YOU ON USING PROPERLY.
If you like the post, don’t forget to share it!
Which of these hacks are you planning to use? So, what are your thoughts on borax now?
Now we hope that this post was helpful for you in knowing the amazing uses of borax. If there is anything which we have not covered here or you would like to know more about, feel free to get in touch with me. Share it with friends!