Borax, or sodium tetraborate, is considered a safe alternative to chemical drain cleaners and other cleaning ingredients that could damage your pipes. This product can break debris down and disinfect surfaces. It's also commonly used as a booster for laundry detergent.
As mentioned above, borax is great at loosening up grime and debris, which makes it an excellent agent for unblocking a clogged up drain. Add half a cup of borax to the blocked drain, followed by two cups of boiling water.
Boric acid is another powerful cleaner that is also used in many commercial cleaning products. It can safely be used to break and remove tough clogs in all types of drain systems.
Baking soda and white vinegar are popular, all-natural cleaning supplies. You can use them on several surfaces throughout your home, including in your sink drains, to kill cockroaches and eliminate lingering odors. Start with ¼ cup of baking soda. Pour it down the drain, then follow with ½ cup of vinegar.
Borax has long been recognized for its disinfectant and deodorizing properties. Mix a 1/2 cup of Borax into 1 gallon of hot water or undiluted vinegar and clean with this solution. For a fragrant smell, add a few sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary or lavender to the above recipe.
Salt, Borax, and Vinegar
Start with 1/4 cup of salt, 1/4 cup of Borax, and then a 1/2 cup of vinegar. Add a pot of boiling water and let it sit for at least an hour or until it clears. Finally, rinse with hot tap water to clear all ingredients down the drain.
Borax acts as a buffer and raises the pH of the water to a slightly basic solution, right around a pH of 8. Don't use Borax at the same time as vinegar or you'll just create a nice little acid-base reaction and make salt.
Borax is also a great natural cockroach killer. Compared to most chemical pest control treatments, it's a relatively low-risk product.
Borax, or Sodium Tetraborate (Na2B4O7 • 10H2O), is made up of sodium, oxygen and boron. Boric acid is created from the mixture of borax with other naturally occurring minerals such as boracite and colemanite.
Borax can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if you ingest it by itself, and large amounts can lead to shock and kidney failure. It's banned in U.S. food products. It also can irritate your skin and eyes, and it can hurt your nose, throat, and lungs if you breathe it in.
Step 1: Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/4 cup table salt. Step 2: Pour the mixture down the drain. Step 3: Pour 1 cup heated vinegar down your drain; the concoction is going to foam and bubble. Step 4: Let the solution stand for 15 minutes (longer does not work any better).
Using Hydrogen Peroxide on a Clogged Drain
You can try pouring some down the drain directly, but for more effective drain clearing, follow these steps: Sprinkle about one cup of baking soda down the clogged drain and wait for 10 minutes. Pour one cup of hydrogen peroxide down the drain and wait for the foaming to stop.
The most common chemicals used to unblock sinks are Drano, hydrochloric acid, or caustic soda. Chemical drain cleaners can be effective at removing even the toughest clogs. They come in different forms, such as powder, liquid, or gel, so be sure to buy one that best suits your situation.
Clean Glass Shower Doors
“Mix two teaspoons of Borax, four cups of hot water, one teaspoon of Dawn Dish Soap, and four tablespoons of vinegar in a spray bottle,” share Crandall and Rosser.
First, make sure to keep it away from children's reach. Second, avoid using it as a cosmetic product and handle it with care at all times. This usually means wearing a mask and gloves when using it. Finally, do NOT mix Borax with any boric acid products, such as pesticides.
Make an all-purpose cleaning spray
To create an all-purpose spray, dissolve 2 teaspoons of borax into 4 cups of hot water, then mix with 1 teaspoon of dish soap and 4 tablespoons of vinegar.
Pour a Mixture Down Your Drain
You can get rid of any bugs that might be living in your drain by mixing a cup of white vinegar with a half cup of baking soda and salt.
Food particles are often washed down your kitchen drain and provide roaches with a never-ending buffet. Using a sink cleaner that is safe on drain pipes is recommended to clear any food particles from your drain. Don't leave dirty dishes or scraps from dinner in the kitchen sink, especially overnight.
Leaking pipes are open invitation cards, not to cockroaches only but plumbing leaks may attract many other household pests. The termites can also take the same route to march in your home. Unfortunately, you may not discover minor leakage in drain pipes until you spot a few cockroaches in the drain.
Borax is best known as a laundry aid, but it makes a great natural carpet cleaner. In addition to being free of phosphates and chlorine, borax is very affordable and readily available from discount stores such as Walmart and Target.
When it comes to killing pests, your best bet is boric acid. Borax should not be used as a pesticide, though some people confuse the two or think they are the same. Borax can kill pests, though it is not nearly as effective as boric acid. You will often find boric acid used in pesticides.