Mix the warm water with the borax until dissolved. In a spray bottle, add in this borax water, vinegar, and soap. Give it a little shake. This works exceptionally well on ceramic showers, outside of toilets, sinks, bathroom counters, bathroom floors, and anything around the bathroom.
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.
You can use this to clean surfaces in your kitchen or bathroom. Borax helps fight odors that are caused by mold and mildew. Spray some on workout clothing or use in moist environments like bathrooms to keep things smelling fresh.
Borax is an abrasive scouring powder that can get rid of mold and mildew and remove soap scum. However, using this cleaning agent – even when diluted with water – can harm the surface of your tub, eating away at it over time.
Both baking soda and Borax are effective because they are alkaline and abrasive. But Borax has a higher PH than baking soda, making it a slightly harsher but arguably more effective cleaning agent.
While the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies borax as being noncarcinogenic, it does pose some risks, including: skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. digestive problems. infertility.
Borax isn't just great for cleaning laundry. It works well on your grout, too. Use a damp sponge to rub Borax into the grout. Let it sit for 5-15 minutes.
Clear a clogged drain
Before you reach for a caustic drain cleaner to unclog that kitchen or bathroom drain, try this much gentler approach: Use a funnel to insert 1/2 cup borax into the drain, then slowly pour in 2 cups boiling water. Let the mixture set for 15 minutes, then flush with hot water.
Let the Borax solution set for 20 minutes, then rinse. For your shower head, place the mixed Borax solution in a plastic bag and tie it around the showerhead. Let it sit down for 30 minutes, remove the bag, and wipe off the showerhead.
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.
Vinegar and Borax Are Safe to Use In HE Washers.
It is quite strongly alkaline, so it's probably best to wear gloves if you are putting it into washing up water or using it for cleaning surfaces. It's not very reactive which means that it can be safely combined with other cleaning products. Don't mix it with acids or store it with acids.
Some delicate fabrics, whether white or colored, are labeled as cold-wash only. However, borax readily dissolves only in warm or hot water.
Borax is a common household cleaner with a pH between 9 and 10. Its alkalinity makes it a great cleaning product for mold and mildew removal without the risks of bleach.
It serves as an excellent way to clean your tiles and your tile grout to get them looking shiny and new again. You can clean using a simple mixture of water and borax. Alternately, you can make a mixture of borax, soap, and vinegar, and you'll have the perfect, at-home cleaning solution for your floors.
Mix Cleaning Solution
To remove everyday dirt and debris, mix two parts baking soda with one part water. For stained or discolored grout, mix two parts baking soda with one part vinegar. And if you have coarse or fragile tiles, mix two parts baking soda with one part hydrogen peroxide.
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.
Instead of sprinkling borax in the bottom of your trash can, try baking soda or used (or fresh) coffee grinds, which all work wonders. You can also use baking soda and water to clean your trash can. Throw in some vinegar for extra odor-fighting action.
Robin Jacobson, a pediatrician at NYU Langone Medical Center, warns families to stay away from the white powder altogether. "Borax can cause burns, especially when you touch it multiple times," she says. "When you're mixing it up, Borax can get in the air and irritate your airways.
Washing soda (sodium carbonate) has a very high pH level, making it an extreme alkaline compound that is very effective as a cleaning agent. Borax (sodium tetraborate) pH levels aren't as high as washing soda, and it doesn't have the same cleaning power as washing soda.
Amongst many other advantages, Borax assists in the saponification of any organic oils and fats that may be soiling the linen weave. Oxiclean on the other hand is a fully built Hydrogen Peroxide producing, colour-safe bleach additive which can be used as a soaker or as a detergent additive.
Borax (sodium tetraborate) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) aren't the same thing. They're both salts, and they're both popular as “green” household cleaning agents, but borax has a pH of 9.5, compared to baking soda's pH of 8.