Whether you choose liquid or powder, you'll see better results if you select a heavy-duty detergent over a bargain brand that offers the most cleaning ingredients. You can also add 1/2 cup laundry borax to each load.
Soften Hard Water
Hard water prevents laundry detergent from working as it should leaving your clothes gray and dingy. Since borax contains sodium4, adding one-half cup per load helps to soften the wash water, so your clothes come out looking great.
The most accessible water softeners to add to your wash routine are Calgon and Borax. Both can be found in the laundry aisle, and both are effective for softening hard water.
Add ½ cup of Borax for every gallon of water and allow to completely dissolve in the water. Add ½ cup of washing soda for every gallon of water. Add ¾ cup of laundry detergent for every gallon of water.
6. Keep pests away from your house. Keep pesky bugs away by sprinkling Borax around your home. Borax can be an effective way to keep pests away from your house because it acts as a natural insecticide.
Disinfectant. 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.
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.
Vinegar and Borax Are Safe to Use In HE Washers.
Oxiclean powder is essentially washing soda with sodium percarbonate, which turns into hydrogen peroxide. It's color safe and works great to get rid of stains and keeps whites white and colors bright. It's also much safer / less toxic than Borax. Borax works well too, helps get rid of stains, and whitens clothes.
How 20 Mule Team Borax helps. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral that is known for its water softening abilities. Water softening occurs when calcium and magnesium are removed from “hard” water by exchanging with sodium ions.
Here's how to make the most of your washer. The first step is to heat the water itself so that it is most effective when paired with the Borax. Hot water helps to make the Borax more soluble so it works its way into the clothing and gets an even deeper clean.
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.
The solubility of most solids increases with temperature. In other words, more Borax may be dissolved in hot water than cold water. So if a hot, saturated mixture is cooled, there's more Borax than can be contained by the colder water, and so Borax may fall out of the mixture, forming crystals.
Ants that eat a borax bait will typically die within 24-48 hours.
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.
Clear your drains
Clear clogged sinks by pouring a solution of one part borax to four parts boiling water down the drain. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then flush with hot water. Here are a few tips for making a homemade drain cleaner.
Baking soda won't strip your laundry as well as borax or washing soda (more on that shortly), but it's also gentler on fabrics, and you're more likely to have it on hand!
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.
Kill Boxelder Beetles and Other Pests
Ants aren't the only thing borax will kill. In fact, many companies make borax insecticides designed to get rid of household pests. Sprinkle borax powder along the edges of your sidewalk, foundation, and driveway to get rid of boxelder beetles and cockroaches.
Borax, also known as sodium tetraborate, is a naturally occurring salt mineral with amazing cleaning properties. Because borax is used in its natural state, it doesn't have any added chemicals. This makes it safer for use in clothing than your typical store-bought cleaning agents.
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.
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.