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.
Borax can be substituted by a number of natural ingredients, including vinegar, baking soda and coffee grinds. Many people substitute out Borax because of its harmful qualities.
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.
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.
Mixing baking soda and sugar is the best combination that you can use to eliminate pesky ants. The sugar will lure ants, and the baking soda will kill them eventually, and it works the same as borax. If you want a safer bait for ants, baking soda is the one as it is non-toxic.
If you mix it incorrectly, it won't kill the ants because they likely won't eat it in the first place. You also may not use the right amount of the treatment.
If you can find their entry points or trails, use Borax there for the best results. The ants won't eat it, but they'll still walk through it and carry the natural poison back to their colonies where it will infect their stored food sources.
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.
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. It inhibits fungi, mold, and bacteria.
And, if you're someone that's into green cleaning, these solutions certainly go against your goals. Luckily, both Borax and vinegar are completely safe cleaning products! By using Borax cleaning powder diluted with vinegar and warm water, you're able to effectively remove any mold problems.
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.
A roach that steps in borax won't die instantly. Instead, they'll go back to their hiding place before eating the borax dust their legs picked up. You might not see the dead bugs lying around out in the open but you should notice a drop in their numbers in a week or two.
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.
However, boric acid is more refined and processed than borax. It is also essential to take extreme caution when using either of these products around children and pets, as they can be toxic if ingested. Boric acid is one of the most effective insecticides that comes in tablet, liquid, powder, or trap form.
The main forms of borax are anhydrous and decahydrate salt and sometimes pentahydrate salt.
The borate salts include sodium tetraborate, disodium octaborate and sodium metaborate. 1 Both sodium tetraborate and disodium octaborate occur in several hydration states. Sodium tetraborate decahydrate is also known as borax.
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.
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.
Borax Substitute is sodium sesquicarbonate - a mineral compound, with similar pH to borax, making it ideal for cleaning and laundry. It is gentler than Soda Crystals yet stronger than Bicarbonate of Soda.
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.
Reaction of Borax with Hydrogen
Sodium borate reacts with hydrogen peroxide and gives peroxoborate as a result.
Ingredients. Borateem is 98.7 percent borax with tribromsalan, a microbiocide, and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, an insecticide (but more importantly, a common laundry detergent).
How long does it take for borax to kill ants? Borax has a low toxicity rate for humans and pets, but it's very fatal to ants once they consume it. Ants that eat a borax bait will typically die within 24-48 hours. Ants also help by doing some work for you.