7 Uses for Borax Around the Home
By on Jan 23rd 2019
If you’re trying to be less wasteful, you’re probably interested in products that are very versatile. Why buy multiple products if just one will do the job of many?
Borax is one of those versatile products that has uses throughout the home and industrial sector. This particular product can be used in everything from homemade slime, to all-purpose cleaner and even a stain remover. Learn all about Borax and its various uses that can help make your life easier.
What is Borax?
Borax is a natural mineral compound discovered over 4,000 years ago. This naturally-occurring product is often found deep underground, but has been mined near the surface in Death Valley, California since the 19 th century. It has a number of industrial uses, as well as in the home, particularly as a cleaner.
Life Hacks for using Borax around the home
If you have a box of Borax tucked away in your laundry room, make sure you’re making the most out of it with these 7 life hacks:
Brighten Whites
Did you know that Borax can be added to your laundry to make your white clothes even brighter? Borax cleans and bleaches clothes because when added to water (especially hot water), it converts some of the water molecules into hydrogen peroxide (H 2O2). Additionally, because Borax has a pH around 9.5, it created a basic solution in water that increases the effectiveness of bleach and cleaners.
To create your own laundry boost, simply add ½ cup borax to your laundry! For more stubborn stains, mix ½ cup of borax with a cup of warm water soak your clothes for thirty minutes before laundering.
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Clean Hairbruses
It’s a good idea to clean your hairbrush regularly as products like hairspray and dry shampoo can buildup. Using a dirty hairbrush on clean hair can make your hair look and feel dull/dirty, too. About once a week (or at least a few times per month) you can clean your brush my soaking it in a mixture of ¼ cup borax, one tablespoon dish soap, and warm water. Rinse well to make sure all soap residue is gone.
Add Nutrients to Plants
Did you know that plants need boron? Borax is a boron compound and can be used as a micronutrient fertilizer in boron-deficient soils. You can scatter one cup of borax around the base of fruit tress every 3-4 years if needed. Just be careful if you have pets that may encounter the borax.
Make Your Own Herbicide
If you use Borax to supply nutrients to plants and trees, it’s important not to overdue it because too much boron will actually kill your plants. For this reason, Borax can be used as an herbicide to kill weeds. Simply mix 1 cup of borax with 2 gallons of water and spray only the weeds.
Sources:
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2018, December 29). The Chemistry of How Borax Works as a Cleaner (Sodium Borate). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-does-borax-clean-60...
