7 Effective Household Uses for Borax
Borax has been around for hundreds of years, and we're constantly coming up with new ways to use it for cleaning solutions. Lately, it's being used as major ingredient in the viral trend of slime making, kids love it. Although Borax is a natural mineral, that doesn't mean it doesn't require taking a bit of precaution before using it. As long as you keep it away from your face, you should be in the clear, overall it is safe for household uses.
What is Borax? Officially, it's sodium borate, which is a salt of boric acid. It's soft, white, and a soluble crystal. Common warnings with this compound are skin and eye irritation, redness, and pain. However, a lot of products in your house have these same warnings (i.e. vinegar), but since we know how to handle these correctly, there is no need to worry. Let's take a look at some of our favorite uses for Borax.
Common Household Uses for Borax:
- Whiten Your Clothes: Add 1/2 cup of Borax directly onto your load of clothes, and this will help remove stains and odors present. It's also a great bleach alternative.
- All-Purpose Cleaner: Just mix two cups of water with two tablespoons of Borax and add this solution to a spray bottle to use around the house.
- Weed Killer: Lightly disperse Borax onto any weeds present in your driveway or sidewalks, and the powder will work to kill the annoying greens.
- Carpet Cleaner: Use one cup of Borax, two cups of cornmeal, and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Spread this over your carpet, and leave it to sit for a little over an hour. Vacuum up any remnants, and enjoy your fresh carpets!
- Deodorize the Trash Can: Mix Borax and water together and pour some into your garbage can. Let the solution sit for an hour or so, then rinse it out. To keep moisture and insects out, sprinkle more Borax in the bottom.
- Rust Remover: Combine one tablespoon of Borax, one tablespoon of lemon water, and one quart of lukewarm water. Pour this into any rusted container, let it soak, then dump out and rinse.
- Kid's Slime: Pour four ounces of glue into a bowl, along with four ounces of lukewarm water and some drops of food coloring. In another bowl, mix 1/2 cup of water and one teaspoon of Borax together, then pour this mixture into the first bowl. Stir together until your slime starts to form.
As you can see, Borax has a multitude of helpful uses around the house when cleaning, doing laundry, or occupying your kids for the day. Use Borax safely and smartly by not ingesting it, putting it near your eyes, or leaving your children unsupervised when using it. Borax is perfectly safe for cleaning and isn't harmful when properly taken care of.
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