Uses For Borax In Your Home - Video Tips

There are so many uses for borax all around your home, and it amazes me all the time as readers share even more with me.

What follows is a long list of ways to use this natural product.

To start it out I've embedded this video that was created by the manufacturers of the most prevalent brand of this product, 20 Mule Team Borax sharing lots of ways this product can help you in your home.

Basically, the video states that borax powder can be used in your laundry, but also as a cleaner in other areas of your home.

In laundry it helps soften hard water to allow the detergents to work better, and that is how it is a "laundry booster."

Just add a 1/2 cup of borax to your wash (along with detergent) for this purpose. (3/4 of a cup for large loads).

In addition, use it as a deodorizer for clothing, but also for the fridge and garbage pails.

There are also many bathroom and kitchen cleaning uses as well, such as cleansing your fine china or as part of a homemade all purpose cleaner.

Here is the video for full details:

Borax Cleaning Powder {Referral Links}

So, how do you use borax in your home? You can tell me your own uses here, or read other borax powder tips already submitted.

In addition, here is my list of borax powder uses in your home for cleaning, laundry, stain removal and pest control.

Second photo by brookpeterson

Get Out Laundry Odors And Stains With Borax And Oxiclean

On Household Management 101 it was suggested to mix half and half of Oxiclean and Borax into an empty container, and then use one scoop (about 1/2 a cup) of this in all loads of laundry when you don't use chlorine bleach. This helps with both laundry odors and stains.

However, if you do use chlorine bleach in a load, use only borax, no Oxiclean.

The reason for this is that combining chlorine bleach and an oxygen bleach together just makes both of them ineffective.

It Works Wonders As A Pre-Soak

Sue says:

I have been using Borax for over a month to pre-soak baby clothes.

This is a wonderful product, i.e., great in removing stains as well as the related odors that come with spit ups, etc.

I also use it to soak some of my clothes that "attract" some of the same stains.

It seems like I always have at least one robe soaking at all times.

I recommend this product as an effective, but not harsh laundry product for baby clothes.

I also use it as an additive to my regular washes for general cleaning power, especially when I run a load of white shirts.

Tina says:

The most important factor for me in purchasing a laundry product is whether any of my household members will have allergic reactions.

In the past I have run into issues with other products. Borax has not caused any allergy issues and it is a terrific product for removing laundry stains, from baby clothes to older kids clothes, to my work clothes.

It works well on baby food, formula, grass, dirt, and sweaty shirts.

I mainly use it as a presoak. I always have a couple of soak buckets working hard for me prior to washing. The sooner you soak, the better the results.

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for these tips Sue and Tina.

I love presoaking! It is one of my favorite stain removal techniques because it is so easy to do, and so effective at the same time.

Borax Is Best For Smelly Workout & Gym Clothes

by Karen

I recently used this product to presoak, and also wash, some very dirty and smelly gym clothes my kids brought home for the holiday break.

I also use it to presoak my work out clothes, but they are washed more frequently than the gym clothes the kids "forget" to bring home.

It is excellent in removing dirt stains, and especially the odors associated with these clothes.

When my kids were younger I soaked all of their clothes with this product to remove baby food, formula, etc.

It is a natural product that works very hard on stains. I prefer using this product over chlorine or non chlorine bleaches.

Photo courtesy of hotmayo

Great For Carpet Stains Including Oil & Coffee

by Ann

Ann says:

I recently discovered borax as a carpet cleaner and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!

It took out (with almost NO effort) black oil from a very light colored carpet and coffee from another!!!

I mixed borax with hot water in a small bowl and scrubbed at the spots with a sponge...MAGIC!!

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for these tips Ann.

I actually wrote a page all about how to use this product to clean and remove stains from carpets because it is so great at it! You can find more tips and ideas there if you're interested.

Use It To Clean Up Bathroom Fixtures & Make Them Shine

by Andrea

I use it in my laundry detergent and to clean porcelain sinks/tubs and metal fixtures.

I have never seen the metal so shiny. It wasn't even that shiny when we moved in to our apartment!

Photo courtesy of coolmathteacher

Use For Borax - Get Rid Of Fleas In Your Carpet

Below is a video giving tips for using borax to get rid of fleas in your carpet.

The video is made by a professional in pest control, and he gives a four step process for using borax for fleas in your carpet.

The first step is to wash all the bedding and washable fabric items in your home where the fleas could be located, including pet bedding.

Second, you should thoroughly vacuum your carpet, rugs, mattresses and other non-washable items where the fleas could be located.

Third, use a shaker to apply the borax powder to the carpet and rugs.

Fourth, lightly rake the borax powder into the carpet fibers, making sure it gets deep in there where the fleas live, and where the flea larvae is located.

According to this professional the borax will get onto the fleas bodies and act as a desiccant to dry out the fleas and larvae, and to kill them.

It is not an instantaneous process, however, and does take some time so don't expect immediate results.

Here is the video for full details:

You can also read my article on homemade pest control remedies and recipes for around your home.

***Update: I got this comment from Beverly who said:

One of the simplest ways to determine a flea drawback is to examine your pets stomach area and along the inside of the back legs. The hair is thinner in this area and easier to identify fleas. You can get rid of fleas by applying borax to your pet. It's really effective and I tried it myself.

***End Update

Look On The Box For More Ideas Of How To Use Borax

by Tami
(Omaha, NE)

Tami had this to say about figuring out how to use borax:

Borax should enclose a booklet with the product to help everyone use the product more effectively.

Taylor says:

Tami, I agree with you.

There are lots of uses for this product around your home, but it isn't always obvious what they are.

I know that I recently bought a new box and it has a new design. (The picture at the top shows the new design.) ***Update: They've changed the packaging yet again since I wrote this. ***End Update

On the back of the new box it gave some suggestions for use.

Of course, it did not give all of the ones I and other readers have provided, but it at least gave a few suggestions, which I thought was helpful.

***Update: An SR101 reader wrote me to share the following, after she bought a new box of borax. She said:

There are some cool recipes on the back, and it also says on the box you can go to their website for even more ideas.

***End Update

I'm always looking for more ways to use this natural cleaner throughout my home! Share your tip here and I'll add it to the page.

Borax Cleaning Powder {Referral Links}

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