What is Borax?
Borax is a staple household item that you should be stocking up on. If you haven’t used Borax for all kinds of things, you are missing out on this powerful powder. Below, you will learn what borax is, if it is safe and the many uses for borax around the home! Note that Borax is a product name, and borax is also a chemical found in the earth.
Did you know that borax is used in many different commercial applications? It is a sodium borate or sodium tetraborate that naturally occurs in a mineral mined from the evaporated lakes in California and Turkey.
It is an ingredient in many household cleaning products, a buffer in chemical laboratories, a way to help extract gold in mining operations, and is used as a component of glass and ceramics.
Since borax is in many household products and used commercially, many wonder if it is safe.
The short answer to this question is yes. However, borax must be used responsibly. Many chemicals used today contain carcinogens. According to the Harmful Substances Database, borax is not one of those chemicals. It has not been classifiable as a human carcinogen.
Although borax is considered safe by the HSDB, it is important to note that like other household substances, borax can have a mildly irritating effect on your skin. Items such as baking soda and washing soda will have the same effect. It can also be toxic to adults if ingested in LARGE amounts. It can be fatal to children if ingested in SMALL amounts.
This means that borax is perfectly safe as long as you don’t plan to ingest it and to keep it away from children just like any other household cleaning product.
So, what do you use borax for?
Although many people use borax in slime and as a washing agent, it actually has a lot of practical uses around the home. Here are some of the ways you can use it and why you should keep it stored for use by your family:
One of the most well-known uses for borax is for laundry. You can add borax into your laundry to make it come out brighter and cleaner. It is also a great agent in getting those tough stains out. But, I would suggest using it to make your own laundry soap.
Because borax produces a basic solution in water, it helps to boost the effectiveness of other cleaning ingredients. Laundry soap is going to be in high demand in the event of a disaster. You can always be prepared and have clean laundry by making your own. Check out my video to learn how.
Related: How to Have Clean Laundry When the Power is Off
Put these 3 ingredients in a blender to blend and grate the Fels-Naptha even more. After doing this, it will look just like the store purchased detergent, but will not include all the “fillers.” You will use less product per load and will have less “bubbles.” Remember, just having bubbles doesn’t mean clean. I use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per load. I have a HE-High Efficiency washer, and it works great in regular washing machines as well. ***Please note: I now use only 1/2 teaspoon per load in my large capacity HE washer.
If you are into being prepared, you may have fruit trees on your property. If there is a disaster, you may not be able to find fruit tree food. Instead, you can sprinkle a cup of borax around a full-sized apple tree every 3-4 years. This will add the mineral boron to the soil which is what your fruit trees need for good cell wall growth and seed development.
From cockroaches and ants to water bugs, borax works great at getting rid of household pests. Sprinkle equal parts of borax and sugar wherever you think the bugs are entering your home. You can also use this in your shed or garage.
If your animals have fleas, you can use it to kill them. Sprinkle borax on the animal beds, carpets, and wherever you think the fleas are hatching. Leave it to sit for an hour then vacuum.
Borax makes an effective herbicide. This means you can sprinkle it on the weeds around your home and those that come up in your sidewalk cracks to get rid of them.
In addition to using borax for laundry, you can use it to clean other things as well. Here are some cleaners you can make using borax:
Borax is a natural deodorizer like baking soda. To deodorize your fridge, mix up a solution of 1 tablespoon of borax to 1 quart of warm water. Use it to clean your fridge. Not only will it clean, but it will leave your refrigerator smelling great.
Ok, I know this isn’t really a “use,” but it’s fun. If you have no power, which means no TV, this is a great activity that will keep the kiddos occupied for a while. Here is an easy way to make slime with borax:
Ingredients:
Directions:
You can buy borax from any retail store. However, I would recommend getting 20 Mule Team Borax. This is because it is 100% natural and 99.5% pure. This means it is even safer for you and the environment than regular borax.
Because borax is so versatile, it should be something you stock up on in case of a disaster. From cleaning to feeding your fruit trees, this is something you want to have around. But, how much should you store?
Depending on your family size, I would suggest stocking at least 5 boxes of borax at any given time. If you plan to use borax for all your household cleaning, laundry, and other stuff, you may want to store more.
What do you use borax for in your home? I would love to know of anything that isn’t on the list! Share it in the comments below for others to see. Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world, Linda
So now we have to add 20 Mule Team Borax to the list of other must have, extremely useful and versatile items such as duct tape or duck tape, WD-40, Vinegar (White and Apple Cider), Baking Soda, bleach, Vaseline and Vicks’ Vaporub.
It’s not only interesting to learn of alternate uses for common products, but it can come in handy, provides overlapping redundancy and can save us money. As preppers this knowledge is a potential lifesaver.
And I like slime recipes, so that was a nice bonus.
Oh Frank, I always LOVE your comments!!! It looks like we have the same list of must-haves, that’s what preppers do! Yes, slime is a bonus for us!! Happy Saturday, Frank! Linda
I love all of your posts! Thank you for them! I do have a question about borax. How do you store it so it doesn’t solidify? I’ve left mine in the box and it has turned into a brick. Thanks!
Hi LuAnne, mine does not go hard. I’m wondering if you live where it’s humid?? I wonder if you could store it in mason jars that are airtight? Maybe the 1/2 gallon size. How do you store salt or sugar where you live? I live in the desert where it’s very dry and therefore mine is okay. Linda
Hi Linda. Thanks for responding. Yes, I live in Virginia and it is very humid. I didn’t think about the difference in climate and thought you would have a method of storage. I store my laundry detergent in glass and that works fine but that is a lot of mason jars for 5 boxes. Do you think a gamma seal lid would work? Would I need oxygen absorbers? I have never used them before.
Lu Anne
In Australia borax is sold in plastic containers with well fitting re-sealable lids. Our summers can be very humid but I’ve had no problems using these containers. Occasionally lumps develop but they are easy to break up.
Hi Carol, thank you for letting us know about the plastic containers. Linda
HI LuAnne, a reader mentions she buys her Borax in plastic with well-fitting containers. I would look for some of those. Do not use an oxygen absorber. Two things you never want to use oxygen absorbers in salt and sugar, (maybe Borax?) they become bricks. Look for some plastic containers. I would start with smaller containers compared to 5-gallon buckets. I don’t deal with humidity, let’s see what readers say. Linda
keep my borax in plastic buckets with tight fitting lids it keeps really well I live in Florida and it is very humid here most all year. I use borax a lot especially in my home made laundry soap. I also use it in my garage and around the doors and cracks to ward off pests like ants and roaches.
Hi Deborah, I think that’s the trick, plastic containers in humid areas!! Thank you so much, Linda
Hi Brenda, I would contact Borax directly, they know the ingredients better than me. Linda
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I’m Linda Loosli. I’m the owner and editor of Food Storage Moms. I’m so happy you’ve found us. Our goal at Food Storage Moms is to help “one family at a time.”
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What is Borax?
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