I have hardwood and tile floors. I tried everything to make them shine. One day I was in a hurry. I grabbed a bucket, put in about 1/2 cup of borax, filled it with hot water, and mopped all the floors.
If I was stranded on a desert island I would want a box of Borax (maybe a little food and water). My island would be very clean and odor free. Love Borax! I use Borateem or 20 Mule Team Borax whichever is cheaper. It is the only thing that will get rid of the scent of male cat urine. I put 1/3 cup in my frontloader and it gets rid of nearly every odor.
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Hi, I have seen some tips about using borax for many different things from cleaning to pest control. I looked every where for borax to no avail, but I did find a 12 oz.
My young boys love blueberries, and one got them all over a white shirt. I decided to put the shirt in a big bowl of water with about 1/8 cup of borax and left it in the sink overnight.
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I have a 17 month old daughter who has a heart defect, allergies to wheat and dairy, and is asthmatic. My landlord is currently wishing to send Rentokil to my home to treat woodworm which is rampant throughout the timbers of my home. Rentokil wishs to use borax and boric acid in order to treat the problem (Control Fluid SB). My concern is for my daughter who, as I have listed out above, may come to harm. Can you advise please?
Thank you.
By Julie E.
Julie, I think you should be asking your daughter's pediatrician or specialist about this. Surely they can give you better advice than us. I imagine they have a nurse who will speak to you.
Can somebody tell me if I can substitute bicarbonate of soda (easily available here) instead of borax (non-existent here) when I make up my own homemade washing powder?
You can also buy super washing soda for your laundry. just google it. It's available online if you can't find it at your local super market.
It depends what you are wanting to use the Borax for ---- 'bi carb' aka "baking soda" and/or washing soda are similar for softening hard water and thus allowing detergents to work better at cleaning clothes however Borax is a fabric 'friendly' bleach alternative - in Canada we have a product which promotes as the 'bleach for unbleachables' usually used on colored fabrics or those which bleach can harm! Sunlight itself also is a wonderful 'bleach alternative' you might try it!
from wat i can gather, best substitute for borax is clothes bleach. i can get that here so it wont be a problem to substitute. tks for all the suggestions.
No, it is not the same...Borax contains sodium tetraborate decahydrate.....(I copied it off the Box I have)....I found a 800 telephone number you can call to ask questions about it....perhaps you can call that number and find out where you can get it in your area.....Tele. #...1-800-457-8739
Borax is a brand name for washing soda which you referred to in your post.
I'm pretty sure bicarbonate of soda is baking soda. I wouldn't use it if you are also using vinegar-- the chemical reaction might create a foamy mess.
I had difficulty finding borax in the UK. Turns out they stopped making it in the summer and have now released a new thing called borax substitute. If you google it you should be able to buy it online. Hope that helps.
no borax isnt a brand name for washing soda,2 entirley different chemicals all together
i wanted to make slime but i do not have borax yet
Can anyone tell me what borax is? I see it used for many things and it does not seem to exist in my country. is there a substitute for it or is it a brand name? i live in Malta, Europe. Is there anyone out there who can help?
I don't know of a brand name that is sold in Europe, but Borax is "a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water." Where I grew up, we always used it as a water softener when doing the laundry. In the US it's sold in the laundry/cleaning supply aisle at the super markets. I hope this helps you locate Borax or an equivalent in Malta.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Borax, also called sodium borate, or sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.
Borax has a wide variety of uses. It is a component of many detergents, cosmetics, and enamel glazes. It is also used to make buffer solutions in biochemistry, as a fire retardant, as an anti-fungal compound for fibreglass, as an insecticide, as a flux in metallurgy, and as a precursor for other boron compounds.
The term borax is used for a number of closely related minerals or chemical compounds that differ in their crystal water content, but usually refers to the decahydrate. Commercially sold borax is usually partially dehydrated.
I read on another site that in Australia, they call Borax "washing powder."
Yes, Borax is a must to have around the house. Unfortunately it is not easily accessible in Malta. Certainly not in any laundry section or at hardware stores. I looked for it recently to get rid of an invasion of tiny black ants in my backyard which were making their way to my kitchen!
Borax is a natural chemical that contains the element, boron. It kills mold - and smells associated with mold - and mites, such as dust mites. It's also an effective fabric softener and boosts the cleaning power of laundry detergents. For these reasons it is used in the wash and/or rinse cycles of automatic clothes washers. It is commonly marketed in the US under the trade name of Boraxo. It is also widely used in making pottery. If you can't find it in a local store you might be able to get it at a pottery supply house.
in malta you can buy it here:
www.soapcafemalta.com/
Europe has banned the import of borax, that is why we cannot find borax here in Europe.
I just bought a 7kg front-load washer. I expect to use 1/2 cup borax per load. However, we normally wash in cold. Does borax dissolve effectively in cold water?
Thanks!
By CJ Hinke
Yes. I wash almost everything in cold water and use borax on my husbands grimy work and farm clothing.
It does. Its cheap and effective
I recently saw your video on youtube about cleaning mold with borax. The problem is I live in Holland and I can't find it at local stores.
Is bicarbonate sodium a good subtitute for cleaning mold out of my bedroom?
By Jamylle Vuyk
Yes I use bacon soda and hydrogen peroxide and vinegar its a whitening as well but after you get the stain out you might want to refresh your room walls with a coat or two 123 kiltz covers cleans looks great preventive maintenance n from stains coming back
Powdered borax has long been used to improve the cleaning power of laundry detergents.
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Borax is an effective ingredient in many cleaning recipes and also is a good laundry booster.
