Borax is a cheap magic additive. First it makes the detergent more effective. The clothes will be cleaner and dust mites cannot live in it. Children and adults would eliminate dust mite allergies. But the other great attribute is that it kills 100% of mold.
In the wash cycle Borax provides a great boost to the cleaning, kills mold and dust mites and other parasites. It is about the gentle alkaline of the Borax. These bad actors just can't survive in Borax. But Borax should also be added to the last rinse.
Borax permeates the fabric and makes the fabric smell fresh, but the borax particles remaining are actually good for the skin, eliminating body odors, killing mold, parasites, fungus, and dust mites as your body contacts them. But here is the big problem. To maximize the wash Borax needs to be part of the detergent. To provide an even more protective barrier it needs to be added to the last rinse so it remains in the dry fabric after the wash.
Borax is so cheap and does so much. Why washing machine designers do not provide options to inject Borax at multiple times is something that has always perplexed me. For front loader machines Borax is an absolute "must". It prevents mold and mildew around the door seal and does so automatically. Instead of chlorine which destroys the rubber seal. Borax added to the wash and rinse would keep the front load machine fresh and clean forever with no fuss or muss.
The big question is when and how to add it? Adding it with the clothes would help, but the addition to the last rinse is the most crucial point to introduce Borax. Any feedback would be appreciated.
By old chemist from Midwest
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I agree Borax is wonderful, but I thought front loaders can only use liquid cleaners. I just cleaned under the tray that holds the detergents, and it was awful covered in mold.
No, most front load washers can use both powder or liquid detergent. For the liquid, my washer has a removable insert with a maximum level, that is only used for liquid detergent. Today I used Borax for the first time. I put it in the detergent compartment together with my granular Persil HE. It worked very well. On one load, I also poured (by mistake) some Borax in the softener place (as softener and detergent places are next to each other).
Interesting but leaves me a couple of questions. First, HOW MUCH borax do you suggest adding per wash load? Second, I have a top loader machine that is several years old.
I don't have a front loader. Do they have a liquid fabric softener dispenser? Dissolve some borax in a little hot water (like 1/3 cup), put it in the dispenser and see how that works.
How much borax do I mix with 1/3cup.
of warm water to put in rinse compartment
How much warm water do I use with 1/3 cup of borax to add to the last rinse copartment
I'm out of Borax at the moment but look on your box.Does it list a web site you can log onto? Or maybe google Borax. It is the greatest booster though.
I have an LG front loader. I put about 1/4 cup of borax and baking soda (that I have already premixed) into the prewash cup, and then add white vinegar to it and to the softener cup.
So far so good. I have had the machine for three years with no problems yet. I have also wiped out the rubber gasket inside the machine as that is where the old detergent seems to collect and get slimy, and I leave the door open and pull out the detergent drawer when the machine is not in use.
Hello,
Can you use it with clothes? I clean my Maytag HE frontloader with 'tide' washing machine cleaner, without clothes as instructed on the box.
I have used Borax in my front loader for 2 years. I use it in every wash by putting 1/3 cup in with the liquid detergent. It is a powder of course, but has never caused a problem.
I've used 20 Mule Team Borax in my washing machines for years with excellent results. Never a problem whatever. I use it in both the full wash cycle, then again as a final rinse.
If you have a top-loading machine, just run your laundry all the way through the complete wash and rinse cycles, then reset the control to wash, and again add about half a cup of Borax. You'll have to be able to catch it before it starts to drain though.
Switch the control to the Final Spin Cycle, and let it spin out...then into the dryer it goes.. (or out on the clotheslines). I set a timer for 10 minutes so that I never have a problem catching it in time to switch to Final Spin. The Borax really makes a lot of difference in the way your clothes feel and look and smell. If you want to, add a little bit of liquid Snuggle or Downy in with the Borax, and your clothes will be as soft and as fragrant as you could wish for.
Doing laundry is one of my favorite household chores. That and cooking or baking, and I'm luck to have our laundry room right next to the kitchen. I can do both pretty much at the same time.
Even if I have to go away before my laundry is finished, I can always come back, reset the machine to Wash...for 10 minutes with the Borax, then to Final Spin, and it's ready to go into the dryer.
You can do exactly the same thing with a Front-loading machine too. You just have to pay attention to the cycles of each machine and be ready to stop and change it.
Good Luck. Julia in Boca Raton, FL
I have GE front loading washer and in the detergent drawer it has 3 slots for detergent (powder or liquid), bleach, and softener.
I wander if I can mix Borax and powder detergent (I do that with Calgon). For rinsing, I guess it could work if Borax it put in the softener place. My washer mixes softener with the rinsing water. But, honestly I don't use softener, and I am afraid to use Borax in rinsing cycle.
Mix Borax with Hot Water, Pour down detergent dispeenser
Step 1
I put 1/2 cup of Borax with hot water. It doesn't quite dissolve completely, so while poured it into the front loader detergent dispenser, I kept stirring with a spoon. It all went down. Then I added the liquid detergent. Worked fine. First time I ever used it, WOW, the whites really DID come out whiter!
Remove Crisco Stains From Cotton Sheets Due to Adult Night Time Activities.
Step 1
It is nearly impossible to remove Crisco stains from cotton sheets left there from adult night time activities.
Step 2
First time I read everything about it because my sheets came out filthy, smelly and stained. One site said to spray the sheets with WD-40 first! I did that and tried everything on the grocery store and nothing worked. And the SMELL of Crisco a week later even on laundered sheets---it smells like a stockyard! I threw those sheets away, they were ruined and they were expensive!
Step 3
2nd time it happened, I tried Borax and it worked and this is what I did. First, you need REALLY HOT WATER FOR THIS TO WORK, so I turned up the water heater a couple notches, ran an empty load to get rid of the cold water in the pipes. Used 1/2 cup Borax, regular well-known HE detergent (I have a front loader), used soak cycle for 1/2 hour, high speed spin to squeeze as much out. Then did a normal wash, hotwater, borax and detergent, double rinse, high speed spin.
Step 4
The Crisco stains were completely removed. No stockyard smell from old Crisco stains, either. Now I wish I had not thrown those expensive sheets away earlier.
What kind of adult nighttime activities you doing to get Crisco stains on your sheets?
That's a very good reason never to ingest or have anything to do with Crisco again! Use coconut oil instead. It's better for you, and everyone else, and your sheets. "Coconut oil is found to be rich in antibacterial, anti-aging, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties."
Mix equal parts dawn , tide and water in a spray bottle and spray stains a half hour before washing and it will remove most anything.
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