What do I do with Borax?

[changingseasons]

I know... that's probably a stupid question.

I was told it was a good way to get rid of ants, so I finally found some and now have this huge box of it sitting on my shelf. No idea what else to do with it. (BTW- I did mix some with a little sugar, the ants went crazy for it. That was yesterday... we'll see if it actually worked.)

What do you use it for? Just for laundry? Is it good for throwing in all loads of laundry, or just stained? Can I use it in my cloth dipes wash? Does it leave residue? Is it toxic??

What else? It's a big box... I need some creative ideas of how to use it up.

[kamilla626]

I used to toss about a 1/4 cup in with my laundry as sort of a "booster", as well as in the dishwasher, and then I also used much less detergent. I don't know if it made a difference, but it felt better being able to use less soap.

I say "used to" only because I sort of forgot about Borax for a while. I ran out, then just kept forgetting to buy it.

As for the ants - I always heard that boric acid (not the same as Borax) was what to use to get rid of them.

[marimara]

I use it in my laundry, every load, a little helps soften my hard water and lets my detergent work better. I use it to scrub tubs and sinks and counters. I go thru alot that way.

[Malva]

I use borax to make laundry soap.

1 bar grated soap
1 cup borax and
1 cup washing soda

Use 1 tbps per load. Works on diapers. Works on regular clothes. Works with cold water. Works with a HE washing machine.

If making your own laundry soap isn't your cup of tea, maybe you could give it to someone who could use it?

[riverscout]

I have borax around because it is one of the ingredients in one of my favorite homemade cleaners, Alice's Wonder Spray, from the book Clean House Clean Planet. It only takes a teaspoon though, so its not going to use up your whole box any time soon.

Since I have it around anyway, sometimes I toss it in the wash with some extra dirty stinky laundry. It seems to do the trick. I also use about a 1/4 cup to clean the toilet sometimes and it does a great job.

Unfortunately, it is mildly toxic, so keep it on a high shelf. It can cause skin and eye irritation, although I have never experienced either with it.

[ASusan]

I toss a half cup into the toilet and leave it at least a half hour, or over night. Swipe with brush - clean bowl!

[changingseasons]

Wow- I had no idea it had so many uses!! Thanks for the ideas. I will be washing and scrubbing and killing ants all over my house!!

[Ironica]

You can use the Borax to block ants out of areas they like. If they're coming in a window, dribble an unbroken line of Borax around the windowsill to block their path. If they're getting into the sink (in hot weather, they often look for a water source) create a berm of Borax around the entire basin. They just won't cross it. (If they do, it kills them. They're not *that* stupid.)

[quantumleap]

It's also used for tanning animal hides. Cause, you know, lots of people do such things these days.

I also use it in the toilet, in dirty loads of laundry, when I wash our hemp shower curtain (it kills off mold spores), and I toss about a tablespoon into a cleaning solution bottle with1 c vinegar, 7 drops of tto, 7 drops of lavendar and 7 drops of lemon eo and fill the rest up with water. We use this solution for messes that require more than vinegar and water (ie: when the dog pees on the floor, cleaning the oven, etc).