Amazing Borax

Posted on Fri May 2 2008

By: Heather Utendorf in Daily Green Tips

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Borax is an amazing and versatile cleaning agent that’s gentler on the environment and growing in popularity. Originally used to clean clothing, Borax is really so much more. It’s a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. Borax is another way to rid your home of caustic and earth damaging chemicals It’s found in the evaporation of seasonal lakes but most of the commercially sold comes from Turkey and Boron California. The uses range from the usual to the unusual, lik keeping ants out of your home. Touted for its natural whitening power, some people forgot that just because it’s natural it can still be harmful so always use precautions.

Here are some of the more unusual ways to use Borax:

• Borax is much gentler than bleach, so it’s a great whitener for children’s clothes and it has the added bonus of having a natural flame retardant quality too.

• It’s great to bring out the best in fine china too. Just by putting a ½ cup in clean water dip the china in and then rinse it will with clean water. It will sparkle like you wouldn’t believe!

• Preserving Flowers – Place the flowers you want to preserve in a box and then gently cover them with borax. Leave them covered in the box for 7-10 days. Carefully remove and clean with an artist’s brush. Now the flowers will stay fresh looking.

• Borax will make your toilet sparkle without flushing caustic chemicals down the drain.

• It will make your shower sparkle!

• Got fleas? Sprinkle borax all over the carpets and work it in with a clean broom. Leave it for a few hours and vacuum well. That will kill the fleas and their eggs. Although borax is natural, it’s best to have your animals in another room or outside when you’re doing this.

A note about the dangers of borax - yes, it is natural but it can still be harmful. Make sure that borax doesn’t get on food or is use it around food products. Still treat borax like a cleaning product and make sure to rinse every well before using! Using common sense, borax is a great way to keep your home clean while lessening your impact on the environment.

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