25 Uses for Borax, "The Miracle Mineral"

As a kid, I can remember watching "Death Valley Days" on TV narrated by Ronald Reagan and Dale Robertson.  The main sponsor of the show was 20-mule team Borax.  It's been years since I've heard or seen anything about Borax, but recently I ran across a couple of articles on the Internet extolling its virtues.  Here is a composite of those articles.

Borax, or "the miracle mineral," has long been hailed as a natural solution for just about everything in the home. This substance is naturally occurring, eco-friendly and is mostly used as a cleaning agent. Its uses, however, are many and varied.

Make sure to heed this safety warning when using Borax:

Just because borax is natural, that doesn't mean it's harmless. You should always use gloves when handling it and keep it out of reach of children and pets. While safe in the diluted solutions, borax could be very harmful to children and pets if ingested.

PEST CONTROL

1. Keep roaches, waterbugs, and ants away by sprinkling a combination of equal parts all-natural borax and sugar.

2. Keep the mice out by sprinkling borax on the floor along the wall.

3. Get rid of bed bugs by sprinkling borax on your mattress. Let it sit and vacuum it up.

4. Kill fleas by sprinkling borax on your carpet. Leave it for an hour and vacuum it up thoroughly.

CLEANING

5. Scrub dirty pots and pans with a mixture of 1 teaspoon of borax and warm water. Because borax is non-abrasive, it will work on the grime without damaging the surface material.

6. Remove a stubborn stain by mixing 1 cup of borax with 2 cups of warm water and apply the paste directly to the stain. Let it sit, then launder as usual. Remove carpet stains by dampening the stain thoroughly and rubbing some borax on it. Vacuum it then finish it off with a vinegar and water solution. Let it dry and repeat if necessary. Use this same method on soiled mattresses. It will get rid of both the odor and stain.

7. Remove rust by mixing the above solution with a tablespoon of lemon juice.

8. Make an all-purpose cleaner by mixing 2 tablespoons borax and 2 cups hot water in a spray bottle.

9. Removes oxidation from metals with borax. The ingredient is also used as a flux in welding.

10. Make your own floor and wall cleaner by mixing 1/3 cup borax, 1 tablespoons ammonia and 1 teaspoon dish detergent into 1 gallon of water.

11. As a laundry detergent, add one cup of borax to each load and significantly boost your cleaning power.

12. Remove stains from stainless steel or porcelain sinks with this recipe: Make a paste with 1 cup borax and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Using a sponge or cloth, rub the stain with the paste. Rinse with warm water.

13. Clean your toilet with this solution: Dissolve 1/2 cup of borax with 1 gallon of water. Scrub the toilet with a strong brush, let it sit and flush to rinse. This non-abrasive cleaner can also be used in the bathtub or on counters.

14. Clean outdoor furniture by washing it with this mildew zapping solution: In a spray bottle, mix 1 teaspoon dish detergent, 1 teaspoon borax and 1 quart warm water.

15. Make your own dishwasher detergent by mixing 1tablespoons borax and 1tablespoons baking soda.


DEODORIZING

16. Minimize odor in your cat's litter box by mixing a few tablespoons of borax in with the litter.

17. Clean your garbage disposal by putting 3 tablespoons of borax down the drain. Let it sit for an hour and flush it with warm water. This will sanitize it, taking care of any smelly bacteria.

18. Remove mildew and mustiness from linens by soak them in 2 cups of borax mixed with 2 quarts of water. Let the linens sit for a few hours, then rinse them clean.

19. Unclog drains with 1/2 cup of borax followed by 2 cups of boiling water. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then run your water for a few minutes to flush it out.

20. Remove urine odor from a mattress. Wet the mattress rub in borax with a damp cloth. Let dry, then vacuum up the remaining residue.

21. Deodorize and clean your fridge by washing it with a borax and water solution.

22. Deodorize your garbage pail by filling it with borax and water. Let it soak then rinse it out. Sprinkle some borax in the bottom once it's clean. This will keep the bugs away and absorb any odor causing moisture.


OTHER USES

23. Kill weeds by sprinkling borax where you've seen weeds previously appear. This is useful for weeds that surface in concrete cracks and on walkways, but shouldn't be used in the garden because it will also kill your plants. Sprinkle some borax around the perimeter of the house too and you'll be free from ants and other intruding insects.

24. Soften your water when doing laundry by adding borax to the load.

25. Bring life back to your worn china by soaking it in a sink full of warm water and a 1/2 cup of borax. Rinse well and wash a second time as usual.

Along with these 25 household solutions, borax is used commercially as an ingredient in enamel glaze, adhesives, ink for indelible pens and is more recently being used in place of Mercury for extracting gold in smaller scale mining operations. In some countries, borax is used as a food additive, but is not approved for use as such in the United States.

How To Save On Razor Blades

This technique works on my Gillette Fusion. I use a rough towel as well. Putting a razor away wet shortens its life significantly, so at a minimum thoroughly dry the blades after use.

The Frugal Person's Attitude Toward Credit Cards

At best they are a necessary evil in today's society as more and more shopping is done through online stores.  At worst they are a temptation to spend and live beyond our means so the credit card companies can dip into our wallets for a continuous stream of fees and interest income.  They run contrary to the goals of the frugal who are trying to live below their means and kept debt off of the family balance sheet.  So in this day and age of electronic commerce what is a frugal person to do:

1. Use cash and debit cards wherever possible.  There is nothing wrong with being old-fashioned and there were some sound financial principles in the way our grandparents coming out of the Great Depression handled their money.  
2. Carry no more than 1 to 2 credit cards in your wallet and use them sparingly.  Credit cards do have a purpose when it is impossible to use cash to make a purchase, or when emergencies arise that require large expenditures.
3. Only get credit cards with reward programs.  Might as well get something in return.
4. Pay off the entire credit card balance religiously each month.   Avoid all interest charges and fees.  If you can't, stop charging and cancel the credit card immediately.
5. Resist temptation for frivolous purchases.  Advertisers play on our human weaknesses everyday to convince us to buy things we don't really need.  Tune them out.
6. Don't use credit cards to build credit scores.  Contrary to what I've read on many money blogs, credit cards are not a tool to be used to build credit scores.  They should be used sparingly, and only for necessary purchases.
7. Don't set a bad example for your children.   If little eyes see you swiping your credit card for every purchase, they will fail to realize that items cost real money, and you are helping to establish their attitude about money.
   

Credit cards are a losers game for most consumers who cannot control their impulse to spend.  Frugal people should be wary of this temptation and discipline themselves to continue to live within their means.  If the temptation to spend cannot be resisted, then ditch the credit cards; go back to a cash only world.