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Borax, also known as sodium borate (Na2B4O7.10H2), is a colorless, salt-like substance that can also be a white powder. Borax has a number of legitimate applications and is widely used in manufacturing as detergents, water softeners, and weak antiseptics. It is also used to make fertilizers, pesticides, and is sometimes found in pharmaceuticals. Some Asian cultures use Borax during food preparation as a firming agent, meat rub, preservative, or tenderizer.
 

 
Borax powder comes from sodium borate, a naturally occurring mineral. Borax has lots of applications and it’s widely used as a cleaning agent and in cosmetics.

You can usually buy Borax powder in the laundry section of local grocery stores. It has 2 to 3 year shelf life and must be kept away from excessive moisture.
 

 
You can purchase bulk quantities of Borax (sodium borate) online, however, the most common bulk weight is sold in 55-pound units. I purchase mine in the 55-lb resealable buckets. (found here ) . There are a few sellers who have the 50 lb size, but weight for weight and quality for quality the 55 lb I’ve been purchasing is the most economical.
 

 

 
The largest Borax deposits are found in Chile, California, Tibet and the southwestern U.S. Borax looks like white table salt, but its consistency is similar to that of powder. It is not reactive and flammable but is known for its toxicity.

The first confirmed use of this mineral occurred in the tenth century. It was utilized in China for ceramic glazes and since then, it has been utilized for everything from household cleaning to flea control and cosmetics.
 

 
Laundry – This powder doesn’t contain chlorine or phosphates. It functions efficiently as a laundry booster when pre-treating stains and doing regular and delicate wash loads. Borax controls alkalinity, deodorizes clothing and serves as a water conditioner.

Cosmetics – Borax is found in lotions, gels, shampoos, bath bombs, bath salts, and creams. It’s an emulsifier, a cleansing agent, a buffering agent, and a preservative. Usually used in bath salts, it can soften the water as well as suspend soap particles in your bathwater.

The result is clean, healthy and soft skin that is not clogged by the remainder of soap particles. When used together with citric acid in bath salt recipes or bath bomb, it will create a fizzing action. When mixed with guar gum and water, it forms a body or bath gel. Overall, Borax serves as a preservative, water softener, emulsifier, and a buffering agent.

Household cleaning – It can be used to clean floors and walls. Borax also leaves toilets and sinks sparkling clean as it is an effective stain remover. It can be utilized to deodorize garbage disposals, mattresses, diaper pails, and trash barrels.

Borax for killing ants – Ants and other insects can be eliminated through the use of natural cleaner called borax. Spread the cleaner on all the entry points of your house and make baiting traps with a solution mixed with borax to kill ants. The use of borax in eliminating ants in your home is a natural, affordable, and frequently efficient way to implement pest management without seeking the help of professional exterminators.

For slight ant issues, dealing with the affected areas such as focusing on the entry and gathering points will be enough. Get a little bit of borax and make thin lines out of it within the perimeters of your rooms, in your doorways, near the back of counters, and in any place that ants could use as an entry point. Leaving out borax to kill ants close to their entry points motivates the ants to eat the solution and go away instead of entering your home.

If you find the ants are not eating the borax, try combining sugar with the borax. That should make it more tempting. Some kinds of ants tend to be choosy compared to others when eating their food. Trying a combination of 6 or 7 portions of sugar to 3 or 4 portions of borax and slowly raising the quantity of borax to kill ants during the period of a few days will be more inviting to most ants species.

Using borax to kill ants would also be effective if you use them to clean countertops and other hard surfaces. Just put small mixture borax with hot water. In creating a cleaning solution, use 3.7 liters of hot water together with 1/2 cup solution of borax then use it to mop your floors and cabinets.

A different way to use borax to kill ants is through making ant traps with this kind of solution. Mix a tiny bit of borax with any kind of food that you see ants are eating in your house to poison and kill them. Combining a substantial sprinkle of borax, honey, molasses or jelly will attract the ants because of the sweet taste and smell thus forcing them to eat the borax.

An additional method to make the poison is by soaking cotton balls in a combination of hot water, borax, and honey and then placing them in places where you see ants getting together.

Borax for killing fleas – The best thing about Borax for fleas is that is an all-natural pest killer. With it being all-natural it not only gets rid of the fleas that are trying their best to take over your home but it will also keep your family and your pets safe. Having no synthetic ingredients it does no damage to your carpet or your vacuum.

Borax is designed to kill fleas but it’s not a product that you use on your pets directly. It is designed to be used as a clean-up product. This means that the Borax fleas powder is thrown down and cleaned up.

Other uses – Borax powder can be used to reduce smoke and ash problems and it also helps in flower preservation. Aside from this, Borax is also the main ingredient in homemade slimes for the kids.
 

 
Borax must not be ingested as ingesting large doses might be fatal.

It should not be inhaled as well. Exposure to eyes or skin might cause irritation. It should be kept out of the reach of pets and children. Overall, Borax is safe to use, but proper handling is important to make sure that unwanted incidents will not happen.