Sree Lakshmi Enterprises

Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water. Borax has a wide variety of uses. It is a component of many detergents, cosmetics, and enamel glazes. It is also used to make buffer solutions in biochemistry, as a fire retardant, as an anti-fungal compound, in the manufacture of fiberglass, as a flux in metallurgy, neutron-capture shields for radioactive sources, a texturing agent in cooking, and as a precursor for other boron compounds

USES

In the Kitchen

Fine China
Fine china will shine brilliantly and tea and coffee stains will be removed when soaked in a solution of 125g of borax.  Designs on hand-painted china will not fade using this method.  Give the china a second thorough rinse with clear water and dry.

Refrigerators
Borax is excellent for cleaning and deodorizing your fridge.  Lingering odours and spilled food can be washed away with a sponge or soft cloth using a solution of 1 litre of warm water and 1 tablespoon of borax.  Wipe over using clean water afterwards.

Kitchen Bins
Deodorize your bins by washing them with a solution of borax and warm water.  Afterwards dry the bin and sprinkle a little dry borax into the bottom.

Oven Cleaner
Mix 2 parts hot water with one part borax, mixing thoroughly until the borax has dissolved.  Use a sponge to apply this solution liberally to the oven and leave overnight before scrubbing clean.  Repeat if necessary and wipe over with a clean damp cloth afterwards.

Floor Disinfectant
Mix a solution of 125g of borax in a bucket of hot water.  Add the borax first then the water, swishing around until the borax dissolves.  Use to mop hard floor surfaces.

Cookware
Sprinkle borax onto pots and pans as you would a regular dry cleaner and rub with a damp dishcloth.  Borax is non-abrasive and will not scratch pans.

In the Household

Spills and Stains
A number of spills on carpets and upholstery will cause stains and leave odours.  Before treating carpet or upholstery test an unexposed area with a borax paste to make sure the dye is colourfast to borax.  For problem wet areas, blot up the wet, sprinkle on borax, leave to dry and then vacuum up.  The wine and other alcohol spills, dissolve 125g of borax in a pint of warm water.  Sponge in the solution, wait 30 minutes then shampoo the area.

Mattress Odours (also suitable for pet urine and sour milk)
Urine odours from mattresses and mattress covers may be neutralised by damping the spot and sprinkling borax over it.  Rub into the area and let dry then vacuum up.

General Carpet Deodorizer
Sprinkle borax onto your carpet, work into the pile and for anywhere between 2 and 24 hours.  Vacuum up.