How To Use Borax In The Laundry For The Cleanest, Freshest Clothes

Borax has held a favored spot on laundry room shelves for generations. This naturally occurring substance – also known as boron – is found in dry lake beds and salt flats. It is a white chalky powder that is easily soluble in water and alkaline in nature, making it suitable for a wide variety of uses, including pharmaceuticals, ceramics, and pesticides. Borax can also be used to kill weeds in the garden. Its safety concerns have caused it to fall a bit out of favor in recent years. According to Healthline, it can irritate skin and make you sick if swallowed. But as long as you use it as directed and keep it away from children and pets, it's perfectly safe.

You can use Borax all over the house. There are household pests that can be controlled by Borax. You can sprinkle it around your home or mix it with bait (just keep it away from children and pets). You can even kill fleas with 20 Mule Team Borax. The multipurpose powder's whitening and deodorizing qualities make it a favorite among DIY enthusiasts who make their own cleaners. (Try making your own homemade laundry soap with Fels Naptha and Borax.) But you can simply add it to your laundry routine to brighten your whites and deodorize your whole load.

Borax's alkalinity neutralizes stains and odors. It's not a bleach, but it does boost the cleaning power of your detergent. 20 Mule Team Borax, which is a popular version of Borax, recommends brightening and freshening your load by simply adding ½ cup to the wash cycle. This works on both light- and dark-colored laundry. To remove stains, make a paste with Borax and a little water and apply it to the stain. Laundry company Rinse recommends letting the solution sit on the stain for 30 minutes and washing as normal. Really stubborn stains, like grass, grease, or blood, should be pre-soaked in a solution of water and Borax. Stir ½ cup of Borax into one gallon of warm water and soak the garment for 30 minutes. You can soak a whole load this way, just proportionately increase the Borax and water.

To really up your laundry game, strip your laundry. This popular technique aims to remove deeply-set dirt, grime, and residue. You can do this periodically to really get your laundry clean. To strip laundry, fill your bathtub with hot water from the tap. While the water is running, add 1/4 cup of Borax, 1/4 cup of washing soda, and 1/2 cup powdered laundry detergent. Stir with a long-handled brush to dissolve the powders. Be sure to dissolve the Borax well. Add your laundry and let it soak for five or six hours, stirring every hour. Run clothes through a rinse and spin cycle in your washing machine and dry as normal.