The box of 20 Mule Team Borax that has been stuck in your laundry room is from the 1890's. But, there is a reason it never went away. It is a cleaning product that has many uses. For example, it boosts your laundry, cleans your toilet, gets rid of mildew, removes stains from carpets, and even deodorizes your home. Borax is a natural mineral and doesn't contain any modern chemicals which is a big reason it is appealing to many customers.
I have a box in the laundry room, and I find myself grabbing it more than I would have thought, especially with two teenagers, a husband who finds new ways to stain things, and Gigi the goldendoodle with her many shenanigans. One important thing to note before we start: borax is a strong cleaner, so treat it accordingly. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to wear gloves. Store the box and any borax solutions away from kids and pets. And be sure to thoroughly rinse anything that comes in contact with food. And of course, do not clean with borax anywhere that it could be ingested. With all that said, let’s get into 30 things you can clean with borax to earn it a permanent place in your cleaning cabinet.
1. Boost Your Laundry Detergent
For an extra boost in your laundry detergent’s power, add half a cup of borax to your washing machine. This will work to soften the water, brighten your colors, and help the detergent do its job. Borax is the original laundry booster and continues to be one of the best.
With two teenagers, I have an epic laundry pile. I love how adding some borax to the wash keeps the entire load looking bright and smelling fresh! It's a small victory against the mountain of chores.
2. Deep-Clean and Freshen Carpets
To help lift odors and freshen carpet fibers, lightly sprinkle some borax on the carpet and allow it to sit for about an hour before vacuuming it. Be sure to keep the carpet off-limits to children and pets until you have vacuumed everything up.
After a big day, the smell of everything, particularly Gigi, sticks to the carpet in our living room. A borax freshen up resets it, so I just have to vacuum every last bit before she's allowed back on it.
3. Scrub the Toilet Bowl
To start, sprinkle some borax into the toilet bowl so that you can let it sit overnight if possible. Then, scrub the toilet and flush. It reduces stains and hard-water rings and will make the bowl look noticeably better.
I like the type of cleaning that requires minimal effort, and less qualitative visual observation makes scouring rings on the kids' bathroom toilet even better. I can leave Borax in the bowl and let it sit overnight, then just give it a quick scrub and call it good.
4. Kill Mold and Mildew
Mix borax with a small amount of water to create a paste or solution, then apply to moldy grout and areas with mildew. Scrub and wipe. Since borax inhibits the growth of mold, it can prevent mold from returning.
Things that I don’t want to name grow in the corner of my kids’ shower. Borax keeps them at bay longer than most other sprays, so I don't have to keep coming back to it every week.
5. Tackle Soap Scum in the Shower
Mix Borax with water and apply the paste to the soap scum on shower walls and doors. The paste is mildly abrasive and will cut the soap scum without scratching the surface. Rinse thoroughly.
I thought the cloudy film on the glass shower door was permanent but I was able to get it back to clear again using a paste made from borax and a bit of elbow grease which was truly satisfying.
6. Make an All-Purpose Cleaning Spray
First, mix two teaspoons of borax in the spray bottle with warm water (it doesn't have to be boiling) to make a general-purpose cleaner that will help eliminate grease and grime on sealed surfaces. Make sure to label the bottle and keep it out of reach from children.
I appreciate these old-fashioned one-bottle-does-it-all tricks. It takes care of most of my kitchen counters and cabinet front surfaces without me needing to use a separate spray for every different surface.
7. Freshen the Garbage Disposal
Pour a few tablespoons of borax down the disposal and let it sit for an hour. Then flush it with warm running water to help deodorize and remove some of the buildup. It helps remove the funk from the source.
The disposal creates a smell that causes me to distrust the entire kitchen. While lemon peels used to be my go to when the smell set in really bad, Borax works much better.
8. Boost the Dishwasher
Sprinkle some borax into the bottom of the dishwasher and alongside your regular detergent. This will help with spotting, build up, and cleaning the dishes. It also deodorizes the dishwasher itself.
I thought my dishwasher was dying because of a film it recently started leaving on all my dishes. Luckily, a borax boost took care of the issue and saved me from having to go shopping for a new one that I didn’t actually need.
9. Remove Rust and Hard-Water Stains
Create a borax paste (sometimes with a bit of lemon juice) and apply it to rust and hard-water stains. Allow it to sit, then scrub and rinse. It breaks down the buildup, allowing it to lift away.
Our water leaves chalky, orange stains on anything it touches. There is no way to remove those stains except to use Borax.
10. Scrub Sinks and Tubs
Sprinkle some borax onto a damp sponge. Use it like a gentle scouring powder on your sinks and tubs, then rinse well. It removes grime and lifts stains without scratching like heavier abrasives.
For a long time, I purchased a specific scouring powder, but then I discovered that borax does the same job and is usually in the laundry room. That is one less item cluttering the cabinet under my sink.
11. Brighten Dingy Grout
Use an old toothbrush to scrub a borax paste into the grout lines. Give it a moment to set, then rinse. This will remove dirt that darkens grout over time. Do not use on natural stone tile as they do not tolerate abrasives.
I thought our kitchen grout had turned gray over time, but after using Borax, I was surprised at how white it became. It's the small victories like these that really make my day.
12. Deodorize the Trash Can
Before putting a fresh trash bag in the can, let a borax solution sit and dry to help combat trash odor. To lessen the smell of trash at the source, you may also put a little borax in the bottom.
No amount of bags will hide the odor that develops in the kitchen. While scented candles mask the problem, Borax actually gets to the root of the problem.
13. Freshen the Mattress
To absorb moisture and neutralize odors, lightly sprinkle borax over a mattress and let sit for a couple of hours before vacuuming borax up. Be sure to vacuum up every last bit before putting the sheets back on.
Mattresses quietly take in years of your life, so we don’t think about it too hard. A borax and vacuum refresh makes me feel better about the whole thing without having to call in a deep-cleaning service.
14. Lift Pet Urine Stains and Odor
For set-in pet messes on rugs, try working in a damp borax paste, letting it dry, then vacuuming and blotting. This will neutralize the odors that signal to pets to keep returning to the same location. Do not allow pets in the area until the cleanup process is complete.
As a puppy, Gigi had a rough start. One specific corner of our rug was the victim of her struggles. Fortunately, Borax was able to get the smell out for good, and she stopped going back to the scene of the crime.
15. Unclog and Freshen Drains
To help a slow drain, try pouring some borax down the drain, followed by some hot water. Go do something else for a little while – this will help clear away odors and the grease that is clogging your drain! This method will help keep your drain clear of grease in between deep cleans.
Every few weeks our kitchen drain slows down, typically after someone rinses something they should have thrown in the trash. Borax has been my go-to flush to buy me time before I have to do something serious about it.
16. Scrub Greasy Pots and Pans
Prepare a borax paste and use it to scrub burnt food and stuck grease from pots and pans, then wash and rinse thoroughly. The mild abrasiveness gets the job done without causing scratches.
I enjoy leaving the greasy pan to soak for an oddly long time. When I finally tackle the problem, instead of thinking it through, I use a borax scrubber, which gets the baked on mess off quicker than I deserve.
17. Presoak Set-In Laundry Stains
Before washing your clothes, soak them in a solution of borax and warm water, which loosens stains the washing machine's regular cycles might miss. This is especially true on stains that are protein-based or from food.
I have no idea what kinds of stains my teenagers are creating. A presoak with borax has saved more than one of my favorite shirts that I had already mentally added to the rag pile.
18. Clean Walls and Painted Surfaces
To remove scuffs, fingerprints, and dirt from painted walls, use a soft cloth and a borax solution. Almost completely wring it dry. Ensure there is no residue left by following with a clean, damp cloth.
Across our stairway wall is a never-ending streak of handprints at the perfect height for teenagers. Luckily a little borax solution removes it before I have to repaint the entire thing.
19. Freshen Outdoor Furniture
To restore resin and plastic patio furniture to it's former glory, combine borax and water in a bucket, grab a sponge and scrub all of the pollen, dirt and weathering, then rinse it off.
Each winter, I forget that my patio set gets a gray film until the first warm day. Although sitting on it again requires a borax scrub to make it presentable, it works.
20. Make a Roach and Ant Bait
You can control roaches and ants by mixing borax with a bit of sugar to make bait. Put it in places that children and pets can't reach, such as behind appliances, or under the sink.
I was very careful about the placement of the traps, considering we had a curious goldendoodle in the house. The traps worked and cleared the ants.
21. Clean and Deodorize the Diaper or Trash Pail
To disinfect a smelly pail and reduce odor, you can soak or wipe it out using a borax solution. Then let it dry before adding a liner to the pail. It will take care of the smell that regular rinsing leave behind.
It was one of our biggest helps during the diaper phase, and now it still proves useful on the kitchen trash. Some odors are too strong for just a wet paper towel wipe, and this is one of them.
22. Remove Stains from Cookware and Pyrex
Create a borax paste. Scrub the stubborn baked-on stains from your glass bakeware and ceramic dishes. Then wash as you typically would. This will help to lift the brown residue that soap alone won't remove.
All my cheesy bakes memories are in my glass casserole dishes. They turn to clear glass with Borax. Satisfyingly, it shouldn’t be.
23. Deodorize the Refrigerator
For cleaning and removing odors by spills or forgotten leftovers, use a mild borax solution to wipe the shelves and drawers of the fridge. Make sure to rinse off the shelves well because this is a place for food.
There are times that I discover what seems like a new life form in my fridge. After I clean this up, and recover from the shock, I feel safe again after a borax wipe down.
24. Degrease the Stovetop and Range Hood
To clean the range-hood film and greasy splatters on the stovetop, use a borax paste. Let it sit for a minute, then clean it and rinse it. It gets rid of the grease without producing harsh fumes.
My range hood never fails to surprise me with a new layer of grease. Seeing that layer makes me reluctant to clean, and gives me an excuse to continue ignoring it, but I don't have to worry about chemicals because Borax cuts through grease. That's why I'm more motivated to do it!
25. Clean Tile Floors
For a mopping solution that cuts grime, add a few tablespoons of borax to a bucket of warm water. Avoid using borax on unsealed wood and natural stone.
Our kitchen floor is always getting messy from muddy paws and dropped food. I notice when the floor is actually clean and not just damp when I hit the floor with a borax mop.
26. Clear Hard Water From Glass Shower Doors
With a scrubbing motion, use a borax paste on your cloudy glass shower doors to dissolve the mineral film, then rinse and buff them dry. This helps to restore the clarity of glass that is slowly fogged by hard water.
I honestly forgot that our shower door was meant to be see-through. Borax brought it back, and now I can monitor whether the kids rinsed the soap off the walls.
27. Clean the Washing Machine
Run a hot, empty cycle with half a cup of borax. This will eliminate buildup and odors from the washing machine. It refreshes the machine that is supposed to do the cleaning.
I had a washing machine grossness epiphany when it started smelling musty. After a quick borax cycle the smell was gone, now I do it every so often out of guilt and a little disgust.
28. Remove Sticky Residue and Grime
A borax paste will help lift sticky residue and grime on hard surfaces so that you can wipe it away. It comes in handy to remove gunk from cabinet handles and other high-contact areas.
When I was cleaning the cabinet next to the stove, I saw what I thought was the finish on the wood. After using borax to clean it, I found out the actual color, which was a bit shocking, but also satisfying.
29. Freshen Pet Bedding
Soak your pet's bedding in a solution of borax before washing it, or add some to the washing machine, to cut down on odors and refresh the fabric. Make sure to rinse it thoroughly, or don’t leave any borax residue where your pet sleeps.
Gigi’s bed produces an odor that you can smell from across the room. A borax soak before the wash gets it truly clean instead of just masking the problem with wet dog and detergent.
30. Brighten Dingy Towels and Linens
Let your old, musty towels and linens soak in a borax solution before you wash them. This will remove buildup, brighten the fabric, and also remove the sour smell. It will help towels that have become stiff and gray.
I wash my dish towels and bath towels, but no matter how hard I scrub them, they start to smell. Instead of replacing them every year, I soak them in borax, and this resets them.
Cleaning with borax has many benefits. Just as the mule-team box stored cleaning supplies in our grandmothers' homes for over a century, borax is inexpensive and made up of simple minerals. One box of borax laundry detergent boosts cleaning power, scrubs, deodorizes, fights mold, and can be used throughout your home. Borax does the work of entire shelves of single-use products.
The laundry boost and toilet cleaner kept me coming back for more! Just be sure to handle it with care, keep it away from curious little hands and paws, and rinse anything food-related. You'll be amazed at how often that old box is the answer to the question, "what do I clean this with?"
Common Questions About Cleaning With Borax
Is borax safe to clean with, and why do people say it’s no longer used?
Borax is still widely sold and used as a cleaner and laundry booster. The confusion comes from its safety profile: it can irritate skin and is harmful if swallowed or inhaled, and it is not approved as a food additive. For household cleaning it is fine when you wear gloves if needed, keep it away from kids and pets, rinse food-contact surfaces, and never ingest it.
Can you mix borax and Dawn dish soap?
Yes. Borax and a little Dawn is a popular combination for laundry presoaks and cleaning pastes, since the Dawn cuts grease while the borax boosts and softens. Mix it fresh in warm water, and keep any solution labeled and out of reach of children and pets.
What should you never mix with borax?
Do not mix borax with bleach. Also avoid combining it with acids like vinegar when you want its full cleaning strength, because the acid neutralizes borax and cancels out the boost. It works best on its own in warm water.
What stains does borax remove?
Borax is especially good on grease, oil, and protein-based stains like wine, blood, food, and sweat. Make a paste with water or dissolve it for a presoak, work it into the stain, let it sit, then launder or rinse as usual.
What bugs does borax get rid of?
Borax mixed with a little sugar makes a bait that helps control ants and cockroaches. Place it only where children and pets absolutely cannot reach it, such as tucked behind or under appliances in a contained spot.