Use Borax in the Kitchen
Edited by Sarah Maloney, Eng, Inukshuk
If you're like me the cupboard under your kitchen sink is the unattractive and repelling of all cupboards. Every week after shopping I slowly open the door, throw in the new cleaning supplies and close it as quick as I can. It's dark, it's dank and sometimes it smells unpleasant and almost nauseating Between the forgotten bag of onions, empty cans of tuna thrown in the recycling and the drain that occasionally clogs there is a lot that can go wrong under there. About once a month I pull everything out, throw out the pathetic and forgotten onions and take inventory of the cleaning supplies. And there are a lot of supplies. From window cleaner to dish detergent, all purpose cleaner to stainless steel polish, furniture polish and stove cleaner, the cupboard under my sink has a more varied and adequate reserve than my makeup case.
Which is why I get so excited when I find a multi-use cleaning product that actually works. My favourite multi-use cleaning product that is all natural, effective, sanitizes and is affordable is Borax. This article will show you how to use Borax in the kitchen. You will be astonished at all the effective cleaning the little innocuous powder can handle. If you want to learn more about Borax including the history and science, check out my other VisiHow article Use Borax in the Bathroom.
- 1 Using Borax in the Kitchen
- 1.1 Unclog Drains
- 1.2 Get a Sparkly Shiny Looks Good As New Sink
- 1.3 Deodorize your Fridge
- 1.4 Clean your Pots and Pans
- 1.5 Goo and Glop Remover
- 1.6 Floor Cleaner
- 1.7 Dishwasher Detergent
- 1.8 Discourage Pests
- 1.9 Clean Dishes
- 1.10 Kettle Cleaner
- 1.11 All Purpose Cleaner
- 1.12 Put out Fires
- 1.13 Garbage Deodorizer
- 1.14 Flower Preserver
- 2 Tips and Tricks
- 3 Comments
Using Borax in the Kitchen
There are multiple uses for Borax once you read them all you're be replacing many of your cleaning supply bottles with all natural Borax.
Unclog Drains
Even the most careful of cooks sometimes end up with clogged drains. This can be a nuisance in the kitchen and most people to keep drain cleaner on head. Borax is great for unclogging even the most obstinate kitchen drains.
- 1If the clog has caused standing water, scoop out as much as possible and get the Borax as close to the drain as possible.Pour 1 cup of Borax down the drain.Advertisement
- 2Let the Borax sit for 20 minutes.Advertisement
- 3Pour 3 cups of boiling water down the drain.
Get a Sparkly Shiny Looks Good As New Sink
I have never found a product that leaves the sparkly shine that Borax does and it's non-abrasive.
- 1Sprinkle Borax around your sink.
- 2Using a cloth or scrub brush, scrub it around.
- 3Rinse.
Deodorize your Fridge
- 1Place ½ cup of Borax into a cup or jar or other container.
- 2The Borax will absorb odours.Place it in your fridge.
- 3Replace monthly.
Clean your Pots and Pans
A lot of pots have very specific cleaning instructions to avoid scratching or damage. Borax is non abrasive and can be used on most pots delivering cleaning power on even the more caked on messes.
- 1Sprinkle in ¼ cup of Borax into the bottom of the pot or pan.
- 2Add ¼ of salt.
- 3Use a cloth or non abrasive scrub brush to scrub.
- 4Rinse.
Goo and Glop Remover
Use to remove stickers and sticker residue from items, gum and grease.
- 1Mix ½ cup of Borax into ¼ cup of water.
- 2Use the mixture to scrub off goo and glop.
Floor Cleaner
- 1Add ½ cup of Borax, ¼ cup of baking soda, 1tbsp of dish soap and 2 cups of warm water to your mop bucket.
- 2Stir with the mop and clean away.
Dishwasher Detergent
- 1Mix 1 cup of Borax with 1 cup of Baking Soda and ¼ cup of salt.
- 2Just ensure the package does not contain sugar.If you want to make scented dishwasher detergent my secret ingredient is actually a dried lemonade flavoured drink pack (such as KoolAid).
- 3Mix all ingredients and use as you would dishwasher detergent.
- 4Just sprinkle a bit into your dishwasher with the detergent.You can also use Borax in addition to commercial dishwasher detergent, it gives the wash a boost and is excellent removing water stains.
Discourage Pests
Pests hate Borax. Sprinkle it around the kitchen at access points (behind the stove and fridge, spaces in the wall) to deter mice, rats, ants and other creepy crawlies.
Clean Dishes
If you have old dishes you inherited from Grandma that have started to turn yellow or vases that have discolouration on the bottom, soak them in 1 cup of Borax to 3 cups of warm water for about an hour. Don't scrub, the Borax will do the work. If you don't see any improvement, soak longer up to 6 hours, then rinse.
Kettle Cleaner
Clean your kettle? Really? It just boils water, how dirty can it be? Well, take a look inside yours, I guarantee there's water stains and residue.
- 1Put 1 tsp Borax into the kettle.
- 2Add 1 tsp laundry detergent.
- 3Fill with water.
- 4Turn on the kettle and boil.
- 5Turn off, let the water cool and rinse.
All Purpose Cleaner
For an all natural all purpose cleaner you can use on your counter tops, in the sink, baseboards and walls, grab a spray bottle and add a few ingredients.
- 4 tbsp Borax.
- 4bsp vinegar.
- 4 cups of warm water.
- 1tbsp of liquid dish detergent.
- 10 drops of essential oil for scent (optional).
- Spray bottle (minimum 30oz bottle). New bottles are best and are inexpensive buys at your local home store.
- 1Place ingredients into a spray bottle.
- 2Wipe with a damp cloth.Shake and Spray.
Put out Fires
Borax can be use to put out grease fires or camp fires. Simply sprinkle onto the fire and the flames will die out.
Garbage Deodorizer
Sprinkle Borax in the bottom of your garbage can, it will get rid of all the stinky kitchen waste smells.
Flower Preserver
If you want to dry your bouquet of flowers and display them eternally, a simple dry mixture will preserve them beautifully.
- 1Mix 2 parts Borax with 1 part sand or 1 part cornmeal.
- 2Cut the flowers and place them in a box.
- 3Close the box tightly.
- 4Leave in a cool dark place for 7-10 days.
- 5When you open the box you will find magnificent dried and preserved flowers to flaunt and exhibit.
Tips and Tricks
- You can find Borax in the laundry detergent aisle of your local grocery or department store.
- I usually have a couple boxes throughout the house for easy access.
- Borax is all natural with absolutely no additives, chemicals or scent.
- Borax is not just for cleaning you can Make Slime with Borax, Make Bouncy Ball Paint Art, Make A Giant Bouncy Ball Using Silly Putty and Make Decorative Crystals to Fill a Vase with Borax to put in a decorative vase and display those preserved flowers your dried with Borax.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
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Categories : Home
Recent edits by: Eng, Sarah Maloney
