20 Mule Team Borax -- the all-purpose household tool!

I was excited to hear that I was chosen to work with the Purex Insider team again to share some information about and a great giveaway involving 20 Mule Team® Borax.  Have you ever tried Borax? It is a great, inexpensive laundry booster plus can be used in your home hundreds of different ways.

I'm really big on having things around the house that are multi-purpose.  That's why I always have a box of 20 Mule Team Borax in the laundry room.  Borax is an all natural detergent booster and a multi-purpose household cleaner.  It can apparently also be used for fun science projects for kids (like growing crystals or making slime) but we haven't gotten around to doing that fun stuff yet....

A little background on Borax first.   Borax is the common name for sodium tetraborate: a naturally occurring substance produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes. 20 Mule Team® Borax is 100% natural, and 99.5% pure (there is about 0.5% of naturally occurring trace minerals). 20 Mule Team Borax comes from California where one of the world’s largest deposits was discovered in 1913.  Once removed from the ground it is washed, dried, and boxed for consumers.  Absolutely nothing is added. No phosphates, per-oxside, chlorine, or other additive chemicals.  Who wants more chemicals in your house anyway, right? I was so happy to hear that. Borates, borax and boron compounds are with us throughout our lives. Families use it to soak and wash diapers and other laundry, but it’s also an ingredient in cosmetics, medicines, ceramics and building materials. You can use it to clean tons of other things too!  There are so many ways to use 20 Mule Team Borax!!

Check out some of these other cleaning tips in addition to getting your clothes cleaner in the laundry room:

• For scratch-free cleaning of stains, grime, and grease throughout the kitchen, use a 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax dissolved in one gallon of hot water on sinks, counter tops, cookware, refrigerators, microwaves, toasters, and any other appliance in your arsenal. You can apply this dilution of all-natural 20 Mule Team Borax to any surface including tile, ceramic, porcelain, slate, marble, granite and stainless steel.

• You can also add a half cup of 20 Mule Team Borax to your sink to reduce water spotting, remove grime, and put a shine on dishes, utensils, pots, and pans.

• Power up your dishwasher detergent by sprinkling a 1/4 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax onto the bottom of the dishwasher to reduce spots and film on dishes and glasses.

• Just dilute a 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax in a 12-ounce spray bottle of water to deodorize mattresses.

• All-Natural Detergent Booster with Odor Control 20 Mule Team® Borax increases your detergent's power and controls odors to give you fresh, clean laundry. 
• Sprinkle it on ant mounds or around areas on the outside of your house where ants seem to get in.  
• And my favorite -- use it to make your own laundry detergent!!

DIY Laundry Detergent

1 (4 lbs 12 oz) box 20 Mule Team Borax 

1 (3lb 7oz) box of Arm & Hammer WASHING soda (not baking)

1 (3lb) container Oxyclean

2 bars Fels Naptha laundry soap (or use Zote, or Ivory, or my personal favorite -- I use bars from LuSa

1 (4lb) box of BAKING soda

Optional - 1-2 bottles Purex crystals, Downy unstoppables or my preferred method - just mix 1-2 cups of epsom salts with some essential oils

Directions:  grate soap with cheese grater or food processor.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bucket or bowl.  Use 2-4 tablespoons per laundry load.

It smells great and I have had no complaints about its cleaning power or how fresh it leaves my clothes.  I am totally converted!!

**Note -- I like to halve this recipe and make it that way.  It lasts a SUPER long time and I find it is easier to mix that way.  You could always make a full batch and share with a friend! **

You can also check out the 20 Mule Team® Borax website for lots of other great cleaning tips here. You also might be wondering "Where can I get Borax?"  Well, check out their link and you will be surprised it is readily available at all your fave grocery spots. 

Want to try your own DIY laundry detergent?  You can win your own 20 Mule Team® Borax in my contest below.  Enter to win a free coupon for a box of 20 Mule Team Borax.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received a free sample and free product coupons from Purex Insiders on behalf of Borax in order to facilitate my review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.