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Compounds and Cleaning · Compound · Cleaning and pest-control mineral

Borax

A naturally occurring mineral salt used for cleaning, laundry, ant and roach baits, mold control, and metal-working flux.

INDEFINITEMULTI-USEHandle with careWorks without power

Quick facts

Chemistry
Alkaline mineral
Form
White powder
Hazard class
Eye & skin irritant
Shelf life
Indefinite
Storage
Sealed plastic or glass
What to avoid
Moisture, acids

See everything borax must never touch

What it's good for

Cleaning

Boosts laundry and scrub

Pest baits

Ant and roach bait

Mold control

Prevents mildew

Metalwork

Soldering flux

A mildly alkaline boron salt: the alkalinity cleans, the boron poisons insects.

Good to know

Borax, boron, and boric acid. Boron is the chemical element, never handled pure. Borax is the soft mineral salt mined straight from dried lake beds (sodium borate), while boric acid is refined a step further, is mildly acidic, and is the more potent insecticide. All three share the same boron atom that wrecks an insect's gut and dries out its shell, which is why they both clean and kill, but they are not interchangeable: borax is the milder, alkaline laundry-and-bait workhorse, boric acid the sharper poison.

Handling and safety

Keep from kids and pets

An eye and skin irritant, and the EU flags borate as a possible reproductive hazard, so anyone pregnant or trying to conceive should avoid its dust and mist. Store it and baits out of reach.

Slow-acting bait

Its slow kill lets ants and roaches carry it back to the nest.

Not the same as boric acid

Borax and boric acid are related but used differently.

A laundry workhorse

It boosts detergents and helps control odors and stains.

Eight jobs it does

  • Laundry booster and cleaner
  • Ant, roach, and flea control
  • Cut grime and burnt residue
  • Mold and mildew remover
  • Water softener for hard water
  • Carpet flea treatment
  • Flux for soldering and forge work
  • Fire retardant for wood

If it goes bad Hardens with moisture but stays effective once broken up.

Recipes for borax

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

What is borax used for?

Borax is a mildly alkaline boron salt that both cleans and kills insects. It boosts laundry and scrubbing, works as a slow-acting ant, roach, and flea bait, removes mold and mildew, softens hard water, treats carpets for fleas, serves as flux for soldering and forge work, and acts as a fire retardant for wood.

How long does borax last in storage?

Borax has an indefinite shelf life. If moisture gets to it, it hardens into clumps, but it stays effective once you break it back up.

How do I store borax?

Keep borax in a sealed plastic or glass container, away from moisture and acids. It is an eye and skin irritant, so store it and any baits made from it out of reach of kids and pets.

Keep going

Read nextShelf-stable laundry powder (baking soda, borax, washing soda)The dry alkalis and soap in this formula keep for years on the shelf, giving you a laundry powder that does not lean on supply chains.Hygiene and Sanitation · Formula

Related to this

Compounds and Cleaning · Compound Boric Acid Shelf life: Indefinite. Storage: Sealed glass or plastic. INDEFINITEMULTI-USEHazardous Compounds and Cleaning · Formula Insect Killing Powder for Indoor Pest Control A roach picks up boric acid's fine dust as it crosses a treated crack, then swallows the powder while grooming itself, and the boron goes to work as a slow stomach poison from the inside. Hazardous Compounds and Cleaning · Formula Ant and Roach Bait Using Borax A slow-acting colony killer that foragers carry back to the nest before they die. Handle with care Tools and Repair · Formula Borax Flux for Soldering and Metal Joining Metal surfaces form invisible oxide layers that prevent solder from bonding, which is why joints fail without proper flux. Handle with care
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Compounds and Cleaning · CompoundSource: Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, Chapter 15, p. 93 · Last reviewed 2026-09-18

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