label/Eco-Friendly-All Natural-Organic

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~by Meagan
You can find Meagan blogging here each week on Tuesdays and at her blog, sagegreen frugal parenting

I discovered Borax when we began cloth diapering our oldest son in 2005. It’s an essential part of our washing routine that we’re still successfully using with our triplets’ cloth diapers today — Method or Seventh Generation detergent and a tablespoon or so of Borax in the detergent compartment of our front-loader, 1/4 cup of vinegar in the rinse, on hot with an extra rinse. It wasn’t long before we began using it for a variety of household tasks. Out of necessity, we learned that boosting our regular laundry with Borax removes all traces of cat urine smell, a trick that works on upholstery fabric as well. Now, Borax has multiple rolls in our home, from dish washing detergent standby (2 tablespoons Borax and 2 tablespoons baking powder is all you need to run a load of dishes) to a quick, powerful toilet cleaner (allow 1/4 cup to sit for 10-15 minutes).

What makes Borax so eco-friendly? It’s a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. It’s not harmful to washing machines, plumbing or septic tanks and does not contain phosphates or chlorine. Borax is used as a natural laundry booster, multipurpose cleaner, fungicide, preservative, insecticide, herbicide, disinfectant, dessicant, and ingredient in making ‘play slime’.

What makes Borax a frugal superstar and a must-have for your green cleaning arsenal? A huge box costs about $2.50.

If you have some extra Borax or need an activity on a rainy day, make slime!

Ingredients

• White craft glue
• 2 cups, small bowls, or other containers
• Food coloring
• Water
• Borax
• Small plate or dish
• Spoon
• Tablespoon measure

Instructions

1. Fill one container with water, add a spoonful of the Borax and stir. Fill the other container with about 1/2 inch of glue.
2. Add three tablespoons of water to the glue and stir. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir again.
3. Add two tablespoons of the Borax solution from step #1 and stir well. Watch the slime form!
4. Lift out the spoon with the slime and place it on the dish. Let it sit for about 30 seconds and then pull it off the spoon and play with it!

Keep your slime in a tightly closed plastic bag when you are not playing with it.

Please join us every Tuesday for our Green Space feature where we share tips for going green on a budget and more green cleaning recipes.

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