By Ashley Allgood
Cleaning is not one of my favorite things, but someone has to do it. Over the past ten years, I’ve noticed that conventional cleaning products make me feel dizzy, sick to my stomach, and cause my vision to blur. I’ve learned that one of my chronic illnesses makes me chemically sensitive.
When my sensitivity started, I switched to water and basic soap to clean everything. I knew it wasn’t killing all the germs, but at least things were clean. Unfortunately, you do need to kill germs that are in your toilet, tub, or sink. So I’d hide out somewhere in the house while my husband scrubbed the tub or toilet with conventional cleaners. Even after a few hours had passed those strong chemicals and smells would still make me sick.
I became frustrated with myself. I try so hard to be a good homemaker and I felt a good homemaker should be able to scrub a toilet without feeling sick. (Well, I suppose just the thought of even cleaning a toilet makes most people feel sick!)
Slowly, over the past few years, I’ve learned a few things about homemade cleaners. Then last year I found something that I fell in love with. It’s called Borax, a.k.a sodium borate. It’s a natural, odor-free, and affordable cleaner, and the more I read up on it, the more I love it!
What is Borax?
Borax has a grainy feel to it. It reminds me of sand or salt since it is a crystallized mineral. It cleans everything from laundry to your shower.
In the Shower
Our shower has been one of the places in my home I’ve struggled most to clean. Nothing seemed to work no matter how hard we tried. My husband has used many chemical cleaners that promised to make it shine. They didn’t. So when I read about Borax, the first place I tried it was our shower.
I sprinkled it all over our shower and even added more to my sponge. Then I leaned over and started scrubbing … hard. I worked for awhile, then turned on the shower head to rinse off the area I had scrubbed. I was stunned. I could see clean spots appearing here and there. Our shower floor was turning white again! I eagerly went back to scrubbing harder, and before I knew it, most of the shower was white. I was amazed!
Cleaning Countertops with Borax
I’ve used Borax in other areas of our home since then, like cleaning our countertop. (Please do a small test scrub first to make sure it won’t scratch your countertop.) I’ve also found that a combo of Borax, soap, a sponge, and water cleans most dried-on food quickly.
Other Uses
A Google search shows countless other uses for Borax, which I’ve yet to try, but it can be used for your carpet, laundry, to keep away bugs, to clean your toilet bowl, to remove stains, and so much more. My kids are teens and I am comfortable allowing them to use Borax, too, when cleaning.
Why buy dangerous and even deadly chemical cleaners when God gives us what we need? God’s blessed us with so many things and that is why I’m so joyful at finding something as simple as Borax.
Ashley Allgood is a Christian wife married twenty years to Michael. They have three children ages 18, 14, and 13. They live in Georgia where they homeschool their children. Ashley has always loved writing and storytelling. Read her blog, Thoughts Of Faith, at http://mythoughtsoffaith.blogspot.com/.