triw Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Though you guys might get a kick out of an artical I cam across for other uses of borax. Borax When added to a laundry wash, borax makes detergents even more effective. It's also "quite alkaline, so it kills mold and fungus and softens water," says Robert Wolke, Ph.D., author of What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained (W. W. Norton & Company, $16, amazon.com). Price: About $5 for 4 pounds at supermarkets. Use It to Clean Your Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnptc Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 (edited) Must be boric acid that kills cockroaches.............opps !!! Edited May 1, 2009 by johnptc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keykeeper Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I thought Boric Acid killed cockroaches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I thought Boric Acid killed cockroaches? The roach killer I have in my shop is 99.8% boric acid by label. I don't know if any of the other borates are killers or not. There is a wood preservative formulation developed by the government that uses borates but I've never looked up the formulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayco Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 There's a product called 'RoachProof' which is 99% boric acid. It does kill roaches. I've never heard of using 20 Mule Team Borax to kill roaches. I'm betting there's a considerable chemical difference between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Borax and water makes a decent fire retardant and dry powdered borax makes a decent fire extinguisher. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new guy Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 wow. looks like i may scrounge the money for some 20mule team borax. this will be great to spread around the ends of my forge (a metal sewr pipe). thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuk Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 it acts like salt drawing moisture out of hides and skins, before tanning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 There's a product called 'RoachProof' which is 99% boric acid. It does kill roaches. I've never heard of using 20 Mule Team Borax to kill roaches. I'm betting there's a considerable chemical difference between the two. Yes, they are very different chemically. It is H3BO3 Borax has the chemical formulas listed in earlier threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I really like it for cleaning out the bathtub. Sprinkled into the cracks of my window sill it will deny access to ants... it's so nice not to have them crawling into the salads as I make them! The ants won't consistently cross a borax barrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBrann Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Borax is Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate, generally, there are a few other versions that are for high end chemistry and have differeing amounts of hydrates (water)... also anhydrous borax,, Sodium Tetraborate, no hydrate. Love the stuff.... does many things, cleans my dirty hands, dirty laundry, dirty bathroom, dirty welds.... love it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Thompson Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Potters use ground borax glass. They call it 'frit'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melsdad Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 It does a fine job of washin' yer' grubby hands too :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I believe the Boric Acid kills roaches by dehydrating them. Roaches need moisture; the boric acid absorbs it and the roaches just dry up. Other roaches eat them and they dry up too. Of course, now you have the bodies of dessicated roaches all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I believe the Boric Acid kills roaches by dehydrating them. Roaches need moisture; the boric acid absorbs it and the roaches just dry up. Other roaches eat them and they dry up too. Of course, now you have the bodies of dessicated roaches all over the place. I have a 8oz jar of "roach powder" ( marketed as roach powder" that is marked 99.8% boric acid:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blafen Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I have a larger jar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Roach proof is great. 98 % pure boric acid, 2%inert ingredients. It don't seem to effect the welds what ever that 2% is. But when I go and l buy more large containers, People gotta wonder about my roaches LOL (no, I dont have any that I have seen) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 The 2% is usually corn starch to keep it from clumping, sometimes something else but usually corn starch. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rutterbush Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 20 Mule Team is just like what Frosty said, a great fire retardant. When I was on the pipe crew the weldors would soak their denim shirts in Borax water. Don't iron or throw it in the dryer. Soak it, wring it, drip dry. Makes a decent welding jacket. Wrinkled, but fire retardant. Now days the green cloth welding jackets are cheaper than denim shirts, but the borax works on them also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 And when you're done for the day/job your borax soaked shirt or cloth apron can be dropped in the wash with the rest of your clothes. You do have to re-soak it after it's clean though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim L. Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Must be boric acid that kills cockroaches.............opps !!! Actually I believe its fleas. I'm told that it interupts the reproductive cycle. I have pets and it does seem to kill of fleas in the carpet and furniture. Jim L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Since Roach-Prufe is 98% boric acid I somehow think it must work on roaches (as well as other pests) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 seems its says somewhere on the can of Roach-Prufe that the bugs have a Negative charge an the boric acid is positive...it kills them by clogging up their air vents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Dust of any kind can be fatal to bugs, borax works better than most types though. Researchers were surprised to find that vacuuming is a VERY effective way to kill fleas... sucks them up and the dust in the bag does em in (some people vacuum their pets). Works for roaches too but you gotta be fast to get em in there before they run away!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Sometimes, you'll get clinker sticking to your work or a very thick scale adhering to the steel, and it won't wire brush off. Borax helps. Apply some and take an orange or lemon heat; brush it off easily.Turley Forge and Blacksmithing School : The Granddaddy of Blacksmithing Schools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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