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

Must be boric acid that kills cockroaches.............opps !!!

Edited May 1, 200917 yr by johnptc

I thought Boric Acid killed cockroaches?

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.

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.

Borax and water makes a decent fire retardant and dry powdered borax makes a decent fire extinguisher.

Frosty

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.

it acts like salt drawing moisture out of hides and skins, before tanning

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.

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.

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!!

Potters use ground borax glass. They call it 'frit'.

It does a fine job of washin' yer' grubby hands too :)

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 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

I have a larger jar.

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)

The 2% is usually corn starch to keep it from clumping, sometimes something else but usually corn starch.

Frosty

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.

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.

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.

Since Roach-Prufe is 98% boric acid I somehow think it must work on roaches (as well as other pests)

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.

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!!

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