Death Valley, there are no sounds of birds that fill the air, no crickets chirp or children playing in the summer sun, the oppressive and relentless heat sees to that. This desolate section of earth reaches temperatures of 136 degrees and if you were fool hearty enough to visit you might stop by Bad Water or Furnace Creek and pick up a souvenir. I hear bleached bones are quite popular. There is however a buzz that’s unmistakable and a low roar that has been felt in virtually every corner of the world that emanates from this harsh and deserted place. In 1872, Boron was discovered in this place that’s only slightly cooler than Hell itself and this virtuous mineral was first mined from what is now the largest open pit on the planet. Brought to the world by one 20 Mule Team at a time the miracle product Borax was born and it became one of the most common household products ever used.
Boron is a natural substance that has been used in applications from Silly Putty to laundry soaps but it has found the environmentalists open arms over the years when it has been used as a “alternative safe pesticide.” Boron as Boric Acid is labeled for pest control and is thought of as a desiccant but it is not, (in huge amounts it will fry/dry out a bug but so will almost any powder) it is for stomach poisoning. Boron is also a Borate which works as a wood decaying fungus growth inhibitor and preservative for wood. Both end products are offered by many companies under different names but the same source in Death Valley supplies them all and there are very little changes if any in the final products.
Borax however was the original product that came from Death Valley’s bounty and by the 1940’s it could be found in almost every U.S. household. Housewives loved it’s cleaning power and soon found out how many uses other than laundry it could provide.
Window Washing Solution, Garbage Disposal Deodorizer, Make China Shine, Dishwasher Soap, Refrigerator Cleaning And
Deodorizing, Laundry Detergent Booster, Baby Diapers, Baby Clothes and Bibs, Metal Coffee Pot Cleaner, Cat Litter Deodorizer, Eliminate Urine Odors On Mattress, Wash Water Softener, Preserve Flowers.Clean Combs, Eliminate Chocolate On Clothing, Eliminate Pet Urine Odor, Rust Stains In Bathtub, Flame Retardant Children Clothing, Floor and Wall Cleaner, Carpet Stains, Have Spot Free Dishes and Glasses, Porcelain and Aluminum Cookware Cleaner, Delicate Washables:
It is however Borax, the very common and once #1 laundry detergent for households across America that has caught the DIY (do it yourself) nation by storm both then and now for pest control use. As with many all natural ingredients the benefits are many and it is touted on virtually every ‘green’ forum, DIY web site and even so many of my own snowbird customers are convinced of it’s power and mix up their special recipes to guard their castle when they head up north.
It’s hard to argue with dead roaches and trails of ants that have disappeared all because of a harmless white powder that comes from the belly of the earth. Words like safe, eco friendly, green and non toxic add to the powerful lore that this product has. The use of Borax is far more preferred by the staunchest environmentalists over traditional insecticides and they scream ‘ heresy ‘ to anyone who even doubts their view. While I agree the list of benefits from something so innocuous is amazing and it’s power to kill unwanted pests truly seems to make Borax a thing of Beauty. It is however the other side not mentioned or ignored by those we’re told to trust that make Borax for pest control use-an ugly Green Beast which you can read about here.
