I have a confession: I love cleaning.

I'm not as crazy as Monica in Friends, but sometimes my chest gets a little tight when I see my house in an utter mess. I'll leave the dishes overnight if I'm too tired, but sometimes when things all pile up I go bonkers.

I have family coming by to visit me today so I made sure my apartment was in tip-top shape. The worst part of it was probably the bathroom, but it was one of the easiest to tackle thanks to my secret weapon: Borax.

The most common brand of Borax is 20 Mule Team Borax, named so because it took teams of 20 mules to haul the Borax out of Death Valley in California. They've since done a redesign of the box to give it more of a modern appeal (!) but I still have the lil cowgirl version at my Walmart.

I love this design! The little mule she has is so cute! Plus, it totally looks like my little sister.

It's been a home cleaning staple for 100 years because it's not a one-trick pony: Borax can be used in laundry (it brightens whites and colours wonderfully), for deodorizing and for getting rid of tasty tub scum, the purpose I was using it for last night.

Before...

After!

Isn't that awesome? It takes a little elbow grease, but it works better than anything I've ever used before. I'm not sure if it's because this is a new tub and I've been cleaning it lots or if it's because it works like a charm. Also, since Borax is found naturally, it's great for those who want to get away from those harsh chemical cleaners that have all sorts of strange, unpronounceable names. While Borax is still toxic if you eat a large amount of it, it's no where near as toxic as bleach. Plus, I can say sodium tetraborate without batting an eye. 

The only thing I dislike about Borax (because nothing is perfect) is that you have to rinse it really really well. Borax is a very gritty powder, which makes it great for scrubbing, but if it doesn't rinse away then the powder will dry and be sitting on your toilet seat, tub or bathroom counter. Rinsing it out of the tub is easy enough but it's a little harder to get it all off of the sink cupboard. My advice is to wipe it all off, then twice more to make sure you've got it.

A box of Borax costs me about $6 and is well worth the price when I can use it practically everywhere in my house. I even made a Borax sprinkler jar last night to make it easier to use on the tub (when you pour it out of the box it tends to just be a big clump - this way it can be even).

Now go out, buy a box and see the difference! It will replace your bleaches, your stain removers, your toilet bowl cleaner and your deodorizers, all for less than $10!

Edit: I'm also a guest blogger at Retro Chick today! Head on over to read about using modern clothes in a vintage-inspired wardrobe.