Borax, a combination of sodium, boron, and oxygen, is a natural substance mined from the earth in its crude form, found in abundance in the deserts of California and Nevada. Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft, colorless crystals that dissolve in water. Borax is an ingredient in many detergents, cosmetics, and enamel glazes. The trademark 20 Mule Team Borax is named for the method by which borax was originally hauled out of the California and Nevada deserts. Readily available in supermarkets in the laundry or cleaning aisles and online, borax has a number of important household uses. Let’s take laundry for example. Adding up to 1/2 cup* of borax to a load of laundry—whites as well as colorfast items (check labels)—will do all kinds of wonderful things to keep your white things white, and your laundry and washing machine odor-free. *The amount of borax depends on the hardness of …