20 Mules And A Shine

I never heard of Borax before I purchased the book Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean. Funny how a person like myself – not very skilled in the arts of home management – is still always intrigued by the ideas, philosophies and methodologies of others on the subject. Guess I’m the eternal optimist in this respect, always hoping it will rub off on me.

The Queen’s book covers many topics, very few of which I have actually tried and even fewer I have incorporated, through memory, into my cleaning ‘routine.’ But there is one thing I learned from her book early on that I adopted right away. Using Borax to clean our porcelain tub.

This stuff is amazing. You can buy it in the laundry detergent aisle. It’s a laundry booster, though I’ve never used it in this capacity, so I can’t speak to its effectiveness. But I can tell you that in the tub, it works wonders.

[This is a before photo of our dirty tub; it's kind of difficult to see.]
First, you wet down your tub. I simply turn on the showerhead for a few seconds. Then sprinkle the amazing Borax powder along the bottom. You really don’t need that much, though I always use way more than I should because a while ago, I got the Borax box wet, so all the powder clumped together. Try to avoid doing this yourself if you can. It is a big waste of Borax.

Then you wet a Dobie pad, another cleaning implement I had never heard of until my former landlord’s wife told me about it. It’s a non-abrasive yet powerful scrubbing tool you can use that won’t scratch. You use this to create a paste with the Borax that ultimately scrubs your tub clean. It is truly amazing.

[This is an after shot; still difficult, but can't you see the shine?]
Our tub, after it’s been cleaned, is the shiniest thing in our house. I remember one time when my friend Merrick was visiting in the old apartment, she asked me how I got the tub so clean. No small compliment as Merrick is one of the neatest freaks I know.

So give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.