Save Zillions On Cleaning Products

moggins

• Chemistry: Na[size=-1]2[/size]B[size=-1]4[/size]O[size=-1]7 [/size]-10H[size=-1]2[/size]O, Hydrated sodium borate.
• Class: Carbonates
• Subclass: Borates
• Uses: an ore of boron and as a source of borax (a cleaning agent and useful industrial chemical)
• Specimens

Borax is a complex borate mineral that is found in playa lakes and other evaporite deposits. The basic structure of borax contains chains of interlocking BO[size=-1]2[/size](OH) triangles and BO[size=-1]3[/size](OH) tetrahedrons bonded to chains of sodium and water octahedrons. Most old mineral specimens of borax are chalky white due to a chemical reaction from dehydration. They have actually altered (at least on their surface) to the mineral tincalconite, Na[size=-1]2 [/size]B[size=-1]4[/size]O[size=-1]7[/size]-5H[size=-1]2[/size]O, with the loss of water. This kind of alteration from one mineral to another leaves the original shape of the crystal. Minerologists refer to this as a pseudomorph, or "fake shape", because the tincalconite has the crystal shape of the predecessing borax.



Borax is directly deposited in arid regions from the evaporation of water in intermittent lakes called playas. The playas form only during rainy seasons due to runoff from adjacent mountains. The runoff is rich in the element boron and is highly concentrated by evaporation in the arid climate. Eventually the concentration is so great that crystals of borax and other boron minerals form.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• Color is white to clear.
• Luster is vitreous.
• Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
• Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
• Crystal Habits include the blocky to prismatic crystals with a nearly square cross section. Also massive and as crusts.
• Cleavage is perfect in one direction.
• Fracture is conchoidal.
• Hardness is 2 - 2.5
• Specific Gravity is approximately 1.7 (very light)
• Streak is white.
• Associated Minerals are calcite, halite, hanksite, colemanite, ulexite and other borates.
• Other Characteristics: a sweet alkaline taste, alters to chalky white tincalconite with dehydration.
• Notable Occurrences include Trona, Boron, Death Valley and other California localities; Andes Mountains; Turkey and Tibet.
• Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations, locality, density and hardness.

:rotfl:

moggins

p.s. washing soda is a lot easier to get hold of that Borax

Wirenth

Don't you believe it! Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Tescos near me don't sell either. I eventually found a little hardware store that stocked the Borax. :rolleyes:

Arrrrgh!

whitty999

Could someone give me a quick and easy update:
Washing up?
Washing clothes
Cleaning stained teapot,cups etc,
Cleaning windows
etc etc.
Just about to start real money saving but getting a little cnfused could someone please make it easy with what and how much to use in list form for all cleaning jobs,Would really appreciate it,A little slow!SO a pm would be great so i can print it out to take shopping with me,I know its alot to ask but would help so much.

squeaky

Your best bet is to pick the bits you need from the Cleaning section of out MEGA Index sticky at the top of Old Style. There is no single answer, everybody approaches things in different ways - so by all means browse and pick the ones that suit you

The short cut straight there is in the link:-

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=675205#post675205

Wirenth

Update:

Sainsbury's in Preston sell washing soda. Its right next to the Calgon tablets.

I also have an 'experiment' brewing. We squeeze our own orange juice every morning and a comment about lemons being good for cleaning got me thinking...(always dangerous)....


My slow cooker is now full of orange peels and pulp, plus water. It's been on low all day. The house smells wonderful. I've strained out all the 'bits' and have been left with a light brown, citrusy liquid.

I intend to make up a cleaner of 2/3 of this stuff to 1/3 distilled vinegar. Will also put this in the washing machine in place of fabric softner. The citrus should help get rid of any grease and also take care of the chip shop smell. :cool:

I'll let you know how it goes.... :eek:

loopylass

i have a brushed stainless steel eye level oven and toaster and kettle how can tou clean it i wash it over but you can still see streaks i have looked on the mega index thread but couldnt find anything and also limescale on my bathroom taps at the end (spout) i cant leave anything on there because it drips off is there a paste or something i can use
thankyou

annie-c

For the oven, toaster and kettle, use a little baby oil on kitchen paper. Then buff with a soft clean dry cloth.

squeaky

loopylass wrote:

i have a brushed stainless steel eye level oven and toaster and kettle how can tou clean it i wash it over but you can still see streaks i have looked on the mega index thread but couldnt find anything and also limescale on my bathroom taps at the end (spout) i cant leave anything on there because it drips off is there a paste or something i can use
thankyou

This older thread might help you with your stainless:-

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=871846#post871846


As for the ends of your tap you can either put a small amount of vinegar in the corner of a freezer bag and tie it on so that the tap end sits in the liquid, or you can use an old bottle top and a broad elastic band to keep it in place. Thin ones just roll off. Either way, they need to be left overnight, and any small amounts of lime scale left should scrub off easily with a nylon scrub sponge. If it's really bad, just repeat

scml

As for the ends of your tap you can either put a small amount of vinegar in the corner of a freezer bag and tie it on so that the tap end sits in the liquid, or you can use an old bottle top and a broad elastic band to keep it in place. Thin ones just roll off. Either way, they need to be left overnight, and any small amounts of lime scale left should scrub off easily with a nylon scrub sponge. If it's really bad, just repeat [/QUOTE]

I don't know what kind of taps/waste I have in that I don't know what they are made of but when I put bleach in the sink with the plug in, it seemed to burn away the gold plating colour leaving rust type spots. (ok, ok, so I learned by my mistake).

I am now afraid to use anything on my taps incase the same happens but wiping with damp cloth is not enough.

Do you think I could do the vinegar in afreezer bag hing?

Thanks