20 Mule Team Borax

[Cyndi B.]

In my homemade soap making I was reading on the box of 20 Mule Team Borax that it will shine up fiberglass. Thought it was only good in diaper pails as I remember.

[mary and bob]

Is that stuff still being sold, I remember it from years ago, like maybe the late 50's. I think it was in a metal can, oval shaped, small shaker top, black and white can.They sponsored some TV show, a western maybe. And I had a model of the team and wagon.

[cpaharley2008]

I believe Kamper Bob mentioned them. Boraxo is still being made today, long before OxiClean.

[baron100]

The first director of the National Park Service was Stephen Mather, a millionaire famous for his efforts in advertising and sales promotion for the Pacific Coast Borax company. In particular, he is credited with the idea of adding the label "20 Mule Team Borax" He basically made an almost worthless resource a household name with a huge demand.

In 1913 after visiting Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks he wrote a letter highly critical of the deplorable conditions he had witnessed in the parks to his college friend Secretary of the Interior, Franklin Lane.

Lane responded: "Dear Steve: If you don't like the way the national parks are run, why don't you come on down to Washington and run them yourself." That challenge prompted Mather to come to Washington and do just that.

The rest is history. As you wander in the national parks you will find (sometimes in obscure places) bronze plaques honoring Mather with the words: "There will never come an end to the good that he has done." The placques were erected in all the National Parks upon his death.

I never miss an opportunity to thank him when in the Parks.



The National Parks: America's Best Idea: People - Stephen Mather | PBS

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Is that stuff still being sold,.

Very much so. You can buy it at most major stores such as Safeway, Walmart and Target etc.

[FTTRV]

Yes they still make Borax. The product is used in TV,Computer, and telephone screens. Their are two mines that supply the world with product. One is at Boron,California just off I-40 in the desert. The other mine is in South America. When you see containers on a train or ship with the words K-LINE they are carrying Borax.

[Terry G]

The TV show sponsored by 20 Mule Team Borax was called "Death Valley Days" and ran from 1952 to 1975. From 1964 to 1965, an obscure actor named Ronald Reagan was the host and starred in the episodes. Check out this clip on YouTube:

Ronald Reagan Death Valley Days - YouTube

[Perry J]

Boraxo is the best, least expensive fibreglass cleaner there is as far as I'm concerned.
It removes mold, bird droppings, bugs and removes the chalk all in one scrub.
I wet the trailer down, sprinkle the Boraxo on and use a scrub brush.
One wash and your ready for wax.
John

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by baron100

The first director of the National Park Service was Stephen Mather, a millionaire famous for his efforts in advertising and sales promotion for the Pacific Coast Borax company. In particular, he is credited with the idea of adding the label "20 Mule Team Borax" He basically made an almost worthless resource a household name with a huge demand.

In 1913 after visiting Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks he wrote a letter highly critical of the deplorable conditions he had witnessed in the parks to his college friend Secretary of the Interior, Franklin Lane.

Lane responded: "Dear Steve: If you don't like the way the national parks are run, why don't you come on down to Washington and run them yourself." That challenge prompted Mather to come to Washington and do just that.

The rest is history. As you wander in the national parks you will find (sometimes in obscure places) bronze plaques honoring Mather with the words: "There will never come an end to the good that he has done." The placques were erected in all the National Parks upon his death.

I never miss an opportunity to thank him when in the Parks.



The National Parks: America's Best Idea: People - Stephen Mather | PBS

A rich businessman who was able to put his experience to use in government, and did a great job. I wish we could have more practical-minded people like him in such positions. Thanks for posting that about Stephen Mather; I never knew.

My wife occasionally makes the homemade laundry soap, too, and borax is included in that recipe. It's very economical and seems to work just fine.

[Vivian L]

I use Borax with every laundry. Have done for years and years. 1/2 cup in each load and I never have to use bleach. If you have a front load washing machine that starts to smell, use borax and that has cleared up mine - better, faster and way cheaper than those little plugs they sell to do the job.
Bizzian

[havingfunnow]

I love borax. It cleans beautifully, deodorizes, and has none of the aftereffects that cause problems with so many cleaners. I've used it for all kinds of things, but especially appreciated it in washing down dog kennels -- no chemical burns on paws. Around here, I find the '20 mule team' brand in the laundry section of most grocery stores. Great stuff!

I didn't know about Stephen Mather either, but I'll be thinking of him now!

[Raz]

I like the hand powder, Boraxo. It's great for cleanup after working in the garden. Unfortunately the local stores have stopped carrying it and I wondered if it had been discontinued. Raz

[Marsha D]

I also use homemade laundry soap using 20 Mule Team Borax and love the way it cleans and makes my clothes smell fresh. I find it in the laundry detergent aisle of my local grocery store. Good to know it will also spruce up fiberglass.

[Roger C H]

My parents made a spray with Borax that they used on natural Christmas trees. My mother would snap off a twig in an inconspicuous spot and try lighting it with a match. It would put the match out. After a while, when it stopped doing this, was when they took the tree down.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by FTTRV

Yes they still make Borax. The product is used in TV,Computer, and telephone screens. Their are two mines that supply the world with product. One is at Boron,California just off I-40 in the desert. The other mine is in South America. When you see containers on a train or ship with the words K-LINE they are carrying Borax.

Although K Line does move Borax out of California they are a global shipping company that owns many ships both container and bulk. In my professional carrier I have dealt with them many times and as such I am aware they also have container contracts with large companies such as Walmart, Target, Honda and Toyota to name just a few. They move hundreds of thousands of containers a year for those company's. Most of the Borax that K-Line moves is shipped in bulk using specially designed rail cars that some call Hoppers and unlike a standard shipping container they have openings at the top and the bottom to allow the Borax to be poured in and and out of it. It is usually loaded into the holds of bulk vessels using a conveyor or pneumatic system. K Line also has a large number of bulk vessels that call into North America that may actually be coal, pulp & paper or grain carriers. They also have special car carrier vessels that could be bringing you your new Audi or BMW.

If I was a betting person I would bet that a container I saw on a rail spur in the US with the K-Lines name on it actually contained my next Iphone, TV or parts for your car or trailer over Borax.

[Vivian L]

Now that's something I'm going to have to try out. Wow! and by the way what is a Buffalo Plaid?

[Wallo]

In Death Valley, past Furnace Creek, there is a site where Borax was mined and they have the old rail cars and wagons from way back.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Vivian Layne-Parkin

Now that's something I'm going to have to try out. Wow! and by the way what is a Buffalo Plaid?

A primarily red and black "flannel" pattern worn by the original settlers of our nation.... Google Buffalo Plaid.... step back into history....

[David and Nancy]

Another little known use for borax is as a preservative in the taxidermy industry. Up until the mid-1900's arsenic was used to preserve the skins of birds and small animals. Someone discovered that borax worked as well without the toxicity issues. Use of arsenic in taxidermy shops soon ceased. Straight borax and borax-based preservatives are still widely used in bird taxidermy. It not only dries and preserves the skins, but allegedly repels insects on mounted birds.

[HerseyBA]

Borax makes a good insecticide for various "creepy crawlies" in the home and garden.
How to Use Borax to Get Rid of Ants and Cockroaches