Unless you’ve recently crawled out from underneath a rock, you’ve undoubtedly seen an iconic box of “mule team” borax sitting around in someone’s house. Whether you’ve used it or not, most households keep a box handy because of the many uses it has.

The sodium borate is effective at nearly everything. It’s fire-resistant, kills pests, and is an anti-fungal. Check out these 15 amazing tasks it can help out with around your house. If you don’t already own a box, you’ll probably want one after this.

1. Freshen Laundry – This is one of the best known uses for borax. Just pour a half a cup up the powder in with your load and let it do it’s job. Your clothes will come out smelling great, whites will look whiter, and stains will be gone. It will even soften your water so your clothes don’t get worn out.

2. Scrub Your Shower Tiles – Cleaning the grout between tiles is never a fun job, but borax can make the job easier. Make a paste out of borax with water, smear it on the grout and leave it overnight. The next morning the grime will scrub off easily. The powder’s antifungal properties will even keep mold and mildew from coming back so quickly.

3. Make Your Mattress Smell Fresh – Mix one part borax and three parts water in a spray bottle and give your mattress a good spray. The mixture will kill bacteria and odors and leave your mattress smelling clean and fresh. This trick also works for smelly pet beds.

4. Kill Weeds – Make a weed-killing paste out of borax and water. When you see a weed in your yard, just mix the paste with more water in a spray bottle and spray it on the weed. It will be gone forever.

5. Take Nasty Marks Off Your Sink – Add a little lemon juice to borax just enough to make it soft and watery, then rub the mixture over your sink. Scour it gently and rinse it away to reveal a beautiful, shining sink.

6. Unclog a Drain – Borax can also be used to unclog a drain. Just pour the borax in the drain, add some hot water, let it soak a few minutes, and then run water until the sink is clear of any powder.

7. Clean Away Rust – Whether the rust is on your favorite pan, your patio furniture, or nearly anything else, borax can make it look brand new. Combine one part borax with two parts warm water and scrub the mixture directly onto the meta. You can let it sit overnight if the rust is thick, then just scrape the rust right off.

8. Kill Pests – Borax has been known as an excellent bug killer for decades. It can kill all sorts of pests including flies, wasps, roaches, ants, beetles, mice, fleas, dust mites and a variety of other small pests. Simply mix equal parts borax and sugar and place it under your fridge or sink, but be sure to keep the mixture of the reach of your pets and kids.

9. Freshen a Litter Box – The litter box doesn’t have to be the smelliest place in your home. Just place a few spoonfuls of borax underneath your kitty’s litter and your pet will dig up the fresh smelling powder. Baking soda works well for this trick too.

10. Clean Nearly Any Surface – Borax is a safe and natural replacement for all types of cleaners and the mixture works really well unlike some other natural cleaners. Just stir a few spoonfuls of borax into hot water with a squirt of lemon juice and use it where you want to clean. This works really well at cleaning pencil, crayons, and markers off of walls and busting grease stains.

11. Cure Toenail Fungus – Foot fungus can be serious if it goes untreated. For a safe, homemade cure combine a spoonful of borax and baking soda and add water to make a paste. Apply it to the affected nail and you should see the fungus begin to clear in just a few days.

12. Make Slime – If you have any children in your life, you’ve probably heard about this one. This gooey craft is very popular among the younger crowd. Just look up a recipe online and you’ll can spoil the kids in your life and make their day.

13. Clean Carpets – Borax and baking soda are both good for this trick. Just sprinkle the powder onto your carpet and vacuum it up. The powder soaks up bad odors and clears away dark spots all at the same time.

14. Tidy Your Toilet Bowl – Sprinkle a cup of the powder in your toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. The next day, do a quick scrub in the bowl and flush.  Your toilet will be shiny and white and totally clean.

15. Deodorize Your Home – Break out your favorite essential oil and add a few drops with a few spoonfuls of borax mixed in a spray bottle full of water. Spray the mixture around your home to clear the air of any bad odors.

If you thought these 15 household borax hacks were handy, please share them with your friends so they can use them too!