Storage & Organization & Hacks

I Can Do What with Hydrogen Peroxide?

kelleysdiy

Today’s hack is some ways you may have never thought about using Hydrogen Peroxide. It is one of the the more underrated items in any natural cleaning kit. You can use it to disinfect, sanitize, and deodorize hundreds of surfaces and items around your home. Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer, making it useful for whitening and bleaching things. Keep a bottle on hand for everyday hydrogen peroxide uses like whitening teeth, cleaning mirrors, and preventing stains.

Hydrogen peroxide is a natural anti-septic, therefore one of its most common uses is to clean wounds to prevent infection.

I am going to provide you with some insight on the different uses for hydrogen peroxide, and I would love to know if any of these surprised you.

Cleans Sponges

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Have some funky sponges in the kitchen or bathroom? The many uses for hydrogen peroxide can also help you get rid of their dirty appearance and weird smell. Soak sponges in equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water, then rinse thoroughly. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to toss it.

Blood Stains

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iStock/SuwanPhoto

Most hydrogen peroxide uses involve brightening or bleaching an object, which makes sense, because the chemical compound is a kind of bleach. That means it’ll do wonders on stained white fabrics. Pour some directly onto a stain and let it sit, then blot it out and rinse it in cold water.

Skin Saver

Hydrogen peroxide is majorly used for skin lightening and acne.Dab on cotton swab some hydrogen peroxide on pimples or acne to help clear skin.

Whiten Fingernails

If you paint your nails a lot, you’ve probably already noticed that your nails can yellow over time. Get rid of the yellow tinge by applying a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide to each affected nail. Let them sit for a few minutes until the stains disappear. Make sure to apply a lotion or cuticle cream afterwards, since hydrogen peroxide can be rough on skin.

Whiten Your Nails Naturally

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iStock/Nadya Lukic

Count this as one of the best tricks to get healthy and gorgeous nails. Take one part hydrogen peroxide to two parts baking soda to form a paste, and gently massage the paste over your nail beds. Let it sit for two to three minutes then rinse away the dingy yellowness.

 Carpet Cleaner

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Is your carpet in need of a little love? You can clean it up with just three ingredients — hydrogen peroxide, lemon essential oil, and water. All you have to do is mix two parts water with one part hydrogen peroxide and five drops of lemon essential oil. Make sure you use a dark bottle (like the one peroxide comes in). Shake it up and it’s ready to go. Just spray it on the stained carpet, let it sit for a minute or two, and then use a brush to scrub the stains out.

This solution works on upholstery, too, and you can repeat the process a few times until you get your carpet and fabrics squeaky clean!

 Ear Cleaner

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No matter how many times we’re told that Q-tips are not safe for your ears, we still use them often. Have wax buildup in your ears? Peroxide is a better solution than stabbing at your eardrum with a cotton stick.

Note: This isn’t an effective remedy for people with damaged ears or infections. It’s just for some maintenance on otherwise healthy ears!

 Fruit & Veggie Wash

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Wash vegetables and fruits with hydrogen peroxide to remove dirt and pesticides. Add 1/4 cup of H2O2 to a sink of cold water. After washing, rinse thoroughly with cool water.

 Awesome Toothpaste

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Use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to make a paste for brushing teeth. Helps with early stages of gingivitis as it kills bacteria. Mixed with salt and baking soda, hydrogen peroxide works as a whitening toothpaste.

Dish Washing Booster

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In the dishwasher, add 2 oz. to your regular detergent for a sanitizing boost. Also, beef up your regular dish soap by adding roughly 2 ounces of 3% H2O2 to the bottle.

Appliance Cleaner

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Wipe out your refrigerator and dishwasher. Because it’s non-toxic, it’s great for cleaning places that store food and dishes.

Mouthwash

Use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash to freshen breath. It kills the bacteria that causes halitosis. Use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.

Food Stain Dissolver

Remove baked-on crud from pots and pans. Combine hydrogen peroxide with enough baking soda to make a paste, then rub onto the dirty pan and let it sit for a while. Come back later with a scrubby sponge and some warm water, and the baked-on stains will lift right off.

Kitchen Cleaning

Clean your cutting board and countertop. Let everything bubble for a few minutes, then scrub and rinse clean.

Banish Dust Mites From Mattresses

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Stock/Liza McCorkle

Dust mites are almost inevitable, but they don’t have to build up. Spray hydrogen peroxide on your bare mattress to rid it of any invisible critters.

Whiten Bathtub Grout.

First dry the tub thoroughly, then spray it liberally with hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit — it may bubble slightly — for a little while, then come back and scrub the grout with an old toothbrush. You may have to repeat the process a few times.

Laundry Helper
Laundry Helper

Raise your hand if you hate those pesky yellow armpit stains on your precious white shirts! Well, on second thought, maybe don’t raise your hands … Anyway, you probably know that bleach is not the answer. So, what is? You probably guessed by now, but yes, hydrogen peroxide can help.

Combine two parts hydrogen peroxide with one part Dawn dishwashing liquid and let the solution sit for at least an hour. Then just spray it on the stain and scrub, scrub, scrub. You can add some baking soda for heavier duty staining.

Toilet Cleaner

Clean the toilet bowl. Pour half a cup of hydrogen peroxide into the toilet bowl, let stand for 20 minutes, then scrub clean.

Floor Brightener

Brighten dingy floors. Combine half a cup of hydrogen peroxide with one gallon of hot water, then go to town on your flooring. Because it’s so mild, it’s safe for any floor type, and there’s no need to rinse.

Mouth Rinse

Some hydrogen peroxide uses aren’t intuitive, but they still work! Save money on mouthwash by mixing equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water and swish it around your mouth. Bonus: It’ll help naturally whiten your teeth in the process.

Scour Burnt Pots

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Source: Getty Images

Sometimes you have the heat up too high, or you’re using an absolutely ancient pan, and before you know it your cookware is covered in burnt spots. Before you destroy your hands with steel wool or scouring pads, try this DIY remedy. Make a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, and apply that to the burnt, dirty areas. Let it marinate for a bit and then use warmish water to scrub it away. The stain should come off pretty easily, but if it doesn’t, simply repeat the process, leaving the paste on a little longer this time.

Cracked Heels

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For some people, no matter what they do, they still end up with dry, cracked heels. Unless you are made of money and have time for constant spa pedicures, you’ll be on the hunt for an at-home remedy. That’s where this hydrogen peroxide hack comes in.

Soak your feet in a mixture of two cups of peroxide and two cups of hot-as-you-can-stand-it water for about 30 minutes. Dry your feet off and scrub your dead heel skin with a pumice stone or coarse foot file. When you get all the dead skin off, wipe your feet off again with a towel, lotion them up, and put on some nice fuzzy socks.

Ideally, you’re doing all of this at bedtime and can sleep with the socks on!

Stain Remover

Remove stains from clothing, curtains, and tablecloths. Hydrogen peroxide can be used as a pre-treat for stains — just soak the stain for a little while in 3% hydrogen peroxide before tossing into the laundry. You can also add a cup of peroxide to a regular load of whites to boost brightness. It’s a green alternative to bleach, and works just as well.

Toy Cleaner

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Clean kids’ toys and play areas. Hydrogen peroxide is a safe cleaner to use around kids, or anyone with respiratory problems, because it’s not a lung irritant. Spray toys, toy boxes, doorknobs, and anything else your kids touch on a regular basis.

Plant Doctor

To ward off fungus, add a little hydrogen peroxide to your spray bottle the next time you’re spritzing plants.

Hair Highlighter

Add natural highlights to your hair. Dilute the hydrogen peroxide so the solution is 50% peroxide and 50% water. Spray the solution on wet hair to create subtle, natural highlights.

Bath Soak

According to alternative therapy practitioners, adding half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to a warm bath can help detoxify the body. Some are skeptical of this claim, but a bath is always a nice way to relax and the addition of hydrogen peroxide will leave you – and the tub – squeaky clean!

Salad Keeper

Spray a solution of 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide on leftover salad, drain, cover and refrigerate. This will prevent wilting and better preserve your salad.

Seed Sprouter

Hydrogen peroxide helps to sprout seeds for new plantings. Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution once a day and spritz the seed every time you re-moisten. You can also use a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 32 parts water to improve your plants’ root system.

Whiten Linens

Remove yellowing from lace curtains or tablecloths. Fill a sink with cold water and a 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Soak for at least an hour, rinse in cold water and air dry.

Humidifier Cleaner

Use 1 pint of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of water to clean humidifiers and steamers.

Foot Helper

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Helps with foot fungus. Spray a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry. Or try soaking your feet in a peroxide solution to help soften calluses and corns, and disinfect minor cuts.

Shower Curtain Cleaner

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Wash shower curtains with hydrogen peroxide to remove mildew and soap scum. Place curtains in machine with a bath towel and your regular detergent. Add 1 cup full strength 3% hydrogen peroxide to the rinse cycle.

Towel Treatment

Use for towels that have become musty smelling. Add 1/2 cup peroxide and 1/2 cup vinegar to washing machine, let soak for 15 minutes wash as normal. Gets rid of the smell.

De-Skunking Solution

Combine 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon Dawn dish detergent, 2 quarts warm water. Work the mixture onto the affected animal (or human). Don’t let this mixture sit too long on animal fur, or the hydrogen peroxide could lighten the color of the fur!

Canker Sores

Use hydrogen peroxide to help heal painful canker sores. Swish a tablespoon or so of hydrogen peroxide around your mouth for about 10 minutes, to help disinfect the area and reduce inflammation.

Cleaning Glass

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Screw a spray bottle top right onto your bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and use it like you would a bottle of Windex to clean glass and mirrors. It’s surprisingly effective, and streak-free!

Clean Humidifiers 

Use 1 pint of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of water to clean humidifiers and steamers.

Stain Remover

Treat stains from organic matter like blood, sweat, coffee, and wine. Spray hydrogen peroxide onto the stain and rub it in to help release the stain. This works best with fresh, wet stains, and may bleach some dark fabrics. Test in an inconspicuous spot beforehand to make sure.

Bathroom Cleaner

Hydrogen peroxide makes an effective and affordable mold and mildew cleaner! Spray down the surfaces in your bathroom that are affected by mold or mildew, and allow it to sit for several minutes. The gunk should be easy to remove, and the hydrogen peroxide leaves it disinfected as well!

Pet Poison Control

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We love our pets, but it often seems as though they are determined to eat things that are bad for them! If your dog has ingested a lot of chocolate, or any other food or substance that could be toxic, it may be necessary to induce vomiting, and you can do that with hydrogen peroxide. Measure out 1 milliliter (mL) of 3% hydrogen peroxide per pound of your animal’s weight, up to 45mL. Use a turkey baster to feed the peroxide to your pet.

This method works for dogs as well as cats, pigs, and even ferrets. However, it is NOT recommended for use on rodents, horses, rabbits, or birds.

So….did this inspire? Surprise You? Perhaps you have other uses with hydrogen peroxide you would like to share with us? I would love to hear!!

       

Published by kelleysdiy

I love creating new ideas. And now that I am happily retired, I have lots more time to create them! Whether its crafts for decorating my home, or up cycling items I find at garage sales, thrift stores, and even on the curb, and turning them into something wonderful. The creative juices flowing in my head are almost always in overdrive....so many ideas! I love sharing my new ideas with all of you! So please follow me and let me know how I'm doing! I hope I can inspire you.....and if I do....send me a pic. I would love to see your creation.

55 thoughts on “I Can Do What with Hydrogen Peroxide?”

  3. Pingback: I Can Do What with Hydrogen Peroxide? – Timeless Wisdoms

  4. Many of these we have used in Russia, as there weren’t any chemical cleaners, detergents, etc. But some are new to me and amazing, such as salad keeper – wow! I assume it works the same way for any green leafy vegetables, right?
    Thank you for this gem, darling!

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. These are amazing! I’ve heard of some of them, but there’s a lot I didn’t know about. I’m definitely going to try it on my rug! Thanks for sharing these!

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    1. Michelle, I have a newer sofa I love, and yesterday I spilled some hot coffee on it ;( I quickly soaked it up with a rag, then I sprayed some hydrogen peroxide on it,all better, no stain!! It really works!

      Liked by 1 person

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      7. Wow! My husband is a podiatrist at Borrego Health and he practices there a couple of times a month and at Cathedral City and here in Borrego Springs. What a small world.

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    1. It is a colorless, horrible smelling, unstable liquid with strong oxidizing properties, commonly used in diluted form in disinfectants and bleaches. Its in the same kind of bottle as alcohol, usually found in same area of store.

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