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So, hydrogen peroxide is basically the Henry Cavill of your house cleaning toolkit. It’s handsome, smart, multifaceted…I guess I’m daydreaming too much nowadays. But seriously, can you deny that he is pretty much the epitome of masculinity?
Well, it’s the same with hydrogen peroxide. Not about the handsomeness or masculinity but how it’s the Superman of house cleaning products.
You can use it to bleach and whiten since it’s a good oxidizing agent. It can also be used to deodorize, sanitize, and clean around the house as easy as it is to use Windex.
Of course, rather than giving you a long-winded speech as the best man does at a wedding, let’s go through the multiple uses of hydrogen peroxide! I swear they’ll change your life.
What is Hydrogen Peroxide Used For?
It’s not used particularly in any one area. It’s used literally for anything. Any purpose you can think of, you can probably apply hydrogen peroxide to.
It’s used to remove stains, bleach teeth, clean out weeds in your garden, treat mouth sores, treat common colds and so much more than that. That’s just the tip of the iceberg! It’s also utilized for toothpaste and washing your fruits and veggies. Insanely cool right? OK, I’m exaggerating a bit.
Is Hydrogen Peroxide Safe?
Yes, it’s completely safe. Provided that you don’t apply it directly near your eyes if you are using it on your skin. If you’re using it at home, and are a little wary of it since you have kids at home, don’t be.
It’s actually a great alternative to other cleaners since it doesn’t cause any lung irritation or breathing problems. You can actually use it to clean doorknobs or anything else you and your family touch on a regular basis. It actually makes your house cleaner and safer.
42 Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide:
1. Removing Blood Stains
Just like with any stain, the faster you apply the necessary liquid to it, the better. In this case, the invincible superhuman peroxide. Pour a little directly from the bottle to the stain, and rub it out using a cloth.
However, don’t scrub it like crazy and expect the stain to disappear. The result will be just as bad as you voluntarily scrubbing red wine into a white carpet. And if you’re a neat freak like mom, the probability of that is as much of that of a unicorn apocalypse.
Wash the cloth in the laundry like you normally would.
2. Toothpaste
Add two teaspoons of baking soda and add a few drops of hydrogen peroxide until it forms a paste. Apply this to your teeth and brush normally.
This helps kill all the bacteria and dirt, especially if your midnight guilty pleasure were those gooey chocolate cookies you were craving. It prevents gingivitis and can help halitosis.
3. Canker Sores
Canker sores are a pain in the butt. No pun intended. Even though the sores just need time to heal, and you have to power through it, peroxide helps.
Dilute it with a little bit of water, and swish it around in your mouth. Don’t directly put the peroxide in your mouth, since that would be the equivalent of drinking liquid fire.
4. Bite Treatment
Vacationing on an island with sparkling turquoise beaches and palm trees? Good. Bug bites? Bad. Soak a few cotton balls with peroxide and apply it all over the bites.
Because those are definitely not pretty to look at! It’ll speed up the healing and also act as a sort of repellent to bugs.
5. The Carpet Stain Cure
You’re probably thinking that this is impossible, so clear the soap out of your eyes and listen up. Use a spray bottle of peroxide that is about 1/3rd full.
Fill the rest of the bottle with water, and add approximately 5 drops of lemon essential oil. The oil breaks up the dirt, while the peroxide gets rid of it.
6. Teeth Whitening
Although the dental industry is a booming business for those looking to look younger with teeth as sparkling white as a diamond, this is a stepping stone to that. Mix some peroxide with baking soda to make a paste and you’ve got yourself teeth whitening magical substance in less than 5 minutes.
7. Remove Pit Stains
Ladies, I totally feel your pain when you find a disgusting pit stain on your favorite shirt. And gentlemen of course. It’s really irritating when you have a pit stain. And if the shirt is brand new? Frustration levels through the roof.
Create a mixture of dishwashing liquid and hydrogen peroxide in a 1 part: 2 parts ratio. Apply it to the stain and leave it for about an hour. Then, wash it with cold water and dry it.
8. Use in Place of Bleach
To really make those tighty- whiteys ….white, add a cup of hydrogen peroxide to your load of white clothes to brighten the fabric. It’s also great for removing any funky smells from your clothing.
Exhibit the damp smell you always get after your towel becomes wet and stays wet. To make it really effective, soak your laundry for about 15-30 minutes to make it more effective.
9. Dishwashing Booster
Your regular dish soap doesn’t always cut it. The more you use it, your plates will be clean….but a little dull. Kind of like the resistance that bugs have to bug spray after you use it multiple times. Add about 2 oz of peroxide to your dishwasher to give it a sanitizing boost.
If you really want to go all out, add some 3% peroxide to your dishwashing soap directly, so you don’t have to keep adding it every time you turn on the dishwasher.
10. Expunge Bad Breath
Bad breath could either be an occasional worry in your life or just an occurrence when you ate that amazingly cheesy garlic bread…..but are now regretting it.
Not to worry! Take some peroxide and swish it around in your mouth. Surprisingly, you only need to do this once a week since it work pretty quickly and effectively.
11. Lighten Hair
As someone who’s too lazy to get off the couch and go to the salon and spend frivolously, this is a total life hack. If you just went blond and had dark hair, apply it to your roots. You’ll gradually see the changes with repeated use.
If you haven’t dyed your hair, but just want to lighten it, apply it to your roots anyway repeatedly for better results!
12. On Your Blemishes
I’m pretty sure every woman suffers from acne and has a love-hate relationship with her skin. Although face masks and a healthy diet can go a long way, it won’t walk you the extra mile.
Apply some peroxide by soaking it in cotton balls and putting it on your face after you wash it thoroughly. Again, if you are sensitive, don’t directly apply it to your entire face. Apply it to just a patch of your skin and see what happens before you follow through.
13. Clean Out Your Ears
Can’t seem to get that damn earwax out no matter how many boxes of Johnson’s earbuds you use? It’s a little easier to use soaked cotton balls rather than directly applying it.
If you have an ear infection or any other ear irritation problems, don’t try this cleaning method. It could make a small ear infection potentially worse……ain’t nobody got time for that.
14. Whiten Nails
Often, when you leave nail polish on for too many days, you don’t give your nails room to breathe. Your nails could literally turn yellow from the lack of oxygen.
Soak your nails in a bit of peroxide to make that French manicure really stand out. If your skin or nails are very sensitive, try soaking just one nail and see what happens before you take the plunge.
15. Remove Stains From Marble
If the marble is unsealed, there’s a greater chance of staining. As soon as something falls on the floor like coffee or paint, clean it up immediately for the best and most effective results. Make a paste consisting of hydrogen peroxide and flour and apply it to the affected area.
Cover the place with plastic wrap, so that the paste doesn’t dry up and leave it overnight. Clean the paste the next day. If the stain still hasn’t completely gone, do this repeatedly over the next few days until the stain is out.
16. Appliance Cleaner
Looking for an anti-fungal, sanitary way to clean out your fridge and refrigerator without that powerful chemical smell that usually emanates from other products? Whew. Long sentence. Clean it out with peroxide.
It’s extremely safe and very sanitary. It’s also non-toxic, so don’t be afraid to store your food back in the fridge right after cleaning it with hydrogen peroxide.
17. Fight Foot Fungus
After long days at work, we forget that our feet can end up stinky from all the dirt that we miss while taking a shower. Use peroxide as a preventative measure to fight athlete’s foot or any sores that can form on the soles or heels of your feet.
Create a mixture with equal parts of water and hydrogen peroxide and rub it on your feet. Leave it on for about 20 minutes before you wash it off in the shower.
18. Easily Remove Calluses
Calluses are no fun! Especially if you’ve neglected taking care of them to the point where your skin is now breaking. Definitely unattractive not to mention, painful.
Soak your feet in warm water mixed with a bit of peroxide to get rid of them. Due to its anti-fungal properties, it also gets rid of any funky odors that were floating around your feet.
19. Clean Makeup Brushes and Burned Pots
In case of pots, add a heap of baking soda and spread it on the burnt areas of the pot. Apply a bit of peroxide and start scrubbing. To clean your makeup brushes, it’s seriously not as hard as you think it is, scout’s honor.
In a small bowl of water, add a few drops of argan oil and peroxide. Take your brush and swish it around in the mixture. Take it out and dry the brush, and it should be as good as new.
20. Prevent Swimmer’s Ear
As an ex-swimmer I totally understand. There was a point where I couldn’t hear much for 3 days where people thought I was ignoring them! Of course, I ignore my mom anyway when she tells me to do my laundry, but still.
Mix equal parts of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in a bottle and spray a few drops in each ear after getting out of the pool.
21. Boost Your Laundry
You’re probably tired of buying products that promise to whiten your laundry but don’t. Don’t worry! Add a cup of hydrogen peroxide to your laundry and watch the magic happen! Your clothes should be back to their normal white state after the normal wash load you put them through.
It’s anti-fungal properties also removing any weird odors from your clothing, so don’t hesitate to throw in your oh so wonderful smelling workout clothes!
22. Kill Mold
If I didn’t mention it at least 10 times before, peroxide is anti-fungal and sanitary, as well as safe to use pretty much anywhere. These properties make it perfect to kill mold in your homes. You can directly apply the peroxide via spray bottle to the moldy areas and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Then clean the area like you normally would. An important thing to note here is that, while it does help get rid of the mold, the brown and icky green stains of mold will still exist. This requires a greater amount of deep cleaning, but with repeated trials, you’ll definitely get even the stains out.
23. Sponge Sanitizer
After overusing your sponges, and using them to clean every nook and cranny in the house, we often forget that they themselves need to be cleaned. They should be cleaned at least 3 times a week, if not more.
Soak them for about 10 minutes in a mixture of equal parts water and hydrogen peroxide. Rinse and leave them out to dry to totally exploit the next morning!
24. Treat Colds
While it always surprises me that some new cancer is either being discovered or cured every other day, there doesn’t seem to be a cure to snap your fingers and get rid of a common cold.
While using peroxide won’t cure it, it’ll definitely reduce it. And yes it sounds a little weird. Use a dropper and drop peroxide into your ears and watch it do its magic.
25. Take A Detox Bath
My first thought after I leave the office is pretty much, “Man, I pity the person sitting next to me. Because I need a darn shower.”
Take a 20-minute bath to get rid of calluses, clean your pores, and make sure your skin is actually clean. Considering the public transport we use every day and the things we touch, it’s not such a bad idea.
26. On Your Fruits And Vegetables
While you may buy your fruits and vegetables from a farm, or whether you buy them at Safeway, you can’t escape the pesticide-itis. No, that’s not a real word.
Our produce is covered in pesticides even though we may not see it. Wash your fruits and veggies in a dilute hydrogen peroxide solution by mixing equal parts of water and peroxide. This will get rid of any existing pesticide substance on your produce.
It also gets rid of dirt and any other nasty substance that is sitting on the surface of your produce.
27. Conduct A Science Experiment
Definitely one of my favorite uses. This is perfect for those rainy days when you have no idea how to entertain the kids. Make some elephant toothpaste!
You only need a few ingredients including yeast, food coloring, and dishwashing liquid. Plus it’s a great way to explain how catalysts work! Check out the process to make the paste here.
28. Disinfect Tooth Brushes
If you can’t remember the last time you washed your toothbrush, now might be a really good time to disinfect it with peroxide.
Soak the toothbrushes in peroxide to get rid of any germs and bacteria. 10-20 minutes should do the job. Wash it off later. Don’t worry if there’s still some peroxide left on the brush, because it can actually whiten your teeth!
29. Grow Your Garden
If you have a green thumb, you’re probably well aware that peroxide helps your plants grow. It gets rid of any infection on trees, helps with insect control, combats root rot, and improves the overall plant growth.
For pest control, add a teaspoon of peroxide to one cup of water. If you’re treating root rot, add one tables spoon to every cup of water.
30. Clean Toilets
Despite the number of toilet cleaners in your arsenal, hydrogen peroxide will beat them all out in a knockout match for sure. It’s sanitizing and whitening properties alone make it perfect as a toilet cleaner.
Pour approximately half a cup of peroxide along the sides of your toilet and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then use a toilet brush to clean it like you normally would.
31. Food Stain Dissolver
Those previous batch of brownies really did a number on your baking trays. But not to worry! The hydrogen peroxide will get it right out.
Make a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide until you form a paste. Scrub it onto the affected pan areas and leave it on for about 30 minutes. Make sure you make enough paste so that there’s an adequate amount to rub all over the areas.
Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting time making more paste, and end up with an unevenly clean looking pot. After the 30 minutes, use a scrubby sponge and wash it with warm or lukewarm water to really get the tough stains out and loosen them.
32. Tackle A Toothache
Your dentist’s appointment is probably next week, but you probably won’t make it that long! If your tooth pain is killing you, treat is as follows. Mix some hydrogen peroxide with warm water and hold it in your mouth for up to 10 minutes.
People have reported its effectiveness with repeated use in the course of a day. A word to the wise, don’t overuse this water and peroxide mixture since it will kill the good bacteria in your mouth as well.
33. Keep Mattress Mites At Bay
Mattress mites are unavoidable, kind of like change. Or Thanos. It’s important to keep your bedding as clean as possible since you do spend about 6 hours on it, on a daily basis, sometimes more.
Put some peroxide and water in a spray bottle, and give your mattress a good overall spray. If possible, leave your mattress outside to dry. If not, don’t go crazy with the spray bottle and soaking the mattress.
To really ensure clean bedding, wash your sheets, and the pillow covers with peroxide as well. Just throw them into the washing machine with a bit of peroxide and you’re good to go. It doesn’t require any extra time or creativity to be clean.
34. Give Copper And Brass A Little Shine
We sometimes forget that even our furniture needs a little cleaning up now and then. What with kids, work, and life in general.
We also forget that the cute copper pigeon or whatever eclectic pieces outside the house, on our doorstep, also need a shine! Just mix some hydrogen peroxide and water in a spray bottle, and spray away!
Use a cotton cloth to get it in the spaces, the spray cannot properly reach. This technique works with copper, brass, and metal. So use this on the doorknobs, your furniture, and the metal rods of your four-poster bed.
35. DIY Deodorant
If you’re out of deodorant, now’s the time to panic. Done panicking? I was kidding! This technique will totally have you covered! You can make your own version in about 2 minutes. Mix some hydrogen peroxide and bicarbonate of soda together and apply it under your arms.
Bicarbonate of soda is just another fancy way of saying baking soda which is present in pretty much every single American household! If you really run out of time and can’t buy deodorant the entire week, it’s better to keep this in a jar.
That way, even when you’re on the go, you can just make a quip bathroom visit and rub it on. Granted, it’s not Chanel perfume, but it’ll definitely do the job.
36. Keep Food Fresher
Going on a road trip or out of town for a few days? Darn! You probably just did the grocery shopping. You definitely don’t want to waste about $100 worth of groceries.
Try this major money-saving life hack. Give your greens, fruits, and other veggies a brief spray down and leave them in the fridge without any worries. However, don’t forget to wash them thoroughly before using them for cooking.
Or you’ll end up wondering why your pasta suddenly tastes like sanitizer. Spritzing them with a peroxide solution also keeps away the wilting property or sogginess of the vegetables, so they retain their water.
37. Sanitize Cutting Boards And Disinfect Surfaces
The title pretty much gives a description of how effective the peroxide is. Especially if you have pets and kids running around the house, making a general mess of everything. Oh wait a minute, that’s pretty much every day.
Wipe your cutting boards with peroxide at least thrice a week to get rid of any bacteria and germs. Add a few drops of mineral oil to the surface of the board to extend the life of the cutting board, since wood can easily rot when neglected of proper care.
38. Floor Brightener
The kitchen floors and bathroom floors often become dull from either using the same cleaner, or neglect of overall cleaning. The oxidizing property of hydrogen peroxide is what whitens surfaces, teeth, or whatever it is applied to.
Make a mixture of about a cup of hydrogen peroxide and a gallon of hot water and scrub your floors. Since it is a mild, and a rather unconcentrated substance, you don’t need to wash it off the floor with water after you’re done scrubbing.
Give your doorknobs and handles also a good shine by soaking a cloth in peroxide and just giving them a brief cleaning.
39. Treat A Yeast Infection
If you’re wary about going to the doctor, or feeling a little awkward and are not sure how to treat it, this is your best bet for now.
Add a few capfuls of hydrogen peroxide to your bath before you detox and soak in it. You may find that it either reduces or completely heals the yeast infection. If it still hasn’t reduced, keep repeating this process over the next few days.
40. Make Natural Bleach with Hydrogen Peroxide
Although bleach is an effective chemical, it’s not very safe to use and is extremely powerful. If you want the benefits of bleach without its harmful effects, you’ve come to the right place!
Mix some hydrogen peroxide with lemon, baking soda, vinegar, and citrus acid. You’ll have a product that’s almost like bleach but not as smelly and chemically powerful. And it’s so much safer to use especially with kids and pets in the house.
41. Clean Your Smelly Shoes
Whoo! I don’t know about you, but I’ve taken my shoes off and wondered more than once “What died in here?” Apparently my dignity! Since hydrogen peroxide isn’t strong, don’t worry about any leftover smells.
Just pour a bit in your shoes and let it rest. Clean your shoes after 20 minutes with a towel to give it a nice shine.
42. Remove Icky Residue
Sometimes you end up having sticky residue on your countertops for whatever reason. Mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide until you form a paste. Scrub it onto the countertop and let it rest for 30 minutes. Come back and clean the countertop with warm water and a towel.
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