Hydrogen peroxide is an essential part of most home first-aid kits. However, there are numerous hydrogen peroxide uses in the home that most people don’t realize.
In this article, we’re going to explore twenty-two uses of hydrogen peroxide at home. Find out what is hydrogen peroxide and we’re going to help you learn how to dye your hair with peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide releases oxygen when applied. It has antiseptic properties, so it cleans the wound and prevents infection when used for cuts and scrapes. Hydrogen peroxide is nontoxic. Its chemical make-up is H2O2, which is just water (H2O) with added oxygen.
What is Hydrogen Peroxide?
Peroxide works its magic through oxidation, which is the same process that produces rust and browns apples. When hydrogen peroxide contacts microorganisms, it oxidizes them by breaking them down into water and oxygen.
Use Hydrogen Peroxide at Home
Peroxide is available in most stores near the bandages in the first aid section. A 3% solution is safe for all uses except for internal or food-grade purposes. Carefully read the packaging and use only food-grade peroxide as directed (diluted) for internal use. This explains how does hydrogen peroxide work.
Personal Care
Whether you are looking for a way to get food coloring off hands or have a cold sore, hydrogen peroxide provides a simple answer.
Hydrogen Peroxide Mouthwash
Besides the many hydrogen peroxide uses like wound cleaning, it can be used as a mouthwash.
Rinse a small amount in the mouth to kill bad breath and germs, as well as treat canker sores. Mixed with baking soda, it works as a whitening toothpaste. Pouring peroxide on your toothbrush once in a while is a fantastic way to clean it, too.
If you have partial or a full set of false teeth, use a peroxide and water mixture as a way to clean dentures to eliminate stains and odors.
Hydrogen peroxide is also beneficial as a DIY night guard cleaner. Mix water and peroxide and use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean all crevices.
A water and peroxide solution is a natural cleaner for braces, too.
How to Clean Your Ears with Hydrogen Peroxide
Use hydrogen peroxide in your ears. Mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to make eardrops for preventing ear infections after swimming. Several drops of pure hydrogen peroxide in each ear helps clear up an ear infection. Use hydrogen peroxide as a dog ear cleaner for your pooch, too.
Remove ear wax by putting a drop peroxide in your ear, followed by olive oil, then drain. Some people swear that a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in their ears can also help cure a cold.
Use It in a Bath
Peroxide isn’t just for cuts and burns on your skin. Soak in a warm bath mixed with hydrogen peroxide to treat boils. A peroxide bath is also detoxifying.
Hydrogen peroxide can also kill parasites on the skin and makes an excellent natural face wash. Rinsing your face with it can clear acne.
Use It as a Foot Soak
Pamper your feet with peroxide. Whiten finger and toenails by soaking in it, or make a foot bath with warm water and peroxide to soften calluses. Got foot fungus? Spray an equal mixture of peroxide and water on your feet each night.
How to Dye Your Hair with Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a natural hair lightener. Use it to bleach hair blonde or spray it in the hair to make highlights. If you’ve bleached your hair blonde, peroxide covers your roots as your hair grows. Look over our article on how to dye your hair with home remedies.
>> Further Info on Skin Care with Hydrogen Peroxide: How to get hair dye stains off your skin
Use It as a Contact Solution
If you wear contacts, peroxide works in a pinch to clean your lenses. Hydrogen peroxide features prominently in some contact lens cleaners on the market.
Kitchen Cleaning
Use as a Disinfectant
Disinfect dishrags and sponges by soaking in peroxide regularly or make a homemade disinfectant spray.
Sanitize Cutting Boards
Spray cutting boards with hydrogen peroxide, especially ones used for meat, to sanitize them.
Boost Your Dish Cleaning Power
Use hydrogen peroxide on dishes. Add a few drops to the dishwasher to give your detergent a boost. Make a paste with baking soda and peroxide for stubborn food stains. Letting it sit on a stain loosens it, and baking soda acts an abrasive the mixture is wiped off.
Additionally, you can use vinegar for how to clean a dishwasher drain and clear it of food debris and grease that may be causing water to back up in the dishwasher. For a fresh scent, add a few drops of lemon or orange essential oil to the vinegar. Your dishwasher will be ready for its next load in no time!
Refresh Your Fridge
Clean out the inside of your refrigerator regularly to reduce odor, and use peroxide for refreshing. Spray peroxide inside and let sit for several minutes, then wipe all surfaces.
You can also use peroxide for cleaning refrigerator coils. Since the coils are usually hidden from sight, they don’t often get the cleaning they need and deserve. Pull your fridge out from the wall and use a cloth dampened with peroxide to carefully wipe the coils clean. You may be surprised to find that your refrigerator keeps your food colder after this treatment.
Bathroom Cleaning
Clean Tiling
Hydrogen peroxide is a wonderful natural cleaning product and cleans tiles well. Spray and wipe to disinfect surfaces, or let it sit after spraying to whiten tile grout so that it sparkles just like the tile.
Peroxide and baking soda make the perfect grout cleaner. It also cleans countertops and numerous other surfaces throughout your home.
In addition to using a baking soda based grout cleaner with peroxide for cleaning your grout, you also want your tiles to be clean and shiny to match.
If you recently regrouted your shower, you may have some lingering grout haze behind that has dulled the tiles. Use a sponge with a little peroxide on it as a homemade grout haze remover to restore that sparkle to your tiles.
Make Your Toilet Sparkle
Wipe peroxide on toilet surfaces and let it sit for a half-hour before cleaning. Pour peroxide on the toilet brush to disinfect it and get rid of any sewer smell. In addition to the bowl, using peroxide is one way to clean a toilet tank and getting it sparkling, as well.
If you have a toilet blockage, before trying any DIY remedies, it is a good idea to unclog a toilet with plunger first. If that doesn’t work, you can try boiling water, vinegar, or peroxide.
Scrub-a-Dub the Tub
Using hydrogen peroxide in your tub is a great way to take advantage of natural cleaners. If you have mildew, mold, or stains, spray peroxide on the area to eliminate discoloration and mold. It also works well in sinks and drains to get rid of sewer odor in bathroom.
It helps to know the difference between mold and mildew so that you know if you need a professional to tackle the job. Mildew definition is that yucky black or gray stuff that is usually easily wiped away with peroxide or vinegar. Mold is often embedded deeply into porous surfaces like grout and if a large area is covered, it may require professional intervention.
If you prefer not to use bleach, you can also use peroxide for removing mold from cinder block walls in the bathroom, basement, or outside the house. It’s a great way to clean without breathing unpleasant and potentially harmful fumes.
Clean the Shower Curtain
It can be tough to keep your shower curtain clean, as it is constantly exposed to water and damp conditions. Spray peroxide on your shower curtain to fight mildew, mold, and soap scum. It’s also a great way for how to get rid of black mold in shower and on the curtain.
You can also wash a vinyl shower curtain in the washing machine. Let the curtain soak in the machine filled with water and a cup or so of peroxide. Put the machine on a hot water, gentle cycle to remove any smell and stains without damaging the vinyl. Let the shower curtain air dry in the bathtub or outside.
Go Streakless
End a bathroom cleaning session by using hydrogen peroxide for a streak-free shine on mirrors.
Clothes, Fabric and Upholstery
Use as a Brightener
Use hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach in your laundry to brighten whites and get mildew out of clothes that may have been in the washer too long. Have you ever forgotten to turn on the dryer after you load it?
Be careful when using bleach; it can leave unsightly yellow and orange stains on fabric. But the good news is that you can remove bleach stains from fabric to restore your clothing when these mistakes happen.
This can also result in mold and mildew settling in on the laundry. To remove musty smell from clothes directly from the washer or the dryer, some peroxide added to a re-wash will get your clothes wearable and smelling fresh again.
Get Rid of Food Stains
Peroxide works well as homemade fabric upholstery cleaner. It removes food and other organic stains from light-colored fabrics, as well as getting rid of musty odors when combined and used with vinegar.
Beautify Your Carpet
Do you have stains on light carpet? Spray hydrogen peroxide on stains to remove them. Peroxide is a powerful component of any homemade carpet cleaner. Your DIY carpet shampoo won’t harm the carpet but still is useful. Be sure to test a spot first to ensure it won’t bleach the carpet.
Clean filthy carpets with peroxide by adding it to your carpet steamer or a regular cleaning solution that you scrub into the fibers. Again, try it in an inconspicuous area first.
Clean Clothes, Textile, and Your Reusable Grocery Bags
Hydrogen peroxide is useful if you use reusable grocery bags. A spray of peroxide inside can freshen, disinfect, and clean stains.
The same disinfecting properties in peroxide will remove blood stains from sheets and clothes. Mix peroxide half with water and spray the diluted peroxide directly on the blood stain as the best way to get dried blood stains out of fabric. Let it sit and wipe the spot clean after a few minutes.
>> More Laundry Stain Cleaning Tips: Best Way to Get Rid of Bleach Stains
To eliminate mold and germs, use peroxide for cleaning a humidifier filter on a regular basis. It’s also ideal for cleaning the tank and exterior of the humidifier, as well as diffusers and dehumidifiers.
Miscellaneous Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide
Clean and Green
Food-grade peroxide is a great tool to help you enjoy safer produce. Spray peroxide on fruits and vegetables, rinse and spray again with vinegar. Rinse a second time. Peroxide removes pesticides and bacteria and helps fruits and vegetables last longer.
Breathe Clean
Of course, it’s important to have a mold-free home. If you do have mold or mildew, killing mold is critical for the health of your family.
Ensure that humidifiers and dehumidifiers remain mold-free and clean by adding hydrogen peroxide to the water. Mold in humidifiers is not safe, as it sends mold spores into the air you breathe and can lead to illness in both healthy people and those with compromised immune systems like the elderly and infants.
If you notice an unpleasant rotten egg smell in basement areas, use some peroxide in your mop water for the floors or spray and mop the walls with it. Add a little peroxide to almost any cleaning solution to deodorize and sanitize the area and keep it smelling fresh.
Purify Makeup Brushes
Peroxide keeps makeup brushes clean. Mix water and hydrogen peroxide and soak synthetic brushes for five minutes. This cleans them of bacteria and makeup residue.
Hydrogen peroxide helps your plants by preventing bacterial rot. It kills weeds and fertilizes plants. In addition, use a water and peroxide mixture to kill soil mites that may have invaded your indoor plants. It works well without harming the plant.
Hydrogen peroxide has so many uses around the home! Replace some of your household cleaning products with the more natural and safe hydrogen peroxide and feel safe that your home is clean and nontoxic.
In this article, you learned some uses of hydrogen peroxide at home. You learned what is hydrogen peroxide and got a link to another great article on how to dye your hair with peroxide.
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