Adventures with Hydrogen Peroxide

I had read several articles about the uses of Hydrogen Peroxide, it seemed to be a cure for every disease from Alzheimer's to Warts, an effective household disinfectant, gives protection from biohazards and bioweapons and much, much more. Was there any truth in these articles? I had to try Hydrogen Peroxide for myself.

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is a clear, colorless, odorless liquid, made up of two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms. It is a powerful oxidizer (a chemical compound that readily transfers oxygen atoms). Hydrogen Peroxide is naturally anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial. It is used for sterilization, by the pharmaceutical industry, in food production and even in aerospace research where it has been used to sterilize space probes and artificial satellites.

I bought a bottle of 35% food grade Hydrogen Peroxide, the only product deemed safe for internal use. I thought I would try it out for myself; maybe even add a few drops of Hydrogen Peroxide to my drinking water. I read the instructions carefully, "keep out of the reach of children" it said. "Do not transfer hydrogen peroxide solution into any unlabeled bottles or containers." On and on it went with a long list of instructions.

The first thing I realized was that I had better wear my rubber gloves when handling the product, but before I would dare to ingest any of this powerful chemical, I tried it out on my laundry.

Wow, a powerful blood stain remover! The Hydrogen Peroxide solution came with a dropper bottle. Just a few drops on a blood stain and it started to bubble and foam. After the wash-cycle had completed, there was no trace of the blood-stain or any discoloration or damage to the fabric. The Hydrogen Peroxide solution also removed some old mildew stains on a precious table cloth that I thought had been ruined forever. The Hydrogen Peroxide worked well on all biological stains, such a food, grass, juice and wine, even on carpets! I also found the hydrogen peroxide useful for freshening towels when I added a few drops to the wash.

Unfortunately, I got a little too careless using the dropper bottle. I thought I did not need to wear the protective gloves, I would just unscrew the bottle and gently squeeze the rubber top, how could any solution get onto my hands? I did not feel anything for a minute or two, and then, suddenly, I felt a burning sensation on the tips of my finger and thumb. They had also turned white.

I did not remember the part on the instructions where it advised to rinse with lots of cold water if it spilled onto your skin, but I ran for my usual first-aid treatment, Aloe Vera Gelly. I squeezed a little gel from the tube onto the affected area. The pain went away immediately, but came back again in about 2-3 minutes; I kept applying the gel which took the pain away, until it wore off. After about 15 minutes, it had stopped hurting and my skin returned to its normal color.

It put me off taking the Hydrogen Peroxide internally, but I still had more projects to try it out on.

My roses had mildew and black-spot. One of my favorite roses was affected so badly that its growth was stunted by the disease.

I added a few drops of Hydrogen Peroxide to a Spray bottle, full of water and sprayed the rose plants on every accessible surface. I did not notice any improvement for a while, then in about two or three weeks, I noticed my roses were covered in bright green healthy leaves and a few buds were beginning to form. The mildew was gone!

I had previously used an anti-fungal chemical on my roses, which I purchased from a local garden center. It was extremely toxic. I had to wear mask when spraying the roses and it was mostly ineffective. The Hydrogen Peroxide was a much more effective for treatment for mildew on roses. I have also tried a Sodium Bicarbonate solution on roses, this works almost as well as the Hydrogen Peroxide.

I was going to try the Hydrogen Peroxide on many more things but after regularly adding it to my laundry, I quickly used up the entire product and never got around to purchasing any more. I never was brave enough to try it internally; I have since found an alternative, an effective alkalizer, which I add to my drinking water daily. And if it drops onto my skin, it doesn't burn!